God’s love… is love in action
The verb “ahabh” (pronounced “ahav”) occurs in Hebrew and means “to love,” as well as other meanings such as “longing for,” “being connected to/with,” “hanging on to,” and “sticking to.” This suggests that desire and connection are also included in the idea of “ahabh,” or to love. As a result, the meaning of the term “ahabha,” which is derived from the verb “ahabh” (to love) and has the pronunciation “ahava,” is love, affection, devotion, and connection.
The Hebrew Bible words “ahav,” which means “to love,” and “ahava,” which means “love,” both have various meanings. We learn from it that “ahava” or love is something that genuinely initiates action rather than merely being a sensation or an emotion that can be expressed. “Ahava” or love is what makes one yearn for their loved one and inspires one to cling to and be with them no matter what. This implies that “ahav” or “to love” is an active concept that does not exist in a passive sense. That’s “ahava,” or love, as it is intended by God, who identifies as the Source of all love.
God’s “ahava”/love for His own people
[Love from God] is never apathetic. His interactions with Israel demonstrate that. He freed them from Egyptian slavery out of love (Deuteronomy 4:37). Because “the LORD “ahav”/loves you,” He made them His covenant people (Deuteronomy 7:8). The prophets also convey this message to us: “I have loved you with an everlasting “ahava”/love. (Hosea 11:1, 11, 4, and 14:4); Jeremiah 31:3. God will rescue and carry Israel in “ahava,” or compassion and pity (Isaiah 63:9). He will therefore use all of His own people in it.
What God’s love requires
God’s love requires an active response and that is why He asks for complete love with an undivided heart “You shall “ahav”/love the LORD your God with all your heart …” (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is how God’s voice of love sounds on the eve of the entry into the promised land in Deuteronomy. After 40 years in the desert, the Lord God made Moses and the people of Israel look back into that past, to point out again what He did for them in all those years. Hereby they are also presented with what He requires of them “… what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to “ahav”/love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Deuteronomy 10:12).
In order to actively react to God’s love, one must serve Him and obediently follow His Word and commands: “Therefore, you must “ahav” or love the Lord your God and uphold His charge, statutes, rules, and commandments.” (Deuteronomy 1:13, 1:22, and 11:1). This proactive reaction to His love can entail a sacrifice but also bring immense delight and blessing. However, “ahava,” or love, also refers to dedication and clinging! It was known by the Psalmist, “Oh how I “ahav”/love Your law! I use it as my daily form of meditation. Psalms 119:117, 119:119, 119:127, and 119:97.
Gods giving “ahava”/love
The Bible declares that God sacrificed His only Son to die in place of the lost sinner because He loved mankind: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son…”John 3:16). Christmas is an opportunity to reflect on this truth of salvation with a heart that is open to His selfless compassion. Because He loved us first, we also love Him (1 John 4:19).
God’s “ahava”/love that remains silent
The prophet Zephaniah concludes his booklet with this prophecy: “The Lord your God is in your midst a great One, He will save…, He will keep silent in His “ahava”/love; He will gloat over you.” Zephaniah was the one who so forcefully announced the impending “day of the Lord” and issued the urgent plea for repentance to Him. (Zephaniah 3:17). That is the manifestation of divine love: it encourages man to come to Him, the Savior, and demands [repentance and conversion].
By placing their confidence in the completed work of Jesus Christ, anybody who runs to Him with all of their sins is granted eternal redemption. When a man calls on God in trust, God responds with His Divine “ahava,” or love. That is the love that doesn’t speak. Regarding what is silent? About the sins that He, as Savior, lovingly atoned for with His blood. He acted with unending affection. “Look at this love…”John 3:1. We can respond to that love with gratitude:
“I have faith in the Lord because He has heard me.” (Psalm 116:1).
© Copyright dr. Annechiena Sneller-Vrolijk
