I will sing of the Lord’s kindness forever; with my mouth will I make known Your kindness to all generations. For I have said, “Kindness shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.” (Psalm 89:1-2)
In Judaism, the patriarch Abraham is esteemed for many attributes: his faithfulness, his determination to walk upright before God and his willingness to obey in the worst of circumstances are celebrated and rightfully so. However, among his many celebrated characteristics, the attribute that is highlighted most is Abraham’s hospitality and kindness. It is said that everywhere he went, and with everyone he encountered, this man of God always treated people — both kings and servants — with kindness. In Jewish belief, Abraham was the epitome of kindness and, in fact, had been bestowed the gift of kindness by God Himself; as it is written, “You give truth to Jacob and kindness to Abraham” (Micah 7:20).
Having this gift, Abraham used it not to bring glory and honor to himself, but to demonstrate the kindness of God to others. In fact, a Jewish legend recounts how Abraham hosted a grand feast in his tent for friends and family. Before allowing his guests to partake of the food, he asked them to pay homage to the host of the great feast. When they began to lavish praises upon Abraham, he stopped them and told them that he was not the host saying, “I am not the master here; the One who rules heaven and earth is your kind host.”
Everything that God created was for the sole purpose of benefiting mankind; in other words, it was — and continues to be — an act of kindness. That He allows mankind to continue benefiting from His initial act of kindness is, in and of itself, an act of kindness; not to mention a display of mercy and long suffering considering our present state of rebellion. The point is, the world is literally built on kindness and, therefore, to make His kindness known to the generations requires us to demonstrate kindness ourselves. Like Abraham, we should always strive to be hospitable, gentle when possible, and even in the worst of situations, kind. That doesn’t mean we have to be completely passive and a pushover; even when we are compelled to put our foot down, we can do it in a kind and loving way. If the world was built on kindness, then kindness will go a long way in helping to restore it to what the Creator intended.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments