Q2. Gracious God

[pickledilly]

The background here is interesting to me and influences my understanding of Yahweh's revelation. Bear with my recap. Prior to this encounter at Mount Sinai, Yahweh had sealed His covenant with the commandments He personally engraved on the stone tablets that had been given to Moses, the people had abandoned Yahweh while Moses was on the mountain and created an object of pagan worship, and Moses had thrown the tablets down to break them in his anger at coming back to find the people engaged in ungodly worship (Exodus 32). Yahweh revealed to Moses that the people were now to leave Mount Sinai, but with the guidance of an angel instead of His own presence lest He destroy them all because of their rejection of Him. Moses and the people mourned at this “disastrous word”. Moses continued to commune with Yahweh in the tent of meeting and stood in the gap to plead for the people, but also for assurance that Yahweh would not leave him on his own to face all the uncertainties and responsibilities of this demanding task. What pressure Moses must have felt,at any thought of doing this without the intimate presence of Yahweh to lead them in the journey. Yahweh promised that He would not remove His presence from Moses, who then asked Yahweh to reveal a visual glimpse of His glory to this servant. Moses had been assured of Yahweh’s favor and maybe was drawn to make the request of being able to see his faithful LORD as an intimate personal connection, or maybe needed that tangible evidence of Yahweh’s presence to bolster his confidence to do all that Yahweh was requiring. He was then directed to prepare 2 new stone tablets and come up the mountain alone the next morning to present himself.

Now to Exodus 34:6. That next morning, Yahweh began with this wonderful assurance of His character and relationship to Moses and His people. Here are some things I see in His self-revelation.

1. Merciful – God intimately feels our pain and needs in this earthly life. He looks on us with compassion. And I think this could also reveal that He doesn’t desire to give us what we do deserve as the fruits of our sin.

2. Gracious – God responds to these human pains and needs with lovingkindness. He is not detached or uninvolved. I think this could also reveal that He freely gives what we do not deserve as the remedy for our sin.

3. Slow to anger – God is patient with our flaws and rebellion because He knows how He created us … on our own, we are incapable of perfection. We are warned and consequences are certain, but He is not a rash hot-head who looks for opportunities to bash us.

4. Loving – God’s love for us overflows and is unshakeable. Nothing will change this character trait of abounding affection and perfect desire for our good.

5. Faithful – God is trustworthy. He is true to His commitments and promises to His people. He will never violate His Word.

In this revelation, I think maybe Yahweh was personally responding to Moses’ plea for guidance and favor as this servant faced the monumental task of leading the people from their encampment out into the unknown. The rest of chpt.34 records that He went on to give full assurance that Moses would never be out of His sight or alone in this call on his life. Yahweh forgave Moses’ anger that led to the destruction of the first tablets of commandments, provided the glimpse of His glory perhaps to reassure and encourage Moses of His intimate presence, and then renewed His divine covenant with His people and gave the second set of tablets of Ten Commandments to define His relationship with them and their relationship with Him.

This list of Yahweh’s personal characteristics and qualities in vs.6 presents a broad picture of the outpouring of kindness and favor that He desires to shower over His people. He wanted Moses - and His chosen people - to know who He really is as the God who intimately knows and cares for them.  And still today, true to character, He’s always at work in our lives to reveal His extravagant love and passionate favor, though we don’t deserve a single component of such grace.

[PATCH]

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Q2. (Exodus 34:6) What do we learn about Yahweh’s character in his self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai? What does this have to do with grace?

He granted Moses' bold request to reveal Himself yet protected him as Moses was not pure or holy enough to see God in the fullness of His glory.  

It has been said that God is a Judge yet he revealed himself first as forgiving, longsuffering, patient, merciful, gracious, loving, compassionate.  When he speaks about punishing the guilty, he is referring to those who are hardened, recalcitrant and has rejected his grace and mercy.  His grace and mercy towards us comes first!

For me personally, to know God's character is important in my daily walk with Him.  I even appeal to His character in my prayers.  

[Dixter Kaluba]

Yahweh is compassionate towards man; he has a deep love unconditionally as he expresses it towards an inferior man compared to him. there is benefit but out of love for his man his creation. He is faithful, implying he does not change; He is Yahweh yesterday, today and tomorrow. His character as portrayed in Exodus 34:6 is demonstrated and fulfilled in His actions to save man from his sin and eternal death through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ for the remission of sin of the World. He used Christ who was blameless and knew not any sin.

