Is God merciful or vengeful? In Genesis, God chooses one family, the Israelites, from among the nations, he promises that he’s going to rescue the whole world through this family. But Genesis ends with the family of Abraham in Egypt. Exodus chapters 1-18, God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt. Exodus chapters 19-40, God leads Israel to Mount Sinai where they camp out for a year. God invites this whole nation into a partnership called a covenant, so that they can be shaped by his values and character, representing God to all the other nations. Exodus chapters 19-24, the Israelites agree to be God’s partners, and God sets up the terms of the relationship, starting with the Ten Commandments. The first two are? Don’t give your allegiance to other gods and don’t make any idol images of God. Exodus chapters 25-31, God shows Moses detailed blueprints for building a sacred home, so that God can come and live among them.
This story has God’s description about his character, Exodus chapters 32-34, Moses goes up on the mountain, writing down the partner agreement, as the Israelites are at the base of the mountain, violating the first two commands. God is hurt and angry, and he warns Moses that this betrayal will keep on happening, God is ready to call it quits. But what about God’s promise to rescue the world through them? This is what Moses brings up, and so what is God gonna do? Should God end the partnership, which would be fair or will he be faithful to his promise to Abraham and show them mercy?
Exodus 34:6-7, this is about this very tension between God’s mercy and his justice. God maintains loyal love for thousands and how is he going to remain loyal to people, who keep rebelling against him? By forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. God’s mercy is balanced in what follows, yet he won’t declare innocent the guilty, he’ll bring the iniquities of the fathers, upon the children and grandchildren to the third and the fourth. The third and the fourth what? It’s referring to generations of people, who repeat their ancestors’ rebellion against God, they’ll get what they deserve. But this small number of generations, contrasts that massive number of thousands, God’s loyal love to thousands. God’s forgiveness of iniquity is contrasted with his justice on iniquity. God’s justice, he will not declare innocent the guilty, while God is slow to anger, he is also just. How does a faithful and loyal God, deal with such a rebellious people? This is the challenge God faces in this story and it’s the same challenge he faces in the whole biblical story, as he works to rescue the world through this family.
This story has God’s description about his character, Exodus chapters 32-34, Moses goes up on the mountain, writing down the partner agreement, as the Israelites are at the base of the mountain, violating the first two commands. God is hurt and angry, and he warns Moses that this betrayal will keep on happening, God is ready to call it quits. But what about God’s promise to rescue the world through them? This is what Moses brings up, and so what is God gonna do? Should God end the partnership, which would be fair or will he be faithful to his promise to Abraham and show them mercy?
Exodus 34:6-7, this is about this very tension between God’s mercy and his justice. God maintains loyal love for thousands and how is he going to remain loyal to people, who keep rebelling against him? By forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. God’s mercy is balanced in what follows, yet he won’t declare innocent the guilty, he’ll bring the iniquities of the fathers, upon the children and grandchildren to the third and the fourth. The third and the fourth what? It’s referring to generations of people, who repeat their ancestors’ rebellion against God, they’ll get what they deserve. But this small number of generations, contrasts that massive number of thousands, God’s loyal love to thousands. God’s forgiveness of iniquity is contrasted with his justice on iniquity. God’s justice, he will not declare innocent the guilty, while God is slow to anger, he is also just. How does a faithful and loyal God, deal with such a rebellious people? This is the challenge God faces in this story and it’s the same challenge he faces in the whole biblical story, as he works to rescue the world through this family.