The Love of YHVH
By
Gary Primo
May 21, 2010
The love of YHVH is something that surpasses all human understanding. He is the Father of all of mankind, not just the precious few that worship Him in truth. YHVH loves them all, even those He calls His enemies and He expects us to do the same. This is not an easy job for mankind but it is something that comes quite naturally to the Father of all creation.
Yahshua was the express image of the Father, and his example while in the flesh upon the earth was the prefect embodiment of love. This emotion is central to the Way of YHVH and to salvation itself. Paul sums it all up in 1 Corinthians 13. Most English translations have substituted the word “charity” for “love”. I have replaced the original in the following verses.
1 Cor. 13:1 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Speaking in tongues is not very common today. The first time this is ever mentioned is in the Book of Acts.
Acts 2:1 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 - And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 - And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 - And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 - Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 - And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 - And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
At that time there was a special purpose for speaking in tongues. There were many Jews who did not live in Israel, but were scattered over many different nations. They likely fled there during one or another of the persecutions Israel suffered. Many of them were born in these foreign countries and therefore were natural citizens. Yet they never forgot their Jewish roots and it was the goal of many to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem on the annual Holy Days. It seems from what is written here that some had lost the ability to speak in either Hebrew or Aramaic. For the sake of these individuals, YHVH gave to His apostles the gift of speaking in tongues, and as is made clear at the end of the passage, every man heard the apostles speaking in the language of whatever nation they were born in. The purpose of this was for clarity. YHVH wanted each in attendance to understand perfectly what the apostles were saying. This was a very special gift at the time and one that awed everyone so much that some came to see it as the greatest of gifts. Even so, in the next chapter, this gift is compared to the gift of prophesy, and prophesy is determined to be the greater gift. Today those who supposedly practice the gift of tongues merely speak a lot of gibberish which no one understands and claim it to be a gift from the spirit. These claim to be speaking a holy language common only to the angels of YHVH, but no one understands it, therefore, no one can refute their claims. There is usually another person present who interprets what is being said. I feel that it is just a scam.
1 Cor. 13:2 - And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
In this verse the gifts of prophesy, understanding, knowledge and faith are compared to the gift of love and it is made clear that without the gift of love, the others are meaningless.
3 - And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.
One would assume that giving to the poor is an act of love or that giving your own body to be burnt is perhaps the ultimate display of love, but Paul is claiming here that both acts are possible while being devoid of love. He is differentiating here between the love of man and the love of YHVH. The human mind sees these acts as clear acts of love, yet they still do not fathom the full extent of YHVH’s love.
Many acts of charity are backhanded. In other words many do so for self recognition rather than true love. YHVH has told us that acts of charity should be done privately not for public recognition. One can sacrifice their own lives for YHVH and yet harbor a lack of love toward their fellow man. We are even expected to love our enemies and pray for them – even when they are in the midst of torturing us to death. That has to be a tough one. Yet we know that Yahshua loved the ones that tortured and put him to death and asked YHVH to forgive them. So what exactly is the difference between the love of man and the love of YHVH?
1 Cor. 13:4 - Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,
5 - Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
6 - Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 - Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 - Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
YHVH has to be the most patient being alive. He has suffered long, since the creation of Adam and Eve, waiting for mankind to turn their hearts toward Him, returning the same degree of love for Him that He has shown toward every one of us. It is like a marriage where each party is supposed to show equal love toward one another – though this is seldom the case. YHVH’s love can be compared to a parent whose child has gone astray, learned their lesson, repented and asked for forgiveness. What parent would refuse to forgive their child?
The kindness of YHVH is also something that human beings also fail to come close to. He shows no partiality. He is not a respecter of persons. He has no hidden agendas, like wanting something in return, except that our hearts be turned back toward Him. When we show kindness, we expect kindness and appreciation in return. If it is not returned, our feelings of kindness can quickly turn to anger and resentment.
YHVH’s love envies not. What would YHVH possibly envy about us? Humans, on the other hand, fall into the envy trap quite easily. We naturally tend to envy those who have more than we have. We show these people special attention, wanting to get into their good graces, hoping that they will throw us a “bone”. In a church setting we may respect some members over others who we see as more spiritually advanced, or better off materially and flock around these people while ignoring those who we deem are weaker in the faith. Yahshua stated that the healthy did not need a doctor. He came to save the sinners not the righteous (who were already on their way to salvation). He fellowshipped with sinners and was rebuked by the religious leadership for it – even being labeled a drunkard because he would eat and drink wine with them. Yahshua returned the rebuke, calling these same religious elite hypocrites. They looked down their noses at the obvious sinners and favored the rich, ignoring their hidden sins.
