HEBREW WORD STUDY – FIND PLEASURE – CHASHAQ  חשק  Cheth Shin Qop

Deuteronomy 7:7: “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people:”

I find this passage very disturbing, at least as to how it is rendered in the English.  The implication is that God loved the Jewish people more than anyone else and chose them because they were the fewest.  So, does that mean if you were unfortunate enough to be born among those great in number, God would not love you?  And what about this choosing business?  Just because of the people I was born among I don’t get to be the chosen?

Actually, when you consider what the chosen people had to endure over the centuries there is really very little to be envious about.  Besides what did God mean by choosing certain people? They were to be the example to us all as to what happens when you follow the laws of God and what happens when you break those laws. They were also chosen to bring the knowledge of God into the world. This is why I spend so much time studying the works of Judaism. Even though they rejected Jesus as the Messiah, it does not mean that God has removed that chosen status. God has endowed them with special knowledge and wisdom about His nature and love. Christianity and the church are called to a different role, we are the ones that help spread the knowledge of God.  You find the Jews are no evangelistic like Christians because their role is to nurture and preserve that knowledge. God intended for the Jews and Christians to work hand in hand.  We learn about the nature and love of God from them and then we spread that knowledge. Well, that is the way I see it, others disagree and that is ok as this is an opinion and not fact. 

However, I cannot agree that God sets His love only on His chosen.  I am told in John 3:16 that God loves everyone, not just his chosen.  The word for love here is not ahav or racham, your two most common words rendered as love, but it is the word chashaqwhich can be translated as love but it is really the idea of a love generated from someone or something that brings you pleasure.I would really hesitate to render it as love but in our society, it is not uncommon for people to mix love with pleasure.  Even today we say that two people who are sexually involved are making love.  Actually, they are making chashaq, bringing pleasure to each other. This love endures so long they find pleasure from each other.  Indeed, not all modern translations render chashaq as love, some say to delight or even use the word pleasure. 

God loves the world although I am sure He does not always find pleasure in the world.  God loves all people but he found pleasure in Israel. So what do numbers have to do with that pleasure?  Well, most commentators say that means that God does not delight in our numbers that are not in the quantity of people but in the quality of people.  Let the church chew on that one. It seems we judge whether a church is successful or not because of their numbers.  If a church has 3,000 people they are really blessed by God and have a Godly pastor.  If the church has only 20 people like the one I visited last week they are not blessed by God and the pastor is lacking somehow.  However, I heard a really good, Bible-centered Godly sermon from that pastor of 20 people last week. God surely found pleasure in that sermon.

I think Rashi, a Medieval Jewish Hebrew master, and commentator has the right idea about the more in number business.  You see the word used for more in number is merebekem which comes from the root word rov which means an abundance in greatness and hence he renders lo merebekem as not because you are great.  They were great only because God made them great. It was his miracles that brought them great victories.  Thus, the implication is what Rashi indicates: “You did not boast about yourselves when I showered good upon you. That is why I delighted in you (says, God).”  They were fewest of all people. The word fewest is me’at which means lowly, lowest, or humble.  It was because they were humble that God delighted in them.

It is not that God does not delight in a pastor who has 3,000 people coming to his church, it is not the numbers that God delights in, it is in the humility of that pastor. Many times large numbers will destroy the very thing God delights in.