This is a series on the attributes of God.
The Love of God Part 1: God’s Love for others in the Old Testament
Establish the need: Sometimes you hear people say that the God of the New Testament is a God of love but the God of the Old Testament is not a God of love; but is that true?
Purpose: In this session we shall explore the attribute of the love of God as taught in the Old Testament and also draw implication for the Christian life as a result of our study.
What is the love of God? The words in the Old Testament:
- Aheb
- Most common verb to describe love.
- Verb that is most frequently used to describe the love between humans but also in relations to God and humans.[1]
- Ahabah=A noun that has the same sense of meaning as the verb form Aheb.[2]
- Habab
- Hasaq
- Summarizing definition:
- Love is one of those things that we know but can be hard to define.
- From John Frame: “Jack Cottrell offers an excellent definition of God’s love: “his self-giving affection for his image-bearing creatures and his unselfish concern for their well-being,that leads him to act on their behalf and for their happiness and welfare.”[7]
- Love of course is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
- My definition: Strong emotions and will that results in action for the good of others which also produces the effect of joy in seeing others being better off.
What does the Bible teaches about the love of God in the Old Testament?
- How many times does the word “love” appear in the Old Testament? “In the New American Standard Version, love is mentioned 348 times — 133 times in the Old Testament and 215 times in the New Testament. In the New International Version, it is mentioned 551 times — 319 times in the Old Testament and 232 times in the New Testament.”[8]
- God’s love of inanimate object:
- “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” (Malachi 2:11)
- Here in this verse it describes the sins of Judah which includes Judah having “profaned the sanctuary of the Lord”
- It turns out that the sanctuary of the Lord is what the Lord loves.
- God loves the gates of Zion: “The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.” (Psalm 87:2)
- God loves righteousness and justice: “He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.” (Psalm 33:5)
- “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” (Malachi 2:11)
- God’s love for Israel:
- (This is by far the biggest emphasis of God’s love in the Old Testament)
- “but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:6)
- This is the first reference of God’s love. Previous reference to love in the book of Genesis describes the love of humans to humans.
- The context of Exodus 20 is God presenting the ten commandments with verse 6 following the prohibition in verses 4-5 of not worshipping idols.
- Here in verse 6 we see the description of “those who love Me”
- To those, God Himself says He will be “showing lovingkindness to thousands”
- “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,” (Deuteronomy 4:37)
- Deuteronomy is Moses’s sermon to the second generation of the Exodus who would be entering into the promise land.
- Here in this verse Moses is referring to the previous generations when he said “your fathers”
- Moses notes that God “loved your fathers”
- The result of God’s love?
- Israel being chosen: “therefore He chose their descendants after them.”
- Israel free from Egypt: “And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,”
- “Nevertheless, the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.” (Deuteronomy 23:5)
- Notice “the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you.”
- The reason? It is “because the Lord your God loves you.’
- See also Deuteronomy 7:13, Deuteronomy 10:15 and Deuteronomy 33:3.
- All these are from Deuteronomy.
- In this book there is a lot of discussion about God’s love for Israel and the requirement of Israel to love God (23 times “love” appears, more than any other book in the laws of Moses).
- ““I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob;” (Malachi 1:2)
- Here the Lord speaks and He says “I have loved you” with this in reference to Jacob, and through corporate solidarity, this is talking about Israel.
- God’s love reiterated here twice: “Yet I have loved Jacob”
- What is significant here is that this is the last book of the Old Testament and God is still affirming His love for Israel despite all the sins we have seen in the Old Testament!
- God’s love is not based upon the recipients deserving it
- “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,” (Deuteronomy 7:7)
- Notice here Moses says it quite directly that the Lord’s love is not because Israel were numerical: “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples”
- Moses even added “you were the fewest of all peoples”
- We should never have the mentality that God should love us because “we are too big too fail.”
- ““Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before [a]you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. 5 It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 “Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.” (Deuteronomy 9:4-6)
- Moses denied that the reason for God’s loving act towards Israel of granting the promise land is because of self-righteousness according to verses 4-5.
- Verses 6 affirms the opposite was the case when Moses points out “you are a stubborn people.”
- “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,” (Deuteronomy 7:7)
- Duration of His love:
- Recall earlier how God’s love is mentioned from Exodus to Malachi. That is a long and patient love shown by God.
- “The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
- The context of this verse is the description of Israel’s restoration after their exile which is brought about by the work of God.
- Here we see the Lord Himself says “I have loved you” which is incredible because it is despite their sins.
