Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 34:5-21
There have been times in church history when God has been portrayed as all fire and brimstone. Today, the trend is to do the opposite and emphasize God’s grace and mercy and downplay, if not deny, that God will judge sin.
When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he wanted to see God’s face. Yahweh denied that request because no man can see God and live. However, Yahweh promised to let Moses see His back. In the process of fulfilling that promise, Yahweh made a statement about His character which guides us regarding how we should think about God’s grace versus His justice.
Ex. 34:5 Then Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him, and He called upon the name of Yahweh.
The pronoun “him” refers to Moses.
Ex. 34:6 Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;
Ex. 34:7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
Verses 6-7 are a declaration made by Yahweh about Himself.
Think about the contrast within Yahweh’s character. On the one hand, He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and forgiving. On the other hand, He punishes the guilty, even to the third and fourth generation. In fact, the phrasing is “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished”. The punishment of those who are guilty is certain.
Yahweh never changes (see Malachi 3:6 or Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, this statement about Yahweh is still true today.
It is common for Christians to emphasize one or the other side of God. There have been times when God has been portrayed as all fire and brimstone and no grace. Today, the trend is to emphasize God’s love and grace and ignore His justice and punishment. We should not emphasize one at the expense of the other. He is both.
Verse 7 says Yahweh visits the iniquity of fathers to the third and fourth generation. Many people balk at the idea that grandchildren would pay the price for the sins of their grandfather. The Amorites are an example of what this looks like.
Genesis 15 tells us Yahweh promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Yahweh also predicted that Abraham’s descendants would live in Egypt for four hundred years before they took possession of the land. Then Yahweh said the delay was because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. In other words, the Amorites in the days of Abraham were sinning, but their sin was not yet complete, so the Amorites would continue sinning for four hundred years, and then the Amorites would be punished for their sin. That is an example of Yahweh visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the third and fourth generation. The third and fourth generations also sinned.
Ex. 34:8 And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.
Notice the words “bow low toward the earth”. Ponder what Moses was communicating when he bowed low to the earth. He was communicating humility and submission. He was acknowledging Yahweh’s superiority and sovereignty.
Ex. 34:9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though they are a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own inheritance.”
Moses asked Yahweh to exercise grace and forgiveness.
Ex. 34:10 ¶ Then God said, “Behold, I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you.
Ex. 34:11 ¶ “Be sure to keep what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Yahweh originally promised to drive out the Canaanites 400 years previously. Yahweh still intended to fulfill His promise.
Ex. 34:12 Beware lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst.
Ex. 34:13 But rather, you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim
Ex. 34:14 —for you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—
Ex. 34:15 lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invite you to eat of his sacrifice,
Ex. 34:16 and you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.
Yahweh warned the Israelites to be separate from the Canaanites, otherwise, the Canaanites would corrupt the Israelites. The New Testament contains similar warnings for the church. The New Testament tells us a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9). We are commanded to not be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), nor to be unequally yoked (2Corinthians 6:14).
Ex. 34:17 You shall make for yourself no molten gods.
Ex. 34:18 ¶ “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
Ex. 34:19 ¶ “The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, even of all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.
Ex. 34:20 And you shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.
Ex. 34:21 ¶ “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
Yahweh declared that He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and forgiving. He also proclaimed that He punishes the guilty, even to the third and fourth generation. It is common for Christians to emphasize one or the other side of God. There have been times when God has been portrayed as all fire and brimstone and no grace. Today, the trend is to emphasize God’s love and grace and ignore His justice and punishment. We should not emphasize one at the expense of the other. He is both.
Does your church emphasize one side of God at the expense of the other?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”