Some may wonder why we focus so much on love and talk about it so much. Well, Jesus said the greatest commandments are about love. And scripture makes it clear that God is good and God's steadfast love endures forever.
That means love is not merely something God does. Love is the deepest truth about who God is.
The Hebrew word translated “steadfast love” is hesed. It is a covenant love that is loyal, merciful, and stubbornly faithful. And when the psalm says this love “endures,” it literally points toward forever. That means God’s never expires. It doesn't disappear even when we disappoint God.
As the psalmist tells us, the people had forgotten what God had done. Joining the generations of his faith, he confesses that "we" have sinned.
But then comes that one little word: “Yet.”
Psalm 106:8 says, “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake.”
They forgot God, yet God remembered them. They questioned God, yet God rescued them. Their faithfulness faltered, yet God’s love endured.
Scholars note that God’s “name” represents God’s character and reputation. So, God saves them not because they have earned God's rescue. We tend to prove time and time again that we're not worthy of God's love. But mercy is part of who God is. Even God’s mighty power is made known through salvation. God doesn't flex by dominating over God's forgetful, sinful people. God loves them to salvation.
That is why we keep focusing on love. Love is not an alternative to serious faith. Love is the heart of God’s holiness, the motive behind grace, and the power that saves.
Our love towards God and each other often changes with our moods or circumstances. But God’s love endures.
When everything else gives way, love is what remains because love is who God is.
Stay blessed...john
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