Restoration of Love

, 0

“For the sake of the patriarchs”: Thoughts on the background of Romans 11:28b

 

… beloved for the sake of the fathers. (Romans 11:28b)

What a curious thought. Where did Paul get this? What was the origin of this declaration? Did he make it up? What is the Biblical background to this?

As you read you will begin to uncover the nature of the love which stirs God’s heart for Israel. Let’s begin with some verses in Deuteronomy and a poorly translated word.

“Chashaq”

Chashaq is an interesting Hebrew word. It connotes desire, longing, attraction and consequent attachment. In the context of relationships, chashaq is used to describe a common experience – and not a particularly pristine one, at that. Here are two verses where it is used to express a common aspect of human experience:

But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage. (Genesis 34:8)

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, (Deuteronomy 21:11)

In these two verses chashaq is translated ‘longs for’ and ‘desire.’ The context is plain. The meaning is clear. It describes the emotion a man has when he is strongly attracted to a woman, finding her so attractive that he wants to marry (be attached to) her.

In Psalm 91:14 this word is used to describe a relationship from man to God. It is translated ‘loved’ in the New American Standard:

Because he has loved (chashaq) Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

Here are some other translations:

ESV Because he holds fast to me in love …

TNK “Because he is devoted to Me …

YLT Because in Me he hath delighted …

This word is utilized to describe the love God has for Israel and the patriarchs. Chashaq speaks of love, desire, attraction that produces attachment.

A Common Misunderstanding:

Surprisingly, this word is found in one of the primary verses mistakenly used to promote the perspective of volitional love. Many mistakenly believe that love is not a feeling provoked by the beloved. They contend that love is an act of the “lover’s” will.

The word chashaq is found in Deuteronomy 7:7 and, following the King James Version, is often mistranslated “set His love on you”: [1]

“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,”

When the words ‘set His love on you’ are read, quoted, or taught, they are often interpreted as pointing to God’s willpower. These words seem to indicate that ‘His love’ was utilized through choice. Apparently God picked up His love and, through the use of volition, placed (set) His love upon Israel.

This view maintains that God chooses to love, and that this love is free from any loveliness found in the beloved. This opinion is often expressed by those who stress a specific view of God’s sovereignty. In fact, the Bible teaches that love chooses, but love is not mere choice. One chooses how to express love, but love is the motive, not the result of choice. The strength of the love determines the nature of the choice.

Notice, Deuteronomy 7:7 is part of a sentence. It is not a complete thought. Many tend to utilize this fragment to stress (often hyperbolically) that there was absolutely nothing worthwhile about Israel that warranted God’s choice. They reason that He loved the unlovely through unadulterated volition, for His own glory, and that the qualities of the beloved had nothing to do with this love. (People actually believe that this is what divine love is like.) However, the sentence does not end at the finish of verse 7; it continues. Here’s the entire sentence:

“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, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7,8)

What these verses communicate is that the LORD delivered Israel because He loved them (He was attracted to them, He found them to be lovely) and kept the oath He swore to the patriarchs. Amazingly, in these verses, the God of Israel did not choose them that He might display His splendor. He did it because He loved them and was faithful to their fathers.

As in our earlier examples, the Hebrew word translated (in Deuteronomy 7:7) “set his love” is actually chashaq. We have seen that this doesn’t imply volition. The word connotes ‘attraction and attachment’ that is so strong that the lover, acting upon that emotion, chooses them to be his beloved.[2]

Something which might attract a lesser ‘deity’s’ attention, the number of worshipers, did not figure into God’s equation. It didn’t count as a factor in the LORD’s heart being drawn to Israel. Something else attracted God’s love and it is not mentioned in verse 7. An aspect of this attraction is hinted at in verse 8 when the covenant vows made to the patriarchs are brought to mind. As a matter of fact, this very word (chashaq) describes the same type of love the LORD had for the patriarchs. In Deuteronomy 10:15, it is translated: ‘set His affection.’

“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection (chashaq) to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 10:15)

Let’s Compare:

Look at how different Deuteronomy 7:7,8a looks when chashaq is translated according to its relational intention and the rest of the sentence is viewed.

First read the common mistranslation:

“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, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers … (Deuteronomy 7:7,8a)

Now read the translation with the actual definition of “Chashaq” in place:

“The LORD (was not attracted to you, and did not desire you), or choose you, because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers …

Doesn’t it feel different than “did not set His love on you”?

Deuteronomy 7:7,8 is intended to teach that God was radically attracted to Israel and the Jewish people, that He chose them because He really loved them, and also was faithful to the oath He swore to the patriarchs. Why did He enter into covenant with the patriarchs? He entered into covenant with them because He really loved them. This passage teaches that God chose because of God’s strong loving attraction, not love because of incredible volition.

