守約施慈愛的上帝

上帝不是聖誕老人、不是萬應公、不是……

聖經中卻用一位「守約施慈愛的 神」來描述天父的性格或屬性。
以下就略記述幾段歷史領袖對上帝的生動對話、禱告和描述：

列王紀上 8:23
「耶和華─以色列的　神啊，天上地下沒有神可比你的！你向那盡心行在你面前的僕人守約施慈愛；
and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below–you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

歷代志下 6:14
說：「耶和華─以色列的　神啊，天上地下沒有神可比你的！你向那盡心行在你面前的僕人守約施慈愛；
He said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth–you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

尼希米記 1:5
「耶和華─天上的　神，大而可畏的　神啊，你向愛你、守你誡命的人守約施慈愛。」
Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands,

尼希米記 9:32
「我們的　神啊，你是至大、至能、至可畏、守約施慈愛的　神。我們的君王、首領、祭司、先知、列祖，和你的眾民，從亞述列王的時候直到今日所遭遇的苦難，現在求你不要以為小。
“Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes–the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

但以理書 9:4
我向耶和華─我的　神祈禱、認罪，說：「主啊，大而可畏的　神，向愛主、守主誡命的人守約施慈愛。
I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands,