Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Mr. Frank opened the assembly by showing us an old photo from his time in Ambassador College when he traveled to Israel to participate in an archaeological dig.
He made the connection that a person’s youth passes by quite quickly and the older generation must pass their wisdom to the younger. The lecture was geared towards biblical instructions guiding the youth of Living Education and was largely based on 1 Timothy 4:12.
Mr. Frank mentioned that the letters of 1 Timothy and Titus were written during the time of Paul’s evangelistic work while under house arrest in Rome. Paul placed Timothy as pastor of the church in Ephesus and Titus in Crete. During his final imprisonment, Paul wrote a second letter to Timothy, requesting a visit from his young protégé. Paul wrote both letters to help Timothy in his pastoral duties.
Mr. Frank explained Paul’s admonition to Timothy to not let anyone despise his youth, in word, conversation, charity, spirit, faith, and purity. Paul also charged the church that they should not despise Timothy (1 Corinthians 16:10-11). As Mr. Frank described, at the time of the early Church it was culturally unusual for someone under the age of thirty to be considered a leader, and certainly many of the other leaders at that time would have been older than Timothy. Paul charged Timothy to live an exemplary life so that no one could find fault in him. Mr. Frank stated that this does not imply that Timothy was careless in his prior behavior, but rather that Paul was encouraging him to continue being the good model that he already was. A young leader should take care not to commit youthful foolishness or sinfulness which would give reason for people to discredit him.
Youth should not be a time for sowing wild oats, for this is not the Christian way. Mr. Frank admonished us to flee youthful lusts and to remember to seek the Creator while we are still young. Once we graduate, no matter where we go, the brethren will view us as graduates of the Living Education program and we will be expected to behave accordingly. There are six areas Paul tells Timothy to consider—Mr. Frank expounded on these areas, which we too can think about in order to set a good example to other people in the Church, both young and old.
Let no one despise you in…
Word – The Greek word logos, which means “divine word,” in this context can be translated as “correct doctrine.” It is essentially a warning against idle talk. We need to be extremely mindful of what we say, especially among Church members.
Conversation – The definition of the Greek word translated “conversation” includes behavior, general conduct, and how we speak with others.
Charity – This word is translated from the Greek word agape, meaning “love,” “brotherly love,” or “benevolence.” We are to have godly love for others, whether they treat us well or ill.
Spirit – Translated from the Greek pnévma, this relates to governing one’s passions, as by the Holy Spirit, and being of a mild, meek, forgiving disposition.
Faith – The Greek word pistis describes a state of trust, conviction, fidelity, and unshaken confidence in God, in both good times and bad. The word is also used to describe faithfulness, implying that we should be faithful to our families, our Church, our work, the general public, and—most importantly—God.
Purity – Paul cautioned Timothy that his interactions with others should be with purity, not giving into youthful lust. Mr. Frank used this opportunity to issue the same caution to the students and warned us not to engage in such behaviors that could tarnish our reputation. This type of purity is not limited to rejecting the sins of the flesh, but also includes rejecting wrong motives and thoughts.
As Mr. Frank discussed, these are not requirements for pastors only; rather they are meant for all of God’s people. We should consider the lesson given to Timothy and strive to build good habits in our lives, that we may be above reproach and give no man a reason to despise us in our youth.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dollar-gill-NVKKoqXZSfs-unsplash.jpg10501500lcgadminhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pnglcgadmin2022-02-24 09:16:002022-03-08 15:45:10Assembly Summary: Let no man despise your youth
Honesty is a value that is needed in the workplace. A person’s character is measured by the level of honestly they exhibit each day regardless of their circumstances. In fact, the only way to achieve personal growth is to honestly and courageously assess life’s challenges.
Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated reading time: 8 min.
Did you know that Jesus wore a crown before He died?
Christians understand that when He returns to take command of His kingdom He will be adorned with many crowns (Revelation 19:12). Even before He died, He was crowned and proclaimed king. However, it was not a proclamation by believers. Additionally, this crowning relates to the curse upon the earth from Genesis 3. What type of crown was this and how does it relate to the curse? This Digging Deeper recounts this event to discover its spiritual significance.
