- [Tim] If you tried to
describe what God is like, it could be difficult or daunting. But when the people who wrote the Bible pondered the mystery of God, they consistently describe
God's character in this way: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal
love and faithfulness. We're going to look at the second key word in this statement, "gracious." The Hebrew word is "khanun," which is related to the Hebrew noun "khen." This word, "khen," is often
translated as "grace" or "favor." And if you study how this word
is used throughout the Bible, you find a fascinating story. One meaning of khen is
delightful or favorable. In the Psalms, a skilled poet is said to have lips of khen, that is, he can craft beautiful
words that bring delight. Or a dazzling piece of jewelry
is an ornament of khen. It attracts attention and favor. This is why "khen" is often the word used to describe a gift given
with delight or favor. In these cases, khen could
be translated as grace. Like in the story of Esther, who approaches the king of Persia to ask that she and her
people be spared from death. She calls this a request for khen. And because the king delights in Esther, he favors her and grants her wish. So giving a gift of favor is khen because it's motivated by delight. And the most extreme kind
of khen is showing favor to someone who should
get what they deserve, not a generous gift. Like Jacob, who cheated his brother Esau, ran away, and then after 20 years wants to come back and make things right. So he comes to Esau asking,
"May I find khen in your eyes." Jacob isn't asking for what
is fair, but for favor, and surprisingly, that's
what Esau gives him. He chooses to delight in his brother Jacob and show him grace that
he doesn't deserve. Now, khen requires a generous spirit, which people sometimes
have, but in the Bible, the one who shows more khen
than anyone else is God. Like when God rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt,
and they quickly betray him by giving their allegiance to
a golden idol as their god. But then Moses steps in and asks God to consider giving a gift
that they don't deserve. And God says yes by showing
the ultimate act of khen— forgiveness and a promise
to be with these people. This character trait of God is so reliable that over 40 times in the
book of Psalms people cry out for God's khen when
they're sick, or in danger, or when the Israelites are in exile. And the biblical prophets, like Isaiah, looked back to God's khen in
the past and boldly declared that God will one day
show khen to his people by delivering them and all
creation from death and ruin. Now, when we turn to the
authors of the New Testament, they describe God's khen
with the Greek word "kharis," which means "gracious gift." Like when we're introduced to
Jesus in the Gospel of John, we're told that Jesus is God's
glorious kharis become human, sent into a world of people
trapped in darkness and death. Because, according to the apostle Paul, we're like the living dead. God has handed humanity over
to the destructive consequences of our selfish decisions. But, Paul says, "God is rich in mercy, and by his kharis, he's rescued us." He's talking about how
Jesus's life, death, and resurrection are offered to us as a generous gift of life that
is more powerful than death. And as with any gift, all
one has to do is receive it. So now you can see why the
biblical authors talk so much about this description of God's character throughout the Bible. When people are willing
to own their failures and ask God for khen, he has a consistent and generous response. God gives the gift of himself,
his life and his love. And this is what it means
that God is gracious.
