At Mount Sinai, the LORD God revealed his hesed.

The word hesed in Hebrew is translated a number of ways in English:

     —Faithfulness. (Psalm 117:2 NIV).

     —Love. (Psalm 136 NIV).

     —Mercy. (Psalm 136 KJV).

     —Steadfast love. (Psalm 136 ESV; Exodus 34:6-7).

     —Lovingkindness. (Psalm 136 NASB).

     —Kindness. (Micah 6:8).

Since no one English word captures the richness of the Hebrew word hesed, I will use the word hesed in this blog.

At the beginning of the Ten Commandments, the LORD God emphasized his hesed:

He saved Israel by bringing them out of slavery in Egypt. He nurtures Israel by showing his hesed to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Exodus 20:2)

On Mount Sinai, “the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with [Moses] and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness’”—abounding in hesed. (Exodus 34:5-6).

These recitals about the hesed of the LORD God are essential proclamations to a proper understanding of the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

As I explain in my blog “Recitals”, I learned at Harvard Law School about the essential role of “Recitals” in a contract—especially if the contract is complex and is meant to stay in effect for many years.

No matter how carefully such a complex contract is drafted, there is no way that it can cover the many circumstances that will arise over many years. Therefore, it is essential to write “Recitals” at the beginning of the contract to explain the goals and the guiding principles of the parties to the complex contract.

The complex contract entered into at Mount Sinai between the LORD God and Israel has endured for over 3,000 years. It has applied in circumstances as diverse as Ancient Israel and the 21st Century. It has applied in civilizations as diverse as the Babylonians and the Maccabees, in empires as different as the Nazis and the United States.

At Mount Sinai, we learn the goals and principles that guide our interpretation of this complex contract.

The hesed of the LORD God frees people from “slavery in Egypt”.

The LORD is the compassionate and gracious God who is slow to anger, abounding in hesed—abounding in faithfulness, love, mercy, steadfast love, lovingkindness, and kindness.

Therefore, when we encounter rules in the Law of Moses that show the hardness of people’s hearts—such as rules about slaves, women, and stoning people—we know that we should interpret, apply, and revise these rules in ways that show the love, mercy and kindness in the LORD’s heart. (Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1; Micah 6:8; Amos 5:21-24; Isaiah 1:10-18; Matthew 5:1-8:3; 19:3-8; 22:34-40).

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is famous for prophesying: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

I prefer to say, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward hesed.”

To be sure, there are times when three or four generations are blighted because of the consequences of the wickedness, rebellion and sins of their parents. (Exodus 20:5; 34:7).

For example, Israel endured “40 years” of wandering in the Wilderness to get from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land. And Israel endured “70 years” of exile in Babylon after the Temple was destroyed.

In our personal lives, all of us have endured periods of “wandering” and “exile”. Similarly, all communities of wisdom, families, businesses, nations, and civilizations endure periods of “wandering” and “exile”.

How do I know this?

I read history books. I read newspapers. I doomscroll.

I have ears that hear and understand. I have eyes that see and perceive. I have a heart that understands. (Isaiah 6:9-10).

And so, I know the Prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to [our] own way.” (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).

Fortunately, the hesed of the LORD endures for far more than the three or four generations who endure the bad consequences of wickedness, rebellion against the LORD God and sin.

The hesed of the LORD endures for 1,000 generations! (Exodus 20:6).

The hesed of the LORD endures forever! (Psalm 136).

The hesed of the LORD blesses forever! (Genesis 12:1-3).

And so, though the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends toward hesed—it bends towards the personality of its Creator.

Regardless of how often humans go astray through wickedness, rebellion and sin, our Creator is eager to find us and carry us to a universe that manifests hesed (Luke Chapter 15).

Our Creator is always eager to find us and carry us to a universe whose people, communities of wisdom, families, businesses, nations, and civilizations manifest faithfulness, love, mercy, steadfast love, loving kindness, and kindness.

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For more of my thoughts about the hesed of the LORD God, please read my blogs “The Hesed of the LORD Endures Forever”, “Hesed Saves and Nurtures Baby Moses”, “Hesed Saves Israel—Passover”, and “Hesed Nurtures Israel—From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai”.

For more of my thoughts about Moses, including the Passover and Mount Sinai, please read my blogs “Immanuel: Moses”, “Places of Worship—Burning Bushes”, and “Building the Temple—Moses”; and please read “PART TWO—Establishing the Work of Your Hands: Moses” in my book The Promised Land, at pages 75-121.