Our focus verse is: “And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29 KJV throughout). This heartless act by the Roman soldiers as executioners is also recorded in Mark 15:17; John 19:2; John 19:5.
This scene occurs not long before Jesus was taken to Calvary to be crucified. Because of their military experience, these hardened and brutal Roman soldiers placed little value on human life. They mocked this helpless Jew who had been turned over to them for crucifixion by the Roman governor, Pilate.
A crown of torture
Before capturing the spiritual significance of this encounter, it is necessary to examine a couple of words used in this verse. Gary Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures claims the word platted comes from the “The Greek verb πλέκω (G4120) which means, ‘to twine, braid.’ This word is only used three times in the New Testament, and only in reference to this crown of thorns” (e-Sword 13.0.0). This organic crown was braided into the shape of a victor’s laurel. Ethelbert Bullinger in his Companion Bible attests that the Greek word for crown is “Stephanos (used by kings and victors); not diadema, as in Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 19:12″ (Ibid.). Victors’ garlands in Greco-Roman games were woven from leafy twigs of local plants, shrubs, or trees.
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible provides pertinent historical background: “Hellenistic [Greek culture] vassal princes wore garlands; soldiers may have used an available shrub such as acanthus to weave a wreath for Jesus. Imitating Hellenistic garlands, the soldiers may have intended the thorns to point especially outward, but some of the thorns would nevertheless turn inward, scraping the scalp. Scalp wounds bleed particularly profusely” (Tecarta Bible Apps). David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary additionally notes: “Kings wear crowns, but not crowns of torture. The specific thorn-bushes of this region have long, hard, sharp thorns. This was a crown that cut, pierced, and bloodied the head of the King wearing it” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
Royal diadems were much more elaborate, as Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains: “A crown was worn by kings, commonly made of gold and precious stones. To ridicule the pretensions of Jesus that he was a king, they probably plucked up a thornbush growing near, made it into something resembling in shape a royal crown, so as to correspond with the old purple robe, and to complete the mockery” (e-Sword 13.0.0). As John Bengel’s Gnomon New Testament asserts, “They treated Jesus as a madman who fancied Himself a King” (Bible Analyzer 5.4.1.22).
Thorns and the curse
Various suggestions have been offered over the years as to which thorny bush was chosen for this crown. However, Henry Alford’s The Greek Testament cautions: “It does not appear whether the purpose of the crown was to wound, or simply for mockery—and equally uncertain is it, of what kind of thorns it was composed…Some flexile shrub or plant must be understood—possibly some variety of the cactus or prickly pear” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
The Biblical Illustrator by Joseph S. Exell adds: “According to the Rabbis and the botanists, there would seem to have been from twenty to twenty-five different species of thorny plants growing in Palestine; and different writers have, according to their own judgment or fancies, selected one and another of these plants as the peculiar thorns which were used upon this occasion. But why select one thorn out of many?” (e-Sword 13.0.0). However, there is a more substantial significance.
The NET Bible provides a hint of the spiritual significance of this act: “In placing the crown of thorns on his head, the soldiers were unwittingly symbolizing God’s curse on humanity (cf. Genesis 3:18) being placed on Jesus. Their purpose would have been to mock Jesus’ claim to be a king; the crown of thorns would have represented the ‘radiant corona’ portrayed on the heads of rulers on coins and other artifacts in the 1st century” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
This source asserts that apart from the specific thorn employed, more important is the connection of thorns to the first human sin described in Genesis. When one reads the punishment God imposed after this sin, it becomes plain that God cursed the serpent and the ground from which Adam and Eve would grow their food. Instead of the unhindered harvest of luscious fruits and vegetables, the ground would yield thorns and thistles to impede their efforts (Genesis 3:14, 17). Because of Jesus’ future sacrifice for sin, God did not curse Adam and Eve directly though they would suffer sin’s consequences in painful childbirth and laborious work (Genesis 3:16-19).
Curse from sin
Joseph S. Exell’s The Biblical Illustrator comments on the relationship of thorns to sin: “It may well be that more than one kind of thorn was platted in that crown: at any rate sin has so thickly strewn the earth with thorns and thistles that there was no difficulty in finding the materials, even as there was no scarcity of griefs wherewith to chasten Him every morning and make Him a mourner all His days” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible establishes this spiritual significance: “[1.] Thorns came in with sin, and were part of the curse that was the product of sin, Genesis 3:18. Therefore Christ, being made a curse for us, and dying to remove the curse from us, felt the pain and smart of those thorns, nay, and binds them as a crown to him (Job 31:36); for his sufferings for us were his glory” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
Jesus vicariously suffered by bearing on Himself this curse, represented by the thorns. John Trapp’s A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments elaborates: “Christ, by wearing this crown of thorns, the firstfruits of the curse, took away the sin and curse of all his people; who must therefore, by their obedience, set a crown of gold on his head, Song of Solomon 3:11…” (e-Sword 13.0.0). Christ’s crown of thorns will be replaced by His bejeweled royal diadems (Revelation 19:12) when He sits upon the throne of David (Luke 1:32).
More lessons of the thorny crown
Matthew Henry goes on to explain two more significances of the thorns of Genesis: “[2.] Now he answered to the type of Abraham’s ram that was caught in the thicket, and so offered up instead of Isaac, Genesis 22:13. [3.] Thorns signify afflictions, 2 Chronicles 33:11. These Christ put into a crown; so much did he alter the property of them to them that are his, giving them cause to glory in tribulation, and making it to work for them a weight of glory.” (e-Sword 13.0.0). When Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son, Isaac was a type of Christ, and Abraham in this action was a type of the Father.
Bob Utley’s You Can Understand the Bible takes this significance a step further: “The ‘crown of thorns’ may allude to (1) mocking Jesus’ claim to kingship or (2) the curse of Genesis 3:18 (cf. Galatians 3:13). Thorns are a symbol of rejecting the gospel (cf. Hebrews 6:8)” (e-Sword 13.0.0). Those who reject Jesus’ sacrifice for them will continue to experience the effects of the curse in their efforts to save themselves.
This mockery of Jesus as a king did not involve only these Roman soldiers, as A New and Concise Bible Dictionary by George Morrish explains: “Though applied to His sacred head by the rough soldiers, it was connived at by Pilate, who presented the Lord in this garb to the Jews, but which only drew forth their cry, ‘Crucify Him.’ We read that the robe was taken off Him, but nothing is said of the crown, so that He may have worn that on the cross” (Bible Analyzer 5.4.1.22). If this was the case, during His crucifixion Jesus suffered not only the nails of the cross and the spear wound of the Roman soldier but also the crown of thorns jammed into his skull.
Jesus’ crown of thorns should instill in all believers a terrifying awareness of the consequences of their sins. Jesus willingly took upon Himself this curse so that they may be forgiven and enter His kingdom as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 20:6). Each of these two offices provides distinguishing headwear to signify leadership. Priestly miters and kingly crowns will likely be worn by those Jesus has saved and transformed (Exodus 28:40-29:6). This results from Jesus bearing their crowns of thorns.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
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Author:Ryan Price | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Dr. Richard Franz began this week’s forum by asking the Living Education students a question: “Have you fallen in love with learning?”
His goal was to convince the students to enter a lifelong love relationship with education and exercise, which, when combined, can help us all to achieve our full potential.
Why should we love learning?
Through learning, we open up experiences and opportunities. The problem is that there is an ocean of information available to us. It is up to us to choose what to learn, and if we choose wisely, we will increase in knowledge that will help us in life. Life is busy and it seems we don’t have time for anything. However, Dr. Franz noted that according to statistics, Americans spend between 12-13 hours engaging in digital entertainment. Such excessive use of digital media shortens our attention spans, which makes it harder to focus on learning anything. The reality is that we have time to learn if we only spend a little less time having our minds saturated by electronic media.
One of the best ways to learn is to read. Yet attaining knowledge is not the only benefit of reading. Six minutes of reading can reduce our stress levels by 68 percent, which is far more than the stress decrease we experience by listening to music or walking. Dr. Franz challenged the students to read twelve books in a year. He explained that, depending on the size of the books, the students could get through them by reading for just fifteen minutes a day.
While the word education doesn’t appear in our English Bible, that Bible still has a lot to say about education. Solomon wrote that true knowledge—true education—comes from the fear of the Eternal. Jesus Christ taught us that true freedom comes from being educated in God’s truth.
Why should we love exercise?
God told Adam and Eve to tend the Garden of Eden. Even in paradise, there was work to be done! God created us to work. But today we measure our quality of life in terms of comfort and leisure. Sitting is our dominant posture. This has led to the numerous health problems of our society.
However, exercise brings with it many benefits. The body is often recharged after systematic, purposeful exercise. Dr. Franz recommends taking moderate walks often, as walking and hiking are excellent forms of exercise.
But how do exercise and education relate? Dr. Franz explained that through exercising, even if we don’t see the physical results we want, we enhance our ability to learn. Exercise stimulates the production of a neurotransmitter called BDNF, which increases the connectivity of our brains, leading to a clearer head. As Dr. Franz put it, “Exercise creates an environment where the brain is both ready and able to learn.” Aerobic exercise is a vital and fundamental tool for those who wish to reach their full potential. It combats cognitive decline and can improve our brain’s capacity. Dr. Franz compared this with the parable of the talents. While we don’t know how much brainpower God has given us, He has given us the knowledge to be able to increase it.
These all seem like a pretty good reward for a little exercise. However, exercise benefits only for a little while. If we stop exercising, the benefits cease. Consistency is key.
Be a life-long learner
Dr. Franz closed the forum with the hope that he has encouraged the LE students to become “life-long learners, as well as exercise enthusiasts” so that they may live up to the potential that God has given them.
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Author:Caanin Fausone | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 2 min.
On January 28th, 2022 this year’s Living Education students embarked on a journey west to the scenic mountains of North Carolina.
The journey up to the mountains was somewhat precarious with forecasted snow hitting earlier than predicted and the windy roads being mountainous. That said, the risk was well worth it as each foot gained in elevation correlated directly to beautiful scenery and cleaner air. The destination on the first day of travel was a large classically rustic home nestled in the forest of the Appalachian mountain range. The accommodations were spacious and the atmosphere cheery as the LE students settled in and claimed which bed was who’s. With this task accomplished they moved on to the true question of the night, what was for dinner?
Dinner, headed by this year’s lady students, was a delicious and nutritious taco salad (which I myself had plenty of) with all the fixings and toppings. The conversation was lively and good-spirited and continued into the wee hours of the night. Breakfast the following day consisted of bagels, oatmeal, and other assorted items, and the Sabbath was spent relaxing, with plenty of reading and nature walks.
That afternoon, Mr. Jonathan McNair (the Living Education program director) gave an informative and inspiring sermonette about our brethren in Southeast Asia and the struggles they are going through in wake of the political and social unrest ravaging the area. This was followed by an inspiring sermon regarding our walk with God in the face of adversity in which he challenged us to consider how we would act if we were all alone in our walk with God. “It all starts with one person,” Mr. McNair emphasized, highlighting Noah as one of many great biblical examples of individuals who walked in the way that God directed.
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Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
For his recent assembly message, Mr. Richard Ames talked about the topic of communication.
He informed the students that, in 1978, he started pursuing a master’s degree in communication. He took a class called “Interpersonal Communication,” where he was assigned to improve his interpersonal relationship with one other person. Mr. Ames decided to improve his communication with his wife, to whom he had been married for fourteen years at the time.
Keys to Improve Interpersonal Communication
Mr. Ames told us to practice biblical principles for loving communication.Ephesians 4:15 admonishes us to speak the truth in love, but too many speak the truth in hate. We should want to edify—build up—the person we are talking to. The entirety of James 3 contrasts biblical communication with what is normal for man. Mr. Ames advised us to pray that God will give us the things that we need to say in love, and he also recommended that we do a word study of Scripture’s use of the words mouth, tongue, lips, and words.
Mr. Ames also said that we should analyze our transactions. Transactional analysis is a psychoanalysis theory and a method of therapy developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne. Some of these transactions are labeled as parent, adult, and child. The parent role is considered an instructional role of communication, the adult role is considered informational, and the child role is considered emotional.
Eric Berne also wrote about cross-transactional communication. An example of this occurs if you are asked, “What time is it?,” and, instead of giving the time, you respond with, “What are you asking me for?” In this scenario, the question is informational, but the response is emotional. Communicating on an informational level helps to eliminate judgmentalism.
