God’s Character

Ex 34:6,7 "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generations.'" (NKJV)

I wonder what part of me I want people to remember? I wonder what is it about my life, or my character, or my accomplishments that are compelling? If I could sum up what I am like, what would I say?

God didn't have any problem with this. After Moses temper got the best of him and he smashed the tablets that had the 10 commandments on them, God in His grace said: "Come on back. I will make some new ones." (I just thought about this, but my Dad showed the character of God when I was a kid playing tennis. I got mad one day because I lost a match and I smashed a new tennis racquet on the ground. What did my Dad do…yell at me? No. One day I went to my room and what was sitting in it? A brand new "Grand Slam" tennis racquet. He basically said: "Come on back, I will give a new one.")

Anyway…when Moses came back to get the brand new, spanking clean, freshly cut tablets what did God do? He proclaimed who He was. Now God could have said anything. He could have said that He was the Creator of the universe. He could have said that He was powerful and righteous and holy and wise and…but He didn't. He, instead centered on what He is relationally toward us. He is merciful. He is gracious. He is patient. He excels and overflows with goodness and truth. He is forgiving.

As I look around at this world, these character qualities of God jump out. His mercy and grace and patience and goodness and truth are evident everywhere. The very fact that I am here demonstrates it. The very fact that this world exists demonstrates it. The very fact that our society and our godless culture still stand demonstrates it. We are all sinners. We all deserve God's wrath. The children of Israel did and we do too…but God says: "No…I am patient. I am not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." He is patiently waiting for us to wake up. He patiently waits for me to wake up and in doing this He extends His mercy and His grace and goodness.

But…and this is a big "but"…He is also just toward the guilty. I mean we are all guilty, but He wants to extend forgiveness toward us for all of the iniquity and transgression and sin that we commit. When we turn that away, when we do not accept his mercy, grace, goodness, forgiveness He then extends His justice. The scary thing is, it doesn't just impact me. It impacts my kids, and my kid's kids and their kid's kids. The way I live, my obedience or disobedience does not just affect me, it will affect my children and grandchildren.

God wanted Moses to know Him in His grace and mercy and forgiveness, but remember His justice. Nothing has changed.