Thu, 23 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
1 The LORD said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
It is after the episode of the golden calf. Moses is still interceding on behalf of the people of Israel that God would accompany them and abide in their midst despite their unfaithfulness.
In this context of unfaithfulness, repentance and restoration, God grants Moses his wish. Moses had asked to see God. But God doesn’t reveal Himself in the way we might expect. Instead, God declares His name.
What do we learn from this?
When God reveals His name to Moses, He declares His character. He is describing Himself. This is who God is, according to God Himself.
God’s declares that He is loving and merciful, but He is also holy and just. He loves His people and shows grace and mercy to them. But He is holy, and He hates sin. He must punish the guilty, for He is just. He can’t ignore sin. He can’t sweep it under the rug. No. He must punish sin.
Where is Christ in this passage?
How does God solve this dilemma: He is loving and merciful, seeking to show grace to His people, while at the same time being bound to punish the guilty? All of God’s people are guilty, and therefore, He must punish their sin. How then can He show them mercy and spare His people, whom He loves, from eternal punishment?
It is only through the work of Jesus Christ that God can be merciful to His people while still being just and punish their sins. Jesus Christ takes the guilt of the sins of His people upon Himself, bearing the full punishment as their substitute.
God does not let the guilty go unpunished, because His people are no longer guilty. Their sins are punished at the cross, and His people have the righteousness of Christ. His people are righteous, because of Jesus Christ.