Mr. Ames also addressed the need to practice positive reinforcement.Everyone likes to produce behaviors that reinforce positive rewards and to stay away from behaviors that bring negative consequences. If someone is trying to do something nice and the other party complains, then whoever did the action was not rewarded and would not likely do that action again. This key gets to the matter of encouragement.
“Share your life,” Mr. Ames said. We need to share some of our activities and thoughts with others to deepen our relationships with them. Sometimes we are so busy with life that this step gets ignored, but following it enhances the interpersonal relationship between us and other people. Mr. Ames also mentioned that there is an approach called accurate empathy, with which you are able to discern another person’s view of the world as if it were your own.
Another aspect of this is called non-possessive warmth. This is a demonstration of unconditional positive regard, involving caring about another person without imposing conditions on them. Mr. Ames tied this in with Philippians 2:3.Mr. Ames admonished us to use these keys to improve our interpersonal communication, reminding us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:29–31).
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Author:Ryan Price | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
For his recent Forum message, Mr. Bob Rodzaj talked about distractions.
He explained that “one of the greatest difficulties facing many of us today are distractions of all sorts.” Mr. Rodzaj broke this difficulty down into three challenges we must overcome.
The First Challenge: Ourselves
As Mr. Rodzaj illustrated, Romans 8:7 shows us that our very human nature strives against what God wants us to do. Our Father wants us to be productive in doing His Work, but effort is not always fun. And fun is something we crave; we can’t seem to get enough of it.
However, we can overcome our human nature and exercise self-control through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, we can “put to death the deeds of the body, [and] live” (Romans 8:13).
The Second Challenge: The Adversary
Satan, our adversary, does everything in his power to distract us from what we should be doing. Mr. Rodzaj showed the students through Ephesians 2:2 that Satan’s influence floods the world with distractions, negativity, and insubordination. 1 Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
The word “devour” is synonymous with “consume.” Satan uses distractions to consume our attention and energy. He wants us to foolishly associate sex, entertainment, status, possessions, and even food and drink with satisfaction and happiness. But we can ask God to strengthen us and eliminate any vulnerabilities we may have. As James 4:7 puts it, if we submit to God, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us.
The Third Challenge: The Distractions Themselves
To be distracted is a choice. We choose what we allow to distract us. With smartphones and social media, people can no longer settle their minds. These provide a constant influx of information, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. Multitasking has become the norm, yet it’s wreaking havoc on our attention spans. We’re training our brains to focus on many things at once, and as a result, we are losing our ability to focus on one thing at a time.
Mr. Rodzaj quoted from The Distracted Mind by neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley: “We act as if we are no longer interested in or able to stay idle and simply do nothing,” and “where we used to read, we now skim.” Mr. Rodzaj asked the students, “Could we be doing this with the Bible?”
When we are baptized, we make a commitment to God that we’ll let Christ live His life in us. This includes how we use our time. All our time should belong to God, as we only have so much time to use to fulfill God’s will and become like Him.
Mr. Rodzaj referenced Dr. Richard Swenson’s book Margin, which explains that setting limits in life—learning to say no, turning off the television, selecting which activities we give time to, focusing on getting the right things done, and taking time to assess our decisions before we make them—will help us keep focused.We must simplify our lives until we can see clearly what we are doing with our time. Mr. Rodzaj asked the students how far they were willing to go to resist and reject distractions as prescribed in Matthew 5:29-30. Ultimately, every word of God is about how we interact with our Creator, each other, and creation. And while distractions can ruin our relationships, we can overcome these challenges by exercising the power to choose how we spend our time and by relying on God to provide the help we need.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/austin-distel-gUIJ0YszPig-unsplash.jpg10001500lcgadminhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pnglcgadmin2022-02-15 12:30:002022-02-16 13:42:43Forum Summary: Dealing with Distractions
Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Mr. Rod McNair opened his recent lecture by stating the mission of the Church Administration Department (CAD), which is to oversee the ministry—which, in turn, oversees the congregations around the world.
In John 21:15–17, Peter was given a directive to feed and oversee the flock, and CAD takes this very seriously, working hard to provide coordination, communication, and administrative support to the ministry.