YHVH’s love does not vault itself, nor is it puffed up. These are qualities of a vain, proud person. This person feigns love for public appearance, but in private, they really do not care. It is not love that comes from the heart.
Love does not behave unseemly. In other words, its actions match the words. This is like a man who professes love towards his wife and then beats her unmercifully. His actions do not match his words.
Love does not seek only its own kind, or others of the same social status, ethnic origin or religious affiliation. Love will befriend the poor beggar on the street and all who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Love is not easily provoked to anger. We are all to love one another like ourselves and show them the same respect we like to be shown. We do not get angry. We calmly reason with the person showing all the love that Yahshua would.
Love thinks no evil thinks no evil. How often do evil thoughts pop into our minds in moments of anger? YHVH’s love never even thinks evil. This is how we must condition our minds as well.
YHVH’s love definitely rejoices not in iniquity. Iniquity is lawlessness or disregard for the law. We have two sets of laws, YHVH’s and societies. YHVH’s laws are perfect and as such perfectly reflect His love for His creation. Society’s laws are not always perfect and sometimes contradict YHVH’s laws. YHVH’s laws grant a great variety of freedom for mankind, and, if adhered to, would grant us a perfect society. Ancient Israel’s example is a good one to study and learn from. They had no standing police force ready to stamp out all their civil liberties. They had no standing army, as they trusted in YHVH to protect them from their enemies. A thief would be committed to a sentence of servitude to the one they offended, and be made to pay back 7 times the value of whatever it was they stole. Murderers were mercifully put to death, but only by the testimony of two or more witnesses. If those witnesses were found out later to have lied, they too would be put to death. They had certain cities set up as places of refuge. If the perpetrator of the murder made it to one of these cities, he could not be arrested or prosecuted.
On the other hand, societal laws often infringe on our personal freedoms and basic human rights. Nazi Germany was a good example. The wrong people took control and millions died. Not long ago I was in a customer’s home and they were watching an old WW2 U.S. propaganda film. I listened as I worked and was shocked to realize that the very things they were condemning Nazi Germany of are now law in the United States. Since the U.S. is the main promoter of One World Government, their goal cannot be good for the rest of the world.
In many cases animals have more rights than humans. An animal can go to the bathroom anywhere it wants, but humans are expected to use only designated areas for urinating in. Animals can run around naked, humans cannot. Animals are free to travel wherever on YHVH’s earth they please without needing permission, humans need a visa. The lives of billions of humans being are controlled and regulated by a few. Their minds are so controlled by the politically elite that they even volunteer to police one another enforcing the laws made by the rich and powerful to control us and strip away all of our freedoms and basic human rights. The economy is the greatest weapon the rich and powerful have. By keeping the majority poor, the rich have more control. They do need the middle class, however, to tax and support the economy. Many laws should be illegal, but the rich certainly rejoice in the iniquity that they commit.
YHVH’s love certainly rejoices in the truth. And so we should also rejoice with each new truth that we uncover. Much has been hidden. Much has been forever destroyed as the powers that be persist in keeping the masses “dumbed down” and uneducated. Their education systems teach our children what they want our children to believe (that YHVH does not exist and they are our gods) and in some places parents are forbidden from teaching their children anything else. HaSatan has woven a very intricate web of lies concerning our Creator and his followers perpetuate those lies. True Believers must learn to hate the laws and rejoice and follow in the truth, even unto death.
YHVH’s love bears all things especially in bearing our iniquities, as Yahshua did, and forgiving us when we seek forgiveness.
YHVH’s love believes all things pertaining to the Way of YHVH, which are plainly revealed in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. We are to believe that YHVH is the Creator of the universe and all life in it. We are to believe that YHVH has a divine plan for His creation and wants only the best for us. We must believe that we are now in training to become priests and kings in the coming spiritual world of YHVH and that we will be like YHVH in every way, except that we did not always exist as is His sole claim to glory.
YHVH’s love hopes all things that are promised by our heavenly Father, especially the hope of salvation. Salvation is not something that we automatically receive upon baptism, but is something that we must work toward by believing in and obeying the laws of YHVH. It is a hope that we are all in danger of losing if we return to the ways of this world.
YHVH’s love endures all things. This is similar to bearing all things.
YHVH’s love never fails. YHVH’s love permeates the entire universe via the power of His holy spirit. A small portion of it is in us all from birth. We are expected to nurture and develop this small portion into the full measure of YHVH’s love. These few verses sum up the culminating aspects of what that entails. This should be the type of love that every parent shows toward their children. This is the type of love that we all should show towards every other human being. Have you ever wondered what the answer is to world peace? Here it is – YHVH’s love.
