Greatly Beloved: Why You Are Treasured and Beloved by God

What Does It Mean to Be Beloved by God?

Is there a more tender way to tell someone they are loved deeply than to call them your beloved? Three times in the book of Daniel the angel addresses him as a man greatly beloved. And who is this who loves Daniel so deeply? God. Daniel was one of the few people in the Old Testament addressed in this way.

The Hebrew word behind beloved is chamad. It carries the sense that God delights in and values Daniel. Daniel was not just loved, he was looked at like a great treasure. Daniel was faithful to God's Old Covenant, but God's love isn't presented as something Daniel earned.

We see this same language used for all those in Christ under the New Covenant. Where Daniel was one individual called beloved, now you and I and all believers, because of Jesus, are beloved.

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;" Colossians 3:12

Beloved by God, Not Because We Are Perfect

Have you ever considered that you are beloved by God? Have you thought of yourself as treasured and appreciated? God delights in you! Take a moment and think about that.

Our God, the Creator of everything, finds joy in you. Even the angels rejoice when we turn to Him (Luke 15:10). He treasures us and we value Him. Christ is our treasure—the pearl of great price!

To be beloved by God is not to be perfect, nor does it mean God overlooks our sin. It means we are deeply valued, claimed as His own, and loved enough that He continues to correct, cleanse, transform, and keep us. God’s love does more than tell us we are valued; it is also shaping us for His purposes.

God Created You for a Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 gives us more insight into how God views us.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

That word "workmanship" can also be translated as "masterpiece." The Greek word for workmanship is poiēma and is the root word from which we get the word poem. You are a poem written for the world. Your life is written by the hand of God to show His love. A poem is written with intention, line by line, by someone who knows how it will end. Some lines of your life make sense only in hindsight. Some seem like pauses, or even mistakes.

But the Author is not finished, and He doesn't abandon what He starts (Philippians 1:6). And a poem is meant to be read. Paul tells the Corinthians they are a letter from Christ "known and read by all men," written "not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Indeed, you are a poem to be read by all, showing that you are a masterpiece of His love.

God has chosen you to place His great value and affection on. You were designed by God Himself for a purpose. You are not a random assortment of DNA and chemicals, but you are prepared to walk in good works by the work of Christ. We glorify God by fulfilling that purpose.

God's Love Corrects and Transforms Us

If we as imperfect parents can see our child as precious, valuable, and treasured, how could we expect less of God's view of us? He disciplines us and corrects us out of His great love for us, just as we discipline our own children if we love them.

God looks at you and sees the righteousness of Christ, because we are adopted sons and daughters through Him, God's beloved Son (Ephesians 1:5-6). Where Christ was perfect in every aspect, God is shaping and perfecting our imperfect vessel which has been made righteous in His Son. He molds us and makes us into the New Creation that we become through Jesus.

God's Beloved People Are Set Apart for Him

We are a holy and set apart people for God's service. According to Psalm 4:3,

"But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;

The Lord will hear when I call to Him."

What is a godly person? In Hebrew it is chasid, a loyal or faithful one to the covenant relationship they have with God. God will not forsake us. He promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). He will always preserve us (Psalm 37:28). And why would that be? Because we are His beloved and He is faithful to those He loves.

The Song of Solomon mirrors this love language. This book does not just describe the covenant relationship between a man and his bride. Many have also read it as referring to God and the church. In the New Testament God lovingly refers to the church as His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). In the Song of Solomon we see a frequent refrain, "My beloved is mine, and I am his."

Like a loving couple, He proclaims His devotion and faithfulness to us and we proclaim ours to Him. Can you imagine a couple at the altar contemplating unfaithfulness and adultery. Of course not! They have entered into a covenant relationship and have promised never to leave or forsake each other.

We see this language across the Old Testament when God says repeatedly, "I will be your God, and you will be my people" (Jeremiah 30:22). And God loves us so much that He never forsakes us even when we sinfully forsake Him. He remains our God.

In Song of Solomon 4:12 the bridegroom says His beloved is an enclosed garden. She is watched over and protected because she is highly valued and esteemed. She is set apart. Each describes the other as gold, jewels, ivory, and rare spices. It is not just God who views us as His beloved but we view Him in the same way.

Covenant Love Remains Faithful Even Through Death

Even our deaths don't go unnoticed by our loving Father.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

Because we are in covenant relationship with Him our deaths have honor and significance to Him. They mean something to Him. God cares for you. As saints or faithful servants, our death is the culmination of a life held in God's faithfulness. Our reward awaits us. Not because of our sinlessness, but because of the sinlessness of His Son.

The Shulamite woman expresses this so perfectly in Song of Solomon 8:6,

"Set me as a seal upon your heart,

As a seal upon your arm;

For love is as strong as death,

Jealousy as cruel as the grave;

Its flames are flames of fire,

A most vehement flame."

A seal is a sign of something of value that belongs permanently to another. The covenant love between herself and her beloved is capable of withstanding even death. When God says that the death of His saints is precious, it gives us a picture of the love of a spouse watching over the death of their beloved mate. This New Covenant we have with our Father will never be broken, not even by the grave, because Christ has secured it (Hebrews 9:15). Our beloved will remain just that for all of eternity.

Do we treat God as our beloved? Check your heart. No one should hold a place above Him. He is our faithful beloved and we bow before His throne. Because we are beloved by God, we can stop trying to prove that we are worthy of His love and instead live faithfully in response to the love He has already given us.