Mr. McNair mentioned that in Noah’s day, he had no coworker to help him with the Work. The Church talks about statistics because, with them, we can compare the growth and see the fruits of our efforts. Imagine if, year after year, while the Gospel was being preached, no one responded to the message—this was what it was like for Noah, who still remained faithful to God.
Mr. McNair gave some statistics regarding Tomorrow’s World Presentations (TWPs) and the brethren around the world.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
There have been a total of 30,905 TWP attendees from 2006 to the present. TWPs are a campaign that started during the Worldwide Church of God, but in 2006, pastors became more heavily involved in making them more localized.
On average, two percent of those invited to TWPs within the United States actually attend them—in other words, out of every 100 people who are invited to a TWP, 98 of them will not attend.
On average, 4.2 percent of those invited to a TWP outside the U.S. will attend.
The topics that TWP attendees want to hear about the most are:
Prophecy, including topics such as “the rapture,” heaven and hell, and life after death. Information on prophecy has been requested about 50 percent of the time.
Holy Days—it is surprising to see how much people want to hear about this topic. Information on the Holy Days has been requested about 30 percent of the time.
Holidays
The Sabbath
The Ten Commandments
The Holy Spirit
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Baptism and Repentance
When planning for TWPs, CAD begins working at least eight weeks ahead, since they have to print out brochures and have them mailed out to those on the list of subscribers in a given city. There have been 1,265 TWPs since 2006. Mr. McNair showed the students a map of the U.S. that highlights the areas where we commonly have TWPs, mentioning that we have a lot of work to do.
General Church Statistics
There are 417 congregations in the Living Church of God worldwide.
LCG has 2,600 prospective members who are seventeen years old or younger.
There have been 6,200 baptisms since 1991. This shows that the Work is still being done.
LCG has 5,598 members, prospective members, and children in the U.S., and it has 6,458 members, prospective members, and children in 92 other countries.
There are 99 scattered brethren around the world who do not have a congregation in their country.
An estimated 60,000 people contact LCG’s Personal Correspondence Department with questions in the last fifteen to sixteen years.
Mr. McNair concluded his lecture with Matthew 24:45–51, reiterating that our job is to do the Work; God is the one who brings the harvest, and we need to work in the field.
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Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated reading time: 7 min.
Did you know that when Myles Coverdale produced his Coverdale Bible in 1535, he coined a word to describe the special relationship that exists between God and His people?
This relationship is so extraordinary, it took a newly created word to explain its meaning in English. This Digging Deeper uncovers the deeper meaning of the magnificent biblical word lovingkindness to better understand the special relationships of God and His saints.
The Coverdale Bible was the first complete modern English translation of the Bible and the first complete printed Bible translation into English. Coverdale realized there was no one English word to fully translate the original Hebrew word, so he brought together two English words: loving and kindness. English translations following Coverdale’s continued to employ this word. Hastings Dictionary of the Bible explains this word’s meaning: “Two ideas are blended in this expressive word; it denotes kindness which springs from the loyalty of love” (e-Sword 13.0.0). Marital love is comparable to this relationship – e.g.: “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies” (Hosea 2:19).
Our focus verse is the first time this English word appears in our Bible: “Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them” (Psalm 17:7 King James Version throughout). David was in danger of his life at this time, as Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible explains: “David was now exposed to imminent danger; common interpositions of Providence could not save him; if God did not work miracles for him, he must fall by the hand of Saul. Yet he lays no claim to such miraculous interpositions; he expects all from God’s lovingkindness” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
A marvelous and ordinary blessing
The Expository Notes of Dr. Constable explains why David could rely on his relationship with the Everlasting God: “The psalmist based his request on God’s loyal love for him as seen in His deliverance of those who take refuge in Him. He called on God to deliver him immediately” (e-Sword 13.0.0). There are times in life when God’s people need immediate deliverance. For David, this was such a time. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible describes what God’s people may expect from God’s lovingkindness: “Such is the lovingkindness of God to his people in Christ; which is sovereign, free, special, distinguishing, everlasting, and unchangeable; it is better than life, and passes knowledge; and which is set upon men and not angels, some and not all…” (Ibid.).