[lighthouse2014]

In Exodus 34:6 we learn that God has revealed his character to Moses as a God who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Through these attributes God has revealed His grace to us, provided we willing to show our love and devotion to Him.     

[Serena]

This revealing of the Lord before this important journey got very far, is so significant. The Lord was making it very clear who He was and what His people could expect from Him. He is steadfast and unchanging, not easily angered or provoked. He was the source of everything they would need, even grace. He knows our frame and the weakness of our flesh. He knows the things we yearn for and He also knows that at the root of it all is a hunger for what only He could supply. (Psalm 145:15-16)

This revelation of who God is, further cements the idea that grace is all about Him and not about us. This is just who He is, He is the God of all-grace. That is just who He is. This is His character, His nature. He is just but He is grace. He is righteous but He is grace. He is holy and He is grace. He is completely all of it. He simply invites us to believe and receive Him and what He has done for us.

How could I ever have thought that I could earn God's grace?

[Irmela]

Q2. (Exodus 34:6)

What do we learn about Yahweh's character in His self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai?

What does this have to do with grace?

'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,  maintaining love to thousands,  .  .  .

Moses is shielded in the cleft of a rock to prevent him from being burnt up by the Shekinah Glory of God.   God is revealing His compassion. In fact it pours out of Him,  His love,  in that He is giving Moses the desire of his heart.  He is just so full of love.

Did Moses deserve all this?  He too was human, and got angry with the people and had thrown down the tablets of stone , God had prepared.    God showered him with grace, loving kindness and mercy.  All so true to His character.  It was undeserving.

• compassionate    -    He is full of understanding ,   He knows what we are going through
• gracious
• slow to anger    -     He has patience with us, He does not erupt in anger.  Put bluntly, He does not have a short fuse.   He does not get angry quickly.
• abounds in love    -    It is not just in the good times that He loves, He just IS LOVE
• abounds in faithfulness
• abounds in truth    -    He is dependable
• maintains love    -    He loves even when He is not loved back.  (even if it is one-sided)
• shows mercy       -      He understands our weakness,  and is feels compassionate towards us   -    He knows our feeble frame   

[Trusting God]

God's characteristics and attributes is seen in everything He does.  He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and faithfulness.  This encompasses grace, and is seen in His love to the world, and in giving of His only Son, Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the whole world.

[Jim Basler]

God's character is revealed much as a father to a child--abounding in love, faithfulness, forgiveness, and showing us we are worthy of investment. So too is the punishment of sins on generations. We are meant to be improved as we generationally mature.

[Old Jerry]

We have learned that God is a loving God. He is not loud and loves us enough to protect us. This has to do with grace because He is gracious to us by watching out for us.

[Lisa Wolf]

Q2. (Exodus 34:6) What do we learn about Yahweh’s character in his self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai? What does this have to do with grace?

We learn SO MUCH about God's character in His self-revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai, WOW! First, that God sheltered Moses even as He revealed Himself.  God know us and how much we can handle.  His greatness is so vast it far outruns all limits of my human brain!  God told His name: "The Lord, the Lord," His character, "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." His justice He revealed in saying that He, "does not leave the guilty unpunished."  He also revealed some about our human nature in that if we sin, our children watch that and copy that.    This revelation of God Himself shows us that grace originates with Him.  He is SO different from our natural selves. Words like ABOUNDING in LOVE and MAINTAINING LOVE to thousands--let alone slow to anger and forgiving.  Wow.  GRACE.

[Muma]

I have learned that grace is farvour unearned and undeserved. That through the life of Hosea and Gomer, God demonstrated His grace to the nation of Isreal.

[Randy a]

This bible study goes over above and beyond to get God's heartfelt message to our hearts.

The deep level of research for each word so clearly explained it is inspiring !

[HCDukes]

“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬
What does this have to do with grace? Well it has everything to do with grace. This scripture shows us the loving kindness of our Heavenly Father God’s character. The LORD God (Father) is: merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth toward us.

Our Heavenly Father is so personable, gentle, transparent, fearless, loving & thoughtful, toward’s us; so much so, that He communicates and shares the essence of his nature with us; without the fear of feeling vulnerable or being worried about someone taken advantage of his grace, mercy and goodness.