Unfathomable Grace

See the hesed of the Heavenly Father towards Jesus:

Psalm 89:1-28 I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations … You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one … My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him … I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.”

In 2 Samuel 7, God communicated this information to Nathan in a nocturnal vision. Several years later, another inspired prophet put God’s revelation to song.

God’s was famous for his hesed — his covenantal-faithfulness, one-way promises, undeserved-blessings, never-ending-grace, and agape-love.

God was famous for his hesed to the Chosen One. He would be God’s child. He would be God’s firstborn. He would be the future descendent of David enjoying a victorious, righteous, peaceful, and eternal kingdom. Great would be his city, land, and people. Great would be his name.

In 2 Samuel 7 and in Psalm 89, readers learned more of the Son of David and Son of God — Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah.

See the hesed of the Heavenly Father towards Jesus’ saints:

Psalm 89:29-37 I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. But I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie … his offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.”

In this inspired song, the prophet commented on God’s singular offspring — the Chosen One. He would reign on his throne forever and ever.

The prophet also commented on the Offspring’s children. Hesed was promised to them. When they walked away from God’s good counsel, rules, commandments, or statutes, God promised to personally grace them with some measure of painful discipleship. Bottom line: God loved his Son and his Son’s saints too much to allow them to forsake his precepts without getting their attention, halting their slide, and drawing them back into his arms and glorious ways.

At this point, one must consider a theological distinction between the retributive harm given to God’s enemies and the gracious hurt granted to the Son’s saints. This distinction is more clearly presented in 2 Samuel 7:14-15 where God says, “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him … but my steadfast love (hesed) will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away ….” When the Loving Heavenly Father graciously and painfully addresses his beloved saints, it always stems from his hesed — his covenantal-faithfulness, one-way promises, undeserved-blessings, never-ending-grace, and agape-love.

Therefore, nothing would ever separate Jesus from the hesed of his Heavenly Father. This the Heavenly Father promised!

Additionally, nothing would ever separated the saintly offspring of Jesus from the hesed of the Father. Though painful discipleship/discipline/punishment/chastisement would be graciously and lovingly distributed, his beloved people would reign in his presence forever. This he vowed, covenanted, swore and promised to David, to Jesus, and to all his sinful saints.

Therefore, what do we do with this information?

Let’s give thanks for the really good counsel given us by our Heavenly Father. His ways are perfect, righteous, wise, and best, and they are not secret. Our Creator has given us his instruction manual and standard operating procedures. Blessed is anyone who orders his days in accordance with God’s revelation.

Let’s acknowledge and confess our rebellious hearts and actions. On our best days, we are sinfully sick, weak, and foolishly gullible. On our worst days, we are devilish idolaters flaunting our sin before the face of our Holy God. Everyday, we fall short of God’s expectations and break his gracious commandments.

Let’s believe God’s hesed run to him and his Gospel provision. Due to the living and dying of Jesus Christ, we are declared sinless; better yet, we are declared saintly. Jesus paid it all, and through his payment our debt was cancelled and our righteousness account was filled to overflowing. For all in Christ Jesus, there is no more condemnation, and there is no more merit to collect. He never damns us. He never pours out retribution. He never exercises vengeance. Never does the Just Judge treat us as our sins deserve. All this sort of punishment was poured out on Jesus Christ while he was perched on Golgotha’s cross between heaven and earth.

Let’s give thanks and respond well in our season of gracious discipline. Today, God …

• Prays for us from the throne in heaven.
• Implants his Holy Spirit in us and allows us to experience his fruit.
• Speaks to us through his Spirit, reminding us we are his beloved children.
• Speaks to us through his Word, reminding us of his good counsel.
• Grants us positive reinforcement — the feel good blessings that often follow obedience.
• Grants us suffering, tribulation, and everyday trials.
• Allows the sins of others to affect us.
• Allow our own sins to occur and reap hard consequences.
• Chooses when to address certain sins with his intentional focus. (Thankfully, this is rare!)
• Always draws us home — waiting with ring, sandals, robe, hug, and feast — waiting with his good counsel.

Oh friends, sin is not cute. It is not safe.

Oh friends, God is not soft. He is not passive.

Oh friends, God is not harsh. He is hesed. Therefore, today, we will never get what we deserve. Today, we always get better than we deserve. Today, grace is our inheritance. However, remember this, sometimes God’s grace looks and smells like painful discipline. Therefore, when it happens, don’t panic; don’t worry; don’t despair; don’t doubt. Instead, remember God’s promises, see his compassionate face, come home, feel his strong arms, and learn his gracious lessons.