Steadfast Love: Expectations of Advent

1) Introduction

No breaks No Retreat -

Agreement between Eoin and Dad for exciting events

Dad - Wont hold back, Eoin- Wont Chicken Out

We maintain an agreement that requires each other to meet pre-determined expectations

2) Hesed

Often translated to - Steadfast love, enduring love

“the behavior that one person has the right to expect of the other in light of promises that were made.” - Dan Boone

In our passage - Isreal leans into expectations of God’s loved based on his promises.

3) Read Psalm 85

4) Context

85 is a Psalm from the people to God

They are an exiled and recalled nation, always in flux.

They are asking the Lord to be faithful to his people

They are reminding God of His promise to them.

The Psalm is broken down to

Remember (1-3)- God, You have forgiven us before

God restored jacob

forgave their iniquities and sin

turned from anger and wrath

Remind (4-7): God we need you again

Will you be angry with us forever?

will you stay angry for the generations after us?

Show us your hesed -Steadfast love

Receive (8-9) - God, renew your promise in us

God will speak peace to his people. Let us hear

God’s salvation is for those who “fear” him

Fear him - Hebrew Ya-Reh same word for fear is worship, respect, and revere.

God’s glory will be where his people receive salvation

Rejoice (10-13) - God, in your promise your people rejoice

God’s love and faithfulness will meet. his righteousness and peace will connect

Faithfulness from the ground and righteousness from the sky.

This is the collision of God’s kingdom and God’s creation through God’s love.

That God will provide for us in abundance and his righteousness will go throughout the land, preparing the way for him.

This is God’s promise for us. That he will continue to do for us what he did for his people, and have already done for us and what he has promised will be done through him yet to come.

5) Practical Application

Israel, in this psalm is calling God to meet their expectation of Him through covenant.

In Genesis 15, We see God and Israel enter into Covenant through Abraham

Cutting Covenant - Splitting a sacrificial animal in half, both parties pass through, symbolizes restoration of the animal.

The covenant is broken when someone doesnt up hold their part of the bargain.

God, in the covenant, passes through the animal as a firepot and a torch, taking on both sides of the covenant, as God knows we are limited in our capacity to uphold our end of the covenant.

Similarly, in Advent, we walk through the process of expectation, anticipation, and the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Expectation - Like psalm 85, we as God’s people live in covenant, and can and should expect God to fulfill his promise to us.

Anticipation - In Advent, we step into the anticipation Israel lived through waiting for the coming Messiah, the new born king.

The fulfillment of God’s promises- Israel called on God to fulfill his covenant promise to his people. God responded in steadfast love, faithfulness, and glory to those expectations.

Like God taking on both parts of the covenant, He does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

He comes to where we are, a Child king, walks beside us in our brokenness, and overcomes sin and death for us.

This is Hesed. God’s steadfast love. His love fully lives up to the expectations of those He calls His covenant people.