When Dt and the prophets speak of the love of God, they carry back that love to the beginning of God’s dealings with Israel as a nation, and find the proof of it in His acts towards that people, and the covenant He made with them (Hos 11, Is 63", Ezk 16). Dt carries the love further back still, to the time of the patriarchs, for whose sake this kindness was shown to their descendants (Dt 457, ef. Is 51). And the biblical history has only to be studied in its entirety to see that it isa revelation of the love of God to es throughout. ‘The word itself may not be employed,—in the psalms we find it used with such objects as ‘righteousness,’ ‘ judgment,’ ‘Zion,’ ‘the gates of Zion,’ etc. (Ps 117 33° 78 82°), —but there is a rich vocabulary of terms to denote the particular manifestations of love: as 109, mercy, loving-kindness ; jo, grace, favour ; a'p, 21, goodness, long-suffering, etc., and these are con- stantly in use. The wrath of God also is nota blind impulse, but springs from an ethical ground, and is tempered and restrained by His long-suflering and merey (Ex 34°, Nu 14!8, Is 489, Jer 15", Nah 15-7, Ps 78% ete.). It is no doubt true, as alleged, that the special object of this love of God is the covenant people Israel—a fact which has again its exact analogue in the use of ἀγάπη in NT (see below); but it is to be borne in mind that this particularicm is with a view to an ultimate wider blessing (Gn 121-83, Ps 67. 87 RV); and the term ‘hate’ in Mal 15 is not to be more rigidly inter- preted than Christ’s own use of the same term (Lk 14°°), Schultz observes, ‘ Passages like Gn 9951 and Pr 30% show that the expression “‘hatred ” is taken from the idioms of polygamy, and denotes, not hostility, but neglect’ (Attest. Theol. p. 547). As against the idea that the love of God was that of the narrow partiality of a tribal deity for his protégés many facts speak. The original creation was evidently an outcome of goodness (Ps 1361), and God ‘blesses’ the original representatives of mankind, and richly dowers them with dominion over the creatures (Gan 1*7-*°), The patience of God bears with the antediluvian world (Gn 6%); and after the flood His covenant is made with Noah for all flesh (Gn 9817). The Abrahamic covenant has, as shown, an aspect of blessing to the world. It is repeatedly declared that the whole earth is full of God’s goodness, and that His mercies are over all His works (Ps 335 119% 1457* ete.). When it is declared that God desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his wicked- ness and live (Ezk 1833 33"), this cannot be held to apply exclusively to Israel ; and the Bk. of Jonah furnishes a proof that the pity of God extends to heathen nations as well as to His own people (Jon 4.11), The classical passage on the divine char- acter in OT is that in the Mosaic history in which J” proclaims His name, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger,’ etc. (Ex 345: ; and it is also that in which the graciousness of this character is brought to fullest expression. If the sins of the fathers are visited on the third and fourth generation of those that hate Him, mercy is kept for thousands of those that love Him (cf. Ex 20° 6),
It is, however, doubtless, in the special relation of God to Israel that, in OT, His love is distine- tively manifested, for this people He has bound in covenant with Himself, and set them apart, that He might be glorified through them. his relation of flava is already implied in the term ‘son’ which He applies to the nation (Ex 4535 *) ; but comes out with peculiar distinctness in the glowing language in which the covenant is proposed to the people at Sinai (Ex 19*8). This relation springs in no sense from desert, but is a result of God’s free electing grace (Dt 7’); and, so far from placing Israel in a position of favouritism in which
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their offences are lightly condoned, it lays on them an increased responsibility and subjects them to special chastisements in case of unfaithfulness (Am 3%). But the same love secures that God will not cast His people off, but will work on them by judgment Pati mercy till He has finally subdued them to Himself (Hos 2, 14 ete.).
An interesting point of inquiry relates to the relation of this ‘love’ of God in Or to His other ethical attributes of ‘righteousness,’ ‘truth,’ ‘zeal,’ ‘wrath,’ holiness,’ ete. On the relation to ‘wrath’ (with ‘zeal,’ ‘holiness’), see ANGER; but a word may be here said on the relation to ‘righteousness’ (with ‘truth,’ ‘faithfulness,’ etc.). These two (‘righteousness’ and ‘love’) are not to be identified (as with Ritschl, ete.), yet they stand in the closest relation, and God’s “Tighteousness’ is manifest in His saving acts (Ps 311 4811! 1037, Hos 2" etc.). Righteousness, with Ritschl, is identical with grace ; it is the consistency of God in carrying out the ends of His love (Recht. und Ver. ii. pp. 102-113). But ethical norms are implied alike in the determina- tion of these ends, and in the choice of the means by which they are accomplished, and it is these ethical norms with which ‘righteousness’ has to do. ‘Righteousness’ is that which answers to the ethically right norm or standard. So far as ‘love’ is involved in ethical perfection, or is demanded by that, it falls under the category of ‘righteousness,’ and, so far as God has bound Himself by covenant obligations to His people, His ‘righteousness’ requires that He be faithful to His pledges (cf. 1Jn 1%). ‘Righteousness’ thus interposes for their salvation, help, protection, ete. But it has other and more general functions in the upholding of the moral order and judgment of the world, and the punishment of the obstinately wicked (e.g. Ps 94. 9018. 98°). Its highest satisfaction, never- theless, is not the infliction of judgment, but the conversion and salvation of the sinner and the »roduction of righteousness in the earth (Ezk 33”,