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| But unlike the gods of other ancient religions, who supposedly created the universe and then sat back and just let the seasons and cycles take their course, God steps in to help. God is also praised for his specific act of stepping into history by saving the slaves in the Exodus and staying with them through the wilderness. Psalm 145:8 echoes Exodus 34:6-7. In this passage (Exodus chapters 33-34), Moses has a problem. Because of the disobedience of the Israelites in the wilderness, God considers abandoning them. Moses intercedes for the people, and God changes his mind. Then Moses, in a daring move, asks to see God. God, in his mercy, grants Moses the chance to see God’s backside. No one can see God’s face and live. And then God reveals his character, using his special name—Yahweh. “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” This is one of the clearest revelations from God about the character of God. God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger. “Chesed” is the Hebrew word for steadfast love, and it means an unfailing love or covenant love. Even though God’s people may break covenant, chesed means that God will keep covenant. Chesed is very important to the Israelites. This statement also shows that God is completely merciful— keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin—and completely holy—yet by no means clearing the guilty. To be both merciful and holy seems an apparent contradiction, and yet somehow God is both. Continued... |
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