“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.'” Jeremiah 31:3
The ways of God are certainly not those of men, especially men who are sinners. Even if men were righteous, and good, God’s ways being infinitely vast, and depthless as they are, could not be fully understood and grasped. Man does not have the capacity, as a creation of God, to fully understand His ways, much less His thoughts. However, in His goodness, the Lord measures out to us in Christ the revelation of Himself, and the experience of His nature by the Spirit. He is ever merciful and gives towards the meeting of every need, in particular, the deep needs of men’s souls and hearts. Since man was created in the image of God, and since the greatest of all commandments to men is to love God with their entire being, it is most certain that the greatest need of man is to know the love of God. Love is the first in the list of what Scripture calls, “the fruit of the Spirit.” It is also that which takes precedence over all service, sacrifice, and self-denial of men. It is the highest, greatest, and most holy expression of the life and person of God, revealed to us in Christ. And so, it is singularly, and most demonstrably, important in the Old Testament, then reiterated in the New, that God has loved us, even the whole world, and loves us still. It is revealed by God’s declaration of it, but also, in His manifest dealings with those whom He loves.
In the Old Testament, in the writings of Jeremiah, we read the Lord’s specific words to Israel: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” What does this phrase tell us of the heart of God? It reveals to us that the highest expression of God to men is His love, for it was in His heart long before the creation of the world. It also tells us of love’s perpetual continuance, never ceasing, never changing, as resilient to time and the circumstances of earth, as the eternity of God upon His throne. But there is an “action” associated with this declaration of the love of God, which reveals to us that, not only is the love of God the absolute truth, but it is a Life, a Person, who gives to the uttermost in His wisdom and power. The expression of this love is revealed in the following phrase: “…therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” In other words, love is not stationary, but expresses itself by the Life revealed to men, specifically the sinner, and in this case, to the people of Israel. The context of these words is Israel’s seventy-year captivity in Babylon. The nation had been sent into captivity because of her abandonment of God, and their embracing of foreign gods, represented by idols. The violence and depth of corruption which resulted from abandoning Jehovah was not only judged by God, but of necessity, had to result in Israel’s deportation into slavery to save her. There, and there alone, would she see the error of her ways, and repent. So, in judgement we see something of the goodness of God, for His perspective is an eternal one. Christ came to save all men, but could only save those who responded to the overtures of His Spirit, turning from their idolatry back to Him. The everlasting love of God drew out the hearts of the people of Israel, giving them not only the desire to seek God, but the will to find Him again. One of the greatest proofs and demonstrations of the love of God to Israel is His promise, and the accomplishment of that promise towards her. “Again, I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel.” (31:4) God, in His love would draw Israel to Himself, cleanse her from all sin, and restore her in His eyes as a “virgin” without spot, blemish, or fault. This is true love’s expression.
Dear Father, May the love of Jesus fill us, as the waters fill the sea. In Jesus’ name, Amen.