1 Cor. 13:9 - For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 - But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
YHVH has allowed us to have only a partial understanding of these things now, but when Yahshua returns, we will know and prophesy in full. All will be revealed. All will be known. All will be understood. All will see YHVH as He is, in all His glory and know true love for the very first time.
What person that we know has fully
perfected the qualities of YHVH love in their own lives? Only one that I know of has accomplished that and that is Yahshua. How many can claim to be the perfect reflection of Yahshua? I have never met anyone. The only ones I know of that even came close were the 12 apostles. I would not claim that there haven’t been others, but I don’t know enough about them to judge. We must be constantly on guard against self-righteousness. Until we have reached the full measure of the perfection of Yahshua, we have nothing to boast about. Rather, we are in a constant state of achieving that end till the day we die, and even then often fall short of the mark. When we achieve the full measure of YHH’s love, we will be of one mind with the Father as Yahshua was. There are certain signs that follow achieving that state, the same signs that followed Yahshua, and I have not witnessed such of anyone I have known. YHVH Himself when speaking of humankind states that not one is righteous, no, not one. Therefore, we must stop judging others by our own degree of righteousness and focus on perfecting ourselves till we achieve the full degree of righteousness that Yahshua possessed.
11 - When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 - For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
No matter what degree of truth, knowledge and understanding we have come to in our spiritual lives, we are not out of the fire yet, and are foolish to sit back and think that we are fully grown in the mind and understanding of YHVH. The deceptions of HaSatan are multi-layered and with each layer that we peel away, we find yet another waiting beneath for us to conquer. The Way of YHVH requires constant change and growth. If we are not changing and growing, we must question our resolve and dedication to growing into the full stature of Yahshua.
Baptism is a form of rebirth. We symbolically die to sin when we are submerged under the water, and are resurrected to a new life, washed clean of all our past sins and are given a fresh start, just as a new-born baby. From that point on YHVH hopes we will live our lives free of sin. There are many things classified as sin in the Scriptures. Sin is embedded into the very nature of man and therefore, is very difficult to avoid. Most times we are not even aware we are sinning until after the act is committed. Then we must go to YHVH and ask for forgiveness. If we committed a sin against another human, we must also go to that person and ask for forgiveness. This is a hard pill for most of us to swallow. It is even harder for the person we have sinned against to fully forgive us. We must learn to think as YHVH does, love as YHVH does, act as YHVH would and forgive as YHVH does. This is what is meant by becoming one with YHVH. His thoughts are our thoughts and our thoughts are His thoughts. If we keep the goal of achieving the full measure of YHVH’s love foremost in our minds before uttering any word or performing any action, we will see the positive results of displaying such love. This end is a tough one for mankind, whose thoughts are continually evil all the time.
13 - And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Once again, I can only describe YHVH’s nature as “living love”. He is love personified. He is pure love. That is His nature. It is impossible for Him to defile His nature, therefore every thing He says and does is an act of love, whether we understand it as such at the time or not. Sometimes we pray for things and expect our prayers to be answered in a certain way that makes sense to us. However, YHVH does not always answer our prayers in the way we expect. He answers in a way that He knows will be best for our spiritual growth. We do not always know what is best for us. YHVH does.
Suffering persecution, torture, imprisonment and execution are not things we normally see as being good for us. The case of Job is a good example. Job’s problem was self-righteousness. He compared his own degree of righteousness to other humans instead of comparing it to YHVH’s. YHVH’s righteousness is so far above ours that ours is almost laughable. None of us have anything to boast about and comparing ourselves against other humans is an exercise in futility. There are only two beings in the entire universe we are to compare ourselves to – the first is YHVH and the second is Yahshua, who was the express image of YHVH. There is not one human being on the face of the earth that is worthy of us comparing ourselves to.
The Training Grounds
One of the greatest gifts YHVH gave us (besides love) was the ability to reproduce and raise a family. This gift provides us with a training ground to practice becoming like YHVH. If this was the mindset of all mankind, there would be no family violence, incest, child or spousal abuse, etc. Love would truly be central to every family unit. Couples need to learn to forgive one another’s trespasses and not bring them up over and over again in future arguments. They need to talk to one another the way YHVH would talk to them, in a voice full of love and compassion. Parents need to realize that they have not just given birth to a child, but that they have created another human in YHVH’s image, with the potential of becoming like YHVH – another creator being, a king and a high priest. They must be taught the reason why they were created and what their incredible potential really is. The family unit must be YHVH focused, know how great His love is, and try to emulate His love in their daily lives.