Actually, Deuteronomy 7:7 is often taught as if the verse said this:

“The LORD did not find anything attractive about you so as to provoke Him to choose you.

“After all, there were not a lot of you, in fact you were the fewest of all peoples.

“However, He exercised His sovereign choice, to show how worthy of glory He is. His choice of you unworthy people proves that all His actions proceed from unmerited favor.”

If it were a matter of making a decision for His “glory’s” sake (like an insecure narcissist) He wouldn’t have chosen such a weak and apparently insignificant group. After all,

“In a multitude of people is a king’s glory.” (Proverbs 14:28a)

God’s Motive:  Holy Love

Let’s continue to contrast the way people teach about God “setting His love on” Israel with what the Bible actually says. A friend applied the same logic traditionally used in translating and preaching Deuteronomy 7:7 to how the word is used in Deuteronomy 21:11. The verse reads:

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire (chashaq) for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, (Deuteronomy 21:11)

If we force chashaq to conform to the theological necessities of certain doctrinal systems, perhaps it would read this way:

If you see among the captives a woman that does not appeal to you (and sort of repels you),

and if you have no desire (chashaq) for her,

but really want to reveal how wonderful you are by taking her as a wife for yourself …

The reason God desired the descendants of the patriarchs was because He loved them.

One might argue, “but the Bible says they were the fewest of all peoples”. Nevertheless, He saw them as lovely, therefore He chose them. He wanted them as a young man desires a woman he finds to be lovely. Remember, God does not find “glorious” what humanity sees as “glorious.”

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23)

For those who forget about God’s priorities, remember that He is not attracted to human wisdom, power and wealth.

Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Summing Up:

Let’s summarize what we find when we study the ways chashaq is used in the Bible to describe relationships. Twice it is used to speak of the attraction of a man towards a woman he finds to be beautiful. We’ve seen two clear examples of it being used to inform the reader of God’s attraction to people: once to Israel and once to the patriarchs. Once it is used to portray the love the psalmist had for God which provoked a response in God towards the lover.

Deuteronomy 7:7, a verse popularly used to promote the view that God’s love has nothing to do with attraction is actually infused with vocabulary that teaches the opposite. God saw, God delighted in, God gives Himself to the objects of His love.

One commentary’s take on this…

The Lord set his love on you: … The verb means “desire” or “want.” The Septuagint translates with a verb that means “prefer,” “choose.”

And chose you: this additional verbal phrase may be joined to the previous one, as follows: “he decided you were the people he wanted, and so he chose you,” and the whole verse may be restructured as follows:

The Lord [or, Yahweh] decided that you were the people he wanted, and chose you. [3]

For the Sake of the Patriarchs: Transgenerational Love

Not only did He love Israel, not only was He attracted to them and attached to them, but they were also loved because God loved their ancestors. The One who chose Israel had given promises to the patriarchs concerning their descendants:

This is a foundational promise made to Abraham:

But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:19)

God confirmed His promise to Isaac:

The LORD appeared to [Isaac] the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendents, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” (Genesis 26:24)

Isaac’s unlikely heir, Jacob, heard the same word:

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said [to Jacob], “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. (Genesis 28:13)

Joseph revealed the way the patriarchs viewed themselves:

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” (Genesis 50:24)

This understanding is reinforced in the New Testament. Paul wrote:

…they are beloved for the sake of the fathers (Romans 11:28b)

God’s love for Israel and the Jewish people is not just the testimony of the “Old Testament”. It is a relevant part of Biblical faith. The revelation of this reality is intended to help shape the heart and the hope of the Church. That is why Paul spelled it out.

Transgenerational Covenant Between Friends

God’s love for Israel and the Jewish people is similar to Jonathan and David’s covenant. The covenant between these warriors had its origin in a deep love and was valid from generation to generation.

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. (1 Samuel 18:3)

Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'” (1 Samuel 20:42a)

Love was the impetus that called forth the covenant. This love-covenant made David swear that he would care for Jonathan’s descendants.  This concern for Jonathan’s descendants illustrates and follows the pattern of God’s attachment to Israel. The LORD loved Israel and also confirmed the oath that He had sworn to the patriarchs. They were the descendants of Abraham, the man who loved God.[4]

“Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? (2 Chronicles 20:7)

“But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, (Isaiah 41:8)

In these two verses we find a key as to why God made an oath to Abraham. God’s motive was His delight in the patriarch’s love for Himself. Astonishingly, the emphasis in these verses is not on God’s love for Abraham, but Abraham’s love for God! He was the man who was God’s friend. Abraham loved God enough to be His friend. Think of this: a man befriends God… and it affects the way God feels about that man – he’s “My friend.”

