Chen

Towards the late OT period the concept of chesed (see post of March 5th) begins to lose its legal and contractual sense and morphs into a tone of “pure favor and grace”. Balthasar points then to a word more consistent with the idea of this later period, chen, which he goes on to describe as “the element of favor, of the bestowal of a favor … the idea of a kindness to which no one may lay claim”.


He goes on, “Do I find chen with you? Means: Will you turn your favor freely in my direction? Ruth finds chen with Boaz, David with Saul and with Johnathan; Joab finds chen with David when his request for the return of Absalom is granted. When Hadad flees, he finds chen with Pharaoh; Esther finds chen with the King.”

This idea, used at first with respect to human relationships also was used in the sense that chen could be the quality through which one obtains favor for himself through charm or lovliness. However, God is able to bestow his favor on whoever he chooses without respect to person. The idea of chen is not a part of the covenantal relationship and cannot be an expectation of man. Again, quoting Balthasar:

“The same is true of rachamim, ‘mercy’ … a reaction that man in hope attributes to God; he cannot actually (in terms of the covenant) presuppose that this exits in God, but he needs it bitterly when he must find God’s forgiveness for himself as a sinner, and the re-establishment of fellowship with him. God himself says that he feels this compassionate mercy for Jerusalem (Zech 1:16). The initial reference of the word (chen) is wholly to human feeling … and may have originally meant the act whereby the father expressed his definite will to acknowledge the newborn child. …it is used of God as the one who has mercy on Israel and especially of the poor, the widow and the orphans in Israel.
In this way, the covenantal relationship between God and the people takes on an inner richness, light and warmth. A sphere of common life and fellowship is opened up: man has the right of access to this because he has affirmed the covenant, but the contents and extent of this sphere cannot be calculated …”

Man affirms the covenant through, “… fear of the Lord, which is the basis of all wisdom … [and] places man only in that distance of reverence which permits true and unlimited intimacy with God.”