What is Chesed?

Genesis 18 shows that while Abraham was in the middle of his prayer time, he lifted his eyes and saw a group of sojourners coming towards his tent. Abraham immediately ran to meet the visitors. Imagine this giant of the faith leaving prayer to greet people! The Jewish Talmud asserts that hospitality should take priority even over “welcoming the Divine presence.”

Abraham greeted his visitors with sincerity and care. He gave them food and washed their feet. Abraham had Sarah prepare her “world-famous” flour cakes for them to taste. Abraham showed hospitality to these visitors before he even knew who they were. This is genuine kindness, which is the Hebrew word “chesed.”The Hebrew word “chesed” is most often translated as “grace” or “kindness” in English Bibles. This term implies an action of unmerited favor physically. Grace isn’t something you believe. Grace / chesed is something you do. Abraham showed grace to his visitors. In a similar fashion, Lot showed chesed to the visitors of Sodom and Gomorrah. He insisted that they spend the night in his home and not on the street. Perhaps it was the chesed that Lot showed to the visitors that allowed him to be rescued from destruction. Perhaps it was the kindness that Abraham shared that led to the blessing of Isaac. Kindness has reciprocal effects that set in motion chains of good events. When you reach out to someone to meet a need, you are in essence putting your needs in the Lord’s hands. Abraham left his own tent of meeting to welcome guests and was never the same.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. One way in which we express love to the Lord is through the kindness / chesed that we show others. This week, look for new ways to be hospitable. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a way to show kindness each day of this week. Spend time in prayer for others and spend extra time meeting the needs of others. As you replicate Abraham’s actions, you will experience the blessing of chesed yourself.