Human Kindness And Loving-Kindness

Normal human kindness and loving-kindness differ in various ways. For example, those showing human kindness often do so without having a deep and personal involvement, or relationship, with the individuals they treat kindly. If we show loving-kindness to someone, however, we lovingly attach ourselves to that person. In the Bible, expressions of loving-kindness between humans may be based on already existing relationships. (Genesis 20:13; 2 Samuel 3:8; 16:17) Or they may be founded on relationships resulting from prior acts of kindness (Joshua 2:1, 12-14; 1Samuel 15:6; 2 Samuel 10:1, 2) To illustrate this difference, let us compare two Bible examples, one of kindness and one of loving-kindness expressed between humans.

One example of human kindness relates to a group of shipwrecked people, including the apostle Paul. They were washed ashore on the island of Malta. (Acts 27:37-28:1) Although the Maltese had neither a prior commitment to the stranded voyagers nor an existing relationship with them, the islanders received the strangers hospitably, showing them "extraordinary human kindness." (Acts 28:2, 7) Their hospitality was kind, but it was incidental and shown to strangers Therefore was human kindness.

By comparison, consider the hospitality that King David show to Mephibosheth, the son of his friend Jonathan. David told Mephibosheth: "You yourself will eat bread at my table constantly." Explaining why he was making this provision, David told him: "Without fail I shall exercise loving-kindness toward you for the sake of Jonathan your father." (2 Samuel 9:6, 7, 13) David's enduring hospitality is rightly referred to as an exercise of loving-kindness, not merely kindness, for it was an evidence of his loyalty to an established relationship. (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:15, 42) Similarly today, God's servants show human kindness to mankind in general. Yet, they express enduring loving-kindness or loyal love, to those whom they have a God-approved relationship.- Matthew 5:45; Galatians 6:10

To identify some additional characteristics of loving-kindness, we will briefly consider three Bible accounts that feature this quality. From these we will note that loving-kindness extended by humans is (1)expressed by specific actions, (2)extended willingly, and (3) shown especially to those having a need. Moreover, these accounts illustrate how we may exercise loving-kindness today.