It brings to mind the verse we looked at from Psalm 91:

Because he has loved (chashaq) Me, therefore I will…

I wish it were not so, but love for God is a rare thing. Friendship towards God is precious to God. It moves God to a love which is so faithful that, according to Paul, it can endure through the ages and withstand any lack of reciprocity. Like the psalmist, as with Abraham, the Lord has constructed our relationship with Him so as to be mutual.

Therefore it says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8a)

This Revelation is Relevant

We looked at Deuteronomy 7:7-8. What we found described is attraction as well as transgenerational covenant loving-loyalty. It is the same principle found in Deut. 4.

Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 4:37-38)

God has not outgrown this love. This is the love that God has for Israel today. The New Testament puts it this way:

… as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. (Romans 11:28b)

They are chosen and beloved in the same way and for the same reason: God loved and chose their ancestors. Dare we believe it remains the same type of love? Can we dare to disbelieve?

They are still loved for the sake of the patriarchs.

God has not changed. The nature of His love remains the same. The enduring strength of His attraction undergirds the power of His choice. He is attached to them. He longs for Israel and the Jewish people to return to Him. This God is looking for those who, like Abraham, are His friends and are willing to enter into fellowship with His heart.

by David Harwood 2012

 

 

[1] Thus the KJV, NAS, ESV and NKJ. – Other versions follow the Hebrew more closely translating chashaq as “set His heart on you” (TNK, NRS, CJB, NJB) which may still be mistaken for an act of volition, not a longing desire based upon attraction that provokes the lover to initiate a binding relationship.

[2] Young’s Literal Translation interprets chashaq as ‘delighted in you.’ That is a far cry from ‘set His love on you’, and a lot closer to the verse’s intent.

[3]Robert G. Bratcher and Howard Hatton, A Handbook on Deuteronomy, UBS handbook series (New York: United Bible Societies, 2000). 154.

[4] The Septuagint describes Abraham’s friendship as the one who loved God with a love described as agape – translating the Hebrew ahavah rooted words describing love and friendship.

0

God’s Delights: A Topical Study

Through holy prophets, the God of the Bible discloses that He experiences a wide range of emotions.  Many dismiss the sacred report.  The sophisticated say these Scriptures are poor attempts to describe the indescribable, or are wishful thinking, or perhaps an infantile projection of our passions onto the concept of a Creator.  (A term used to define this is: “anthropopathic language.”)

The critic disregards this truth: humanity is made in God’s image.  As His image, we are able to represent, reflect upon, experience and relate to the emotions that proceed from our Father.  One of these emotions is “delight”.  God enjoys many things.  That in which He delights, He loves.  The following is an overview of God’s delights.

God’s Delights:

He delights in the Messiah:

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. (Isaiah 42:1a)

He delights in His people:

… the men of Judah (are) His delightful plant. (Isaiah 5:7b)

He delights in His servant’s prosperity:

… “The LORD … delights in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalm 35:27b)

He delights in Wisdom who is delighting in humanity:

Then I (Wisdom) was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:30-31)

There are sacrifices which delight Him:

Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices… (Psalm 51:19a)

He delights in the upright’s prayer:

… the prayer of the upright is His delight. (Proverbs 15:8b)

He delights in uprightness.  He loves equity.  He delights in honesty:

“… You … delight in uprightness, (1 Chronicles 29:17b)

… a just weight is His delight. (Proverbs 11:1b)

… those who deal faithfully are His delight. (Proverbs 12:22b)

So far we’ve seen that God delights in the Messiah, Israel, His servants’ well-being, Wisdom and humanity, the sacrifices of the broken, the prayers of the upright person and the integrity of the redeemed community. Let’s invest a little more time and go a little further.

True Metaphors: Bridegroom and Father:

First, an aspect of God’s delight is that it is comparable to the delight of a bridegroom.

But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:4b-5)

There is no Biblical metaphor which describes joyous celebration more than a wedding.  The language in this prophecy reveals God’s anticipation and joy.

You cannot overestimate the joy God has in those who have returned to Him through the blood of Jesus.  Each individual’s redemption is similar to the promised national reconciliation of Israel to the LORD.

God describes another type of pleasure He has in His people.  God’s delight is akin to that of a father.

“Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? (Jeremiah 31:20a)

I know some children who are absolutely delightful.  They look delightful, act delightfully, speak delightful words.  Their interaction with their parents is …. delightful.  They are delightful.  God delights in His people as if they were His beloved child.

