Love & Faithfulness (Psalm 85:10) Mixed Media (Illustrator and Acrylics)
Love and Faithfulness is from Psalm 85:10, “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
The actual word used here for love is חסד (chesed). It is also translated as “loving-kindness,” “steadfast love,” “kindness,” “compassion,” “goodness” and “mercy.” Thus Psalm 85:10 is also interpreted as “mercy and truth are met together… ”
According to Exodus 34:6-7 chesed is one of the thirteen attributes of God. On the Kabbalistic Tree of Life chesed is one of the ten sephira and is given the association of kindness and love. The word chesed can be understood more clearly as a trait that is characterized by overflowing and the lack of boundaries. One significant outgrowth of this is kindness in that chesed causes a person to want to unabashedly share with others, breaking his boundaries of selfishness.
1 Corinthians 13:13 reads, “But for now, three things last—trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love.” G-d’s love endures forever. Love never fails. Love is a two-way street symbolized by the two streams shaped as a tree trunk. It’s about giving and receiving. The branches form hearts—the symbol of love.
The peace dove is intertwined with the Star of David. The Star of David represents the roots of one’s religious conviction. It’s the peace (shalom) that surpasses all understanding and guards the hearts and minds through the union with the Messiah.