I have personally witnessed the power of love at work in cases where one spouse has come into the knowledge of YHVH and by demonstrating YHVH’s love toward their spouse, have turned that spouse toward YHVH as well. In some cases it took years to work, but the results were nonetheless miraculous. So, to those who live with non-believing spouses, I say never give up. The same goes for non-believing children. Some may stray and sow their wild oats for a while but love will eventually win them over.
Conclusion
There are many different aspects to YHVH’s great love. When anyone asks me what YHVH is, all I can answer is Living Love. He not only feels and expresses love, but is love personified. He is the most amazing being in the universe and none but Yahshua can be compared to Him. Yahshua alone has completed this most amazing metamorphosis. Yahshua alone has been reborn into the new creation and is now exactly like the Father, except for the fact that he did not always exist as the Father has. Our destiny is to follow in Yahshua’s footsteps. Our training ground is here on earth. Practice makes perfect and so we must be continually striving to become like Yahshua. YHVH sent Yahshua to us to be our perfect example. It was Yahshua’s great pleasure to fulfill the purpose of YHVH, even knowing in advance what sacrifice that would entail. His mind was trained for that end since the day of his creation as the only begotten son of YHVH and Saviour of the universe.
Not only had the hope of mankind rested on him but the hope of the angelic creation, also. The angels, also, are facing a future judgment and rebirth. We demonstrate our love toward YHVH by obeying His commandments and following in Yahshua’s footsteps. We demonstrate our faith and trust by overcoming till the end, even if that requires a blood sacrifice. We demonstrate the love of YHVH by showing the same love toward all other humans without partiality. That means that we show the same love toward the lowly beggar and all of YHVH’s creatures as we do toward our fellow believing brethren. Yahshua did not restrict his teaching to those whose hearts were already turned toward YHVH, but also to the lowly, miserable sinners who lived in his day. He was sharply criticized for this by the elite and powerful in the synagogue for his actions, but returned the rebuke saying, the healthy have no need of a doctor. The only sin that will not be forgiven is turning ones back on YHVH and blaspheming His Holy Name. Therefore, there is hope for all who sit in our prisons and whose crimes may turn our stomachs. Any who truly turn their hearts toward YHVH require our attention and love to help them overcome both their past and their future. They are fruit ripe for plucking. If they do not get the right help, they may rot and fall away from the tree. They are spiritual infants in need of nurturing and education.
The most difficult humans to convert are ones who already have a deep belief in their current religious system and its doctrines. Of all the different religions on the earth, Christians are perhaps the most stubborn when it comes to casting off all their Mithraic-based customs and traditions. Celebrating Christmas and Easter, belief in the trinity and eternal life immediately upon death, all come from the worship of Mithra. A Christian may be willing to change their doctrines, but trying to take away their customs and traditions can get a person killed. The Christian faith is politically and culturally based, not love based. More wars have been fought in the name of Christianity than for any other reason. Is that a reflection of YHVH’s love? It is not. YHVH would rather that we win over new converts by love, not war.
Of course, when Yahshua returns he will bring with him the sword of punishment, but in those end days the majority of mankind will be hopelessly turned against YHVH, devoid of any sense of morality and following blindly after the False Prophet. Their condition will be beyond the point of no return. Death will be the most merciful thing YHVH can do for them. That in itself is an act of love.
Corruption cannot inherit incorruption. That is a spiritual fact. It is difficult for the human heart to feign love. A person may be able to put on a good front, but deep down inside the measuring tape tells a different story. A person may feel that their real feelings are well hidden, but we cannot hide anything from YHVH. His spirit is in each and every one of us and by it He knows exactly what is hidden in our hearts, especially what we feel towards Him. YHVH’s love is totally pure and unconditional. Like most parents, He loves us no matter what we do. That does not mean that He loves or condones all of the things we do and the choices we make. If we were able to peer deeply into the heart of YHVH, we would not be able to find anything that is hidden. All we would find is deep, pure, uncompromising love. He has a special purpose for us all, which is to be part of the new creation of Elohim-like beings – His very own offspring, created in His glorious image. This truth has been hidden from most of mankind through their false worship of man-made gods.
If this glorious truth were taught to all of mankind from infancy, the world would be a much different place – a place of love and peace. Yahshua will teach the world this truth when he returns. Meanwhile, true believers are expected to strive to acquire this state of being to the greatest degree that they can humanly fathom. We cannot judge righteously when we live in fear of the judgment ourselves. Therefore, instead of judging others, lets focus on judging ourselves and working on our own shortcomings – especially our lack of the type of love that surpasses all human understanding – the love of YHVH..
G.P.