The following challenge is important.  It is a foundational prophetic passage.  Through Jeremiah, the LORD reminds rulers (reminding us, too) that success, seen in strategic wisdom, power and wealth, is not the goal of life.  If rulers want God’s favor upon their lives they must line up with God’s activity and goals: mercy that intervenes, justice that vindicates, and enduring godly relationships.

Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness (Chesed), justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

“Chesed”

In verse 24 we find a Hebrew word: “chesed.”  Chesed describes the manifest favor of God.  This favor is revealed when the object of the kindness is in trouble.  Chesed is intervention on behalf of someone that is beloved.  God delights in showing this type of favor.  Chesed delights God.

… He delights in unchanging love.  (Chesed)  (Micah 7:18b)

He also loves it when lovingkindness (chesed) is exercised on behalf of those He loves by others (whom He also loves).  In fact, if you want to provoke God’s Chesed, show chesed to others.

… for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7b)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  (Matthew 5:7)

Those in whom God delights are the objects of His saving work.

He rescued me, because He delights in me. (Psalm 18:19b)

Finally, remember, your Father delights in loving relationships.  God has revealed that religious rituals (which He instituted) without godly relationships are an abomination.  How sincere is our worship?  We may assess how genuine our worship is through this reality:  if God is truly honored, the worshiper will also honor those created in His image.  If the King of Glory is sincerely magnified, the fabric of redeemed and covenanted society will be strong and healthy; reflecting the love God has for each person, for each social unit.

For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.  (Hosea 6:6)

Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? … He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:7a-8)

The form of worship, the degree of sacrifice, was never to be the focus of the worshiper – God was the focus.  The God who delights in you.  The God who also delights in your brother.  The authenticity of our adoration is assayed in the crucible of our covenant relationships, in particular, the relationships within and between our local congregations.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. (1 John 5:1  )

In the name of Yeshua, may our Father strengthen us to love one another.  May our lives and worship be delightful to Him.

by David Harwood

0

Sarah Laughed: Thoughts on Genesis 17:17a; 18:12a

Abraham fell on his face and laughed… Sarah laughed to herself

(Genesis 17:17a; 18:12a)

Many are happy to overlook the way God has revealed Himself in the sacred histories. They prefer to view Him through inspired statements made about Him. Then they define His actions in view of those holy declarations. This is a good principle, but we should not neglect to watch carefully to see how He interacts with people that He loves. Perhaps statements about God might be seen through the revelatory record of His relationships. For example, look at Abraham and Sarah’s unbelief. First, look at Abraham:

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:15-19)

At least Abraham kept his derision to himself. He only spoke “in his heart.” God didn’t reprove him. God continued to declare His purposes for Abraham. Yet, look at Sarah. Really, this couple just goes from bad to worse…

He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah  laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh“; for she was afraid.

And He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:9-15)

Here’s a woman who actually laughs in disbelief at God’s promise. When she’s called on it, in fear and disbelief in God’s goodness, she lies to God’s face.

Why wasn’t Sarah turned to ashes where she stood? In the very next chapter (the inexorably severe judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah) we read of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying the word of an angel. Here, we have the inspired record: Lot’s wife’s Aunt Sarah secretly mocking God’s word. She laughed!

Not only did God not destroy Sarah, but He didn’t rescind His promise to her. Not only did God not respond in wrath, but Sarah didn’t disqualify herself from His purposes for her. In fact, the gentle reproof He offered did not even receive a penitent response. What did she say? “I did not laugh.” So, Sarah not only laughs at God’s word, but when convicted by the audible voice of God she doesn’t even have the reverence to humbly confess her fault. She denies, she maintains her righteousness. And this woman lived? What did God say? “No, but you did laugh.” I have been familiar with this story for years, but still can’t quite get over this.

This is as poignant and merciful an interaction as anything we read about in the New Testament.  In fact, where else in the Sacred Text do we see this type of behavior? (I’m not just writing about Sarah, but Sarah and God!)

Have you ever received a promise that you believe was from God, but now, if it is mentioned, the very sound of it brings pain? If the LORD, Himself, was to draw near to you and restate His purpose, would you bitterly laugh? Would you mock? Have you done that? If so, take heart. He is the God of Abraham, yes, but He is also the God of Sarah.

Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:5-7)

What an incredible display of the God of Sarah’s faithfulness. Before we leave this story, let’s read the way the writer of Hebrews tells this story:

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. (Hebrews 11:11)

Are you kidding? That’s the apostolic verdict? I am tempted to laugh…

By David Harwood

0

An Epiphany of His Affection: Thoughts on Philippians 1:8

I was teaching two classes in Manhattan, one on Philippians and the other on God’s love. What I taught on God’s love was apparently irrelevant to one student until we happened upon this verse in the Philippians class:

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of [our Messiah] Jesus. (Philippians 1:8)

Suddenly, the eyes of her heart opened to the nature of God’s love. Ever since, this has been one of my favorite verses.

The Vocabulary:

The most important words from this verse for this exhortation are “long” and “affection.”

Quickly, epipotheo, translated “long for,” means “to pursue with love, to long after.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

The word translated “affection” is one of those messy words having to do with internal organs, in this case, the intestines. At the risk of a bad pun, let’s mention that applying this to the transcendent and glorified Son of God is “gutsy.” It is not the well thought out concept of a theologian. Instead, it is a word (splangchna) which indicates feeling. This word describes a “visceral” emotion. It is often translated, “compassion.” Louw-Nida (a lexicon used in translation work) puts it like this: the deep, inner seat of tender emotions in the whole personality. That works for me.

Longing for You with Jesus’ Affection

Now, it seems that there are a few possible explanations for this radical expression. If I’ve left something out, please write me and let me know. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of our options…

Maybe Paul’s reference to the Messiah’s affection is about his experience of something alien to his own soul. A temple is not the same thing as the God who indwells it. Was he perhaps like a temple and Jesus’ affections like the manifest presence shining from a human holy of holies? Was he, perhaps, like a riverbed and the affections of Jesus, the river?

“Philippians, I am experiencing something that is way more than I could ever have in and of myself. I am experiencing Jesus’ own longing and affection towards you.”

Was Paul overwhelmed by Jesus’ affection, similar to a revival phenomenon of spiritual inebriation? Was this like experiencing a flame of fire, burning over him, which had no relationship to the apostle at all? (Acts 2:3) Sort of like a burning candle? The candle is not the flame.

“Brothers and sisters, I am experiencing the Messiah’s affections for you, not my own.”

Is it possible that this was a spiritual enhancement of Paul’s human affection? Is this a description of Paul and the Messiah’s spirits being united? After all, “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17) Is this what the apostle meant?

“My affection for you is like a glove and the fullness of this longing and affection I have for you is like the hand in the glove.”

Orthodox Churches have a doctrine of sanctification called “theosis.” They explain that a sword in a fire ends up with similar qualities, yet remains a sword. So the human soul which abides in the Lord “may become partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4b) I think of it more like a carton of milk being put in a refrigerator – it eventually shares the same temperature.

“My soul has been in communion with the Son of God so intensely that I have come to share His affection for you. My affection is like His because of His presence in my life.”

Or perhaps it has to do with the quality of Paul’s sanctified and empowered emotional attachment. (Romans 5:3; Galatians 5:22-24) Paul might be saying,

“My longing and affection for you is just like the longing and affection of Jesus. When you experience my longing and affection, you are experiencing that which is analogous (just like) to the Son of God’s heart for you.”

At the risk of wearing you out, we’ll stop exploring these possibilities. One way or the other, Paul is saying something he expected believers to believe: Jesus longs for them; Jesus is affectionate towards them.

Whole, Full, Powerful Longing

It is important to know that the Lord’s emotional life is whole, full, and powerful. This includes “longing” as well as “affection.”

In this instance, Paul is connecting to, and conveying, an emotion which we call “missing.” The reason someone longs for something, or someone, is a sense of incompleteness. When you miss something, or someone, you have a longing – which can become a pining. Paul wasn’t pining away for the Philippians, he was oriented towards knowing Jesus, but in the depths of his heart he longed to see them. Isn’t it amazing that this emotion is paralleled by Jesus’ heart towards us?

“Longing with affection” feels similar to homesickness. Doug Collins, a chaplain in Iraq, wrote (in the Gainesville Gazette, 11/14/08), “…homesickness. It is probably the No. 1 (sic) issue that I deal with here. Homesickness also is the hardest thing to deal with … I have nothing that can take away the longing in the heart to be at home with family and friends…”

In Light of This:

There is warmth radiating from this verse that can provide comfort and reassurance. To think that the Lord’s heart is affectionate towards these believers provides emotional and spiritual security. These Philippians weren’t perfect. They had problems with pride and schism which provoked apostolic adjustment. Yet, they warranted affection from the Lord – as do you. Jesus thinks of you with affection; you stir His emotions in the direction of loving affection. He enjoys your company and longs to be with you. In his emotional motivations towards the Philippians, Paul was like Jesus.

In the light of this, let’s close this meditation with Paul’s prayer found in the next verse:

it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of [the Messiah], filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus [the Messiah], to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

David Harwood

 

 

1 2 3
Back to top