Be sure to notice in Psalm 17:7 that David prayed for marvelous lovingkindness. C.H. Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David explains the addition of this descriptor: “Marvellous in its antiquity, its distinguishing character, its faithfulness, its immutability, and above all, marvellous in the wonders which it works. That marvellous grace which has redeemed us with the precious blood of God’s only begotten, is here invoked to come to the rescue” (e-Sword 13.0.0). For Christians, this marvelous lovingkindness is the essence of Christ’s sacrificial love for them.
David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary tells us why David added this descriptive adjective: “Yet David spoke of more than lovingkindness here; he spoke of marvelous lovingkindness, and that by Your right hand. ‘The wonder of extraordinary love is that God should make it such an ordinary thing, that he should give to us “marvellous lovingkindness,” and yet should give it so often that it becomes a daily blessing, and yet remains marvellous still (Spurgeon)'” (e-Sword 13.0.0). How gracious is our God that such lovingkindness is an uninterrupted gift!
Ger de Koning’s Commentary on the Whole Bible challenges Christians to be mindful of God’s generosity: “This is a beautiful expression. Every display of God’s lovingkindness to us is a wonder. Do we also have an eye for that and bow down in worship to Him for it? The first wonder of God’s lovingkindness is that He has saved us (Titus 3:4-6). After that, He has shown us countless more wonders of His lovingkindness. Has He not often helped us in His lovingkindness in all kinds of situations, for which we ourselves saw no solution and for which we then resorted to Him?” (Bible Analyzer 5.4.1.22).
The meaning of hesed
Longsuffering is invariably the translation of the Hebrew word hesed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia offers an etymology: “‘Lovingkindness’ in the King James Version always represents this word (30 times), but of ḥeṣedh there are many other renderings, e.g. ‘mercy’ (frequently), ‘kindness’ (38), ‘goodness’ (12). The word is derived from ḥāṣadh, meaning, perhaps, ‘to bend or bow oneself,’ ‘to incline oneself’; hence, ‘to be gracious or merciful’” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
The BiblicalTraining Library provides another explanation of the meaning of the Hebrew word: “Ḥesed in the OT signifies an attitude of either God or man born out of mutual relationship. Hesed is the attitude that each expects of the other, e.g., master/subject, host/guest, friend/relative. Primarily ḥesed is not a disposition but a helpful action; it corresponds to a relationship of trust. Hesed in a sovereign protects his dominion; ḥesed gives men security in their mutual dealings…However, the principal connotation of ḥesed is ‘loyal love’—a love which is associated with the covenant (Deuteronomy 7:12; 1 Samuel 20:8). Men could always rely upon the divine ḥesed.”
An example of the saints’ trust in God is: “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 36:7 KJV). David proclaimed his trust in the Almighty: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee” (Psalm 143:8).
Expecting and giving hesed
The BiblicalTraining Library continues: “When ḥesed refers to God it indicates in general the divine love flowing out to sinners in unmerited kindness. On the divine side ḥesed comes to designate particularly grace. In a religious sense the ḥesed of God always signifies His merciful and faithful aid…God has promised ḥesed; one may expect it but dare never claim it.”
Notice how David requested this grace: “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). After his shameful conduct with Bathsheba, David needed lovingkindness!
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains that hesed is also expected from God’s people: “Being such an essential and distinctive quality of God, the prophets taught that it should also characterize His people. It is part of the Divine requirement in Micah 6:8, ‘to love kindness’ (compare Zechariah 7:9, ‘Show kindness and compassion every man to his brother’)” (e-Sword 13.0.0). David set an example of sharing and proclaiming God’s lovingkindess to others: “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation” (Psalm 40:10 KJV). This is an essential part of the message Christians are to proclaim through the gospel today!
The word lovingkindness does not appear in our New Testament. Rather, equivalent words there are “mercy” “goodness,” “kindness,” “brotherly love.” Cheyne, in the Encyclopedia Biblica notes that chesed [hesed] is answered by the Greek word philadelphia (ISBE, e-Sword 13.0.0). Philadelphian Christians should generously and consistently shower fellow believers with lovingkindness. God’s people not only receive such marvelous lovingkindness from God, but they are also expected to exhibit the same to others (John 13:35). In this way, God’s lovingkindness is paid forward. Lovingkindness is not just something we get – it is also something we give.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