- This love is “n everlasting love.”
- God’s love extends beyond Israel
- “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18)
- Here we see that God “shows His love for the alien”
- How? “by giving him food and clothing.”
- God’s love beyond Israel is hinted in the Old Testament but will further be developed in the New Testament.
- “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18)
Implications
- His people are commanded to love God: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
- Since God loves aliens/strangers, God’s people are too as well: “So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19)
- Love even strangers even like yourself! “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
- Let the motivation for why you love God be the love of God towards you.
- Let the motivation for why you love others be the love of God towards you.
- Pray knowing that He loves you; let that be a motivation for you to pray like the way it is when we know someone loves us we want to talk to them!
- Also show your love by prayer like the way we talk lovingly to those whom we love!
- Do you thank God for His love to you?
- Do you confess how you fall short of loving Him?
- Do you pray to God that your love for Him would increase?
[1] John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 349.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] John Frame, The Doctrine of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2002), 414.
[8] Source: https://www.reference.com/art-literature/many-times-love-mentioned-bible-f8eb228f4fe0a4#
Thank you brother for this edifying study on the love of God. It certainly challenges us to practice love in our own life towards God, His people, strangers and our family.
You are welcome! We will have part 2 next week; how is the weather for you guys this week?
The temperature is taking a quick dive in Scotland, falling three degrees further than yesterday. We have had a lot of rain and wind making it more like early winter rather than autumn. We had the first skeins of geese flying over already, which does not bode well for winter. But us Scots are made of hard stuff, we can take it…haha.😄
Good reminder: “when we know someone loves us we want to talk to them” Knowing God loves us motivates what we do to others and how we pray to God. I especially liked the reminder in point 8 to thank God.
Thanks for reading this and reading also the application as application is important! Also Frank thanks for your friendship over on mewe don’t say that enough!
Love this love thing! You have inspired me!
Makes me want to do a mini series with multi posts! Thank you my brother and friend!
Reblogged this on clydeherrin.
Excellent. God is God in both the old and new testaments. It is to easy to listen to those who don’t know what they are talking about. So thankful that God is love.
Blessings for a wonderful day in paradise.
Jimmy,
Thank you for this wonderful post. Love is not a throwaway word with God. It is an active verb as you show in the word of God. Have a blessed day knowing you are loved by the LORD our God, brother.
pax,
dora
So grateful for God’s Love. As I dive into God’s love I’m planning to have at least three posts on God’s love. Such a precious attribute of God!! Was your talk with your friend yesterday or still pending in the future?
Talked with her for some time yesterday, and her daughter. She is getting more rest but struggling spiritually. Her daughter and son-in-law are Christian counselors and have worked in missions, so in good hands there.
[…] their well-being, that leads Him to act on their behalf and for their happiness and welfare.”https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-1/More to follow!Thank you Pastor Jim!Worthy is the Lamb! […]
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Especially when I am teaching third graders (which has not been for a while), I emphasize that love is an act (not just an emotion).
When we take the verses listed in the Implications section, God would have us love even when we don’t feel like it. Therefore, we must be active in our love of our enemies, our neighbors, and strangers.
I say a big amen to love is an action and this truth: “ When we take the verses listed in the Implications section, God would have us love even when we don’t feel like it. Therefore, we must be active in our love of our enemies, our neighbors, and strangers.” Amen! Do you miss teaching 3rd Graders?
Yes.
Thanks for this outline on God’s love! What an attribute! I don’t contemplate it enough. Thanks for the list of implications/applications. I’ll re-read this a few times today.
Thanks for reading this! Quick question as I look at where ROC is located is the Erie Canal technically at Lake Ontario??
In relation to Rochester, the Erie Canal runs east to west about three miles south of the city center. The original canal route went right through the city.
Reblogged this on My Logos Word.
“God’s love is not based upon the recipients deserving it.”
Amen to this!
It is amazing how the attributes of God all inter-relate; that in His love we see it is also by grace He loves us! I think there’s something to say about how we go about with doctrinal apologetics when we see them all inter-relate! Moreover to deny one biblical attribute of God is like pulling strings in a shirt that shrinks the shirt and also pull apart the rest of the shirt; similarly denial of a biblical attribute of God shrinks God and pull at other attributes. Amazing to see how His attributes interrelate amen???
Yes brother. That’s why in our engagement with presuppose the Christian Worldview.
I love how you showed His love is all over the Old Testament
Even in the Old He is Love
Amen Nishizaka