God's Love is Strong - Psalm 134-136

Psalms 136:23-24

Who remembered us in our low estate,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And has rescued us from our adversaries,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

When I read this verse and come to realize that God "remembered us in our low estate" I have to ask, "Do we have another state other than 'low'?"    We are in sin which makes even our highest really, really low.   We are not worthy of His grace or lovingkindness, but, yet, He extends them to us.   Even when we are at the height of our worship we are low.   To think that God even stoops in the manner He does to reach us is breath-taking.   He "rescues us from our adversaries."   That means outward and inward.  He is there to take us all the way home (Romans 8:29-30).   And, it is all based upon His "Lovingkindness."     The Hebrew word (checed) for "lovingkindness" appears 240 times in the Bible and has the meaning of mercy, grace, love.   Note what Vine says of the word:

In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: “strength,” “steadfastness,” and “love.” Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. “Love” by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet “strength” or “steadfastness” suggests only the fulfillment of a legal or other obligation.

The word refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But checed is not only a matter of obligation; it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy. The weaker party seeks the protection and blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it. The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom, especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises. Checed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law.

Vine goes on to use marriage as an example of Checed.  Marriage is a legal contract and can be obligatory, but the individuals in the marriage freely give to one another in steadfast love based upon their promise and the needs of the other.   God is in the business of loving us and giving to us based upon our need and His steadfast and perfect love.