Week 12: Chapter 11 — Compassions New Every Morning

1.Lamentations 3:22–23 declares that God's mercies are "new every morning" — written in the context of Jerusalem's destruction, which the author acknowledges was God's judgment. How does it reshape the meaning of "new every morning" to know it was written amid ruins? What does that context add to the comfort?

2.Ortlund examines Exodus 34:6–7, where God passes before Moses and declares his own name: "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." This is the oldest divine self-definition in the Bible. What does it say about God's self-understanding that mercy, not wrath, is the first word he uses to describe himself?

3.The chapter presses the Hebrew word hesed — often translated "steadfast love" or "lovingkindness." Ortlund describes it as covenant loyalty infused with tender emotion — a love that will not let go. What does a love defined by covenant (not feeling alone) add to your sense of security? Why is covenant love more durable than purely emotional love?