Compelling Love

David declares in Psalm 103:11, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.” In the person of the Messiah, God reveals his faithful love for Israel, for the nations, and for every individual in the community of believers. Psalm 92 extols God’s love and faithfulness for his people who faithfully follow Him:

Psalm 92 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 It is good to praise Yahweh,
to sing praise to Your name, Most High,
2 to declare Your faithful love in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night,
3 with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre.
4 For You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done;
I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands.
5 How magnificent are Your works, Lord, how profound Your thoughts!

Psalm 94 describes God’s faithful love that supports and comforts us, bringing us joy.

16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?
Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would soon rest in the silence of death.
18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your faithful love will support me, Lord.
19 When I am filled with cares,
Your comfort brings me joy. (Psalm 94:16-19)

In Isaiah 49, God confirms His faithful love for Israel, and his calling for her to be a light to the nations.

5 And now, says the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be His Servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him
so that Israel might be gathered to Him;
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God is my strength—
6 He says,
“It is not enough for you to be My Servant
raising up the tribes of Jacob
and restoring the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make you a light for the nations,
to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says
to one who is despised,
to one abhorred by people,
to a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and stand up,
and princes will bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel—and He has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:5-7)

In Malachi 1:11, he reconfirms this calling: “For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations,” says Yahweh of Hosts.

We are seeing these prophecies being fulfilled in our time, and are looking forward to their complete fulfillment through the second coming of the Messiah. In his first coming, Yeshua, Jesus, fulfilled prophecies regarding his atoning death and resurrection, such as these in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 16:

We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely. 10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol;
You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay. (Psalm 16:9-10)

In John 3:16, Yeshua, Jesus, describes God’s gift of eternal life by faith in the redeeming death and resurrection of his Son:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In John 10, Yeshua, Jesus, describes his mission to secure salvation for the believers in Israel and for those in every nation:

10 A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.” (John 10:10, 14-18)

In John 17, just before laying down his life as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), Yeshua, Jesus, prays for all who would believe in him through the message of his disciples:

21 May they all be one,
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be one in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.
23 I am in them and You are in Me.
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me
because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.
25 Righteous Father! The world has not known You.
However, I have known You,
and these have known that You sent Me.
26 I made Your name known to them and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them. (John 17:21-26)

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, https://compellinglove.net/, June 9, 2013