Exodus 34
May 23, 2010
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Bible Passage: Exodus 34
We often use the words ‘grace’ and ‘mercy’ almost interchangeably. Is there actually a difference?
Grace – a favour given that we do not deserve to receive.
Mercy – a punishment withheld that we rightly deserve.
These are definitions that I have read somewhere which have helped me understand the nature of God better.
God is a God full of grace. He gives us things that we do not deserve. We never deserve the grace of salvation, yet He freely gives to us. We never deserve the grace of having the Holy Spirit as our guide, but He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
God is also full of mercies. As sinners, we rightly deserve to die. Yet, time and again, He did not execute the punishment that we so rightly deserve. The Bible says many times that God relented. Whenever He sees a true heart of repentance, He will go soft in His heart and withhold the punishment we should get.
Therefore, God is both merciful, and full of grace.
Often, we emphasize the fact that God is full of grace. Afterall, it is by grace and through faith that we are saved. Furthermore, we often talk about the things which we do not deserve, yet God has given them to us one after another. It could be a good family environment, good results in school, a good boss, good health, or even simply the opportunity to serve Him.
But, how about the things that we deserve?
For all the sins and wrongdoings that we have committed, have we received the due consequences for them?
The Bible said that if God were to take into account all our iniquity, no one can stand before God (Psalm 130:3).
God has not let those evils happen to us.
Because He relented. Because He still loves us. (And also because we repented.)
In today’s chapter, what strikes me most is the mercy of God.
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Genesis 34:6-7)
In previous chapters, we have read of how the people of Israel had sinned against God by making for themselves a molded calf to worship. This is idolatry, a great sin against God. And they have broken God’s commandments even before the tablets of stones were given to them officially.
God was furious. We read of all these in previous chapters too. And Moses tried to be mediator between God and His people. Today, we read of how God decides to rewrite another two tablets of stone and how He renewed the covenant with Israel.
Who can give such second chances other than God? I mean, who can have the capacity to give such second (or maybe third, fourth…) chances except our merciful God?
This is also how God describes Himself and how He reminded the people of His nature.
“The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, …” (Genesis 34:6-7)
If it were me, I would have long given up on these people. But God kept mercy for them. He reserved mercy for them. Today, He also has mercy reserved for you and me.
I love this song by Selah, but I can’t find the video for it, but the lyrics remind us of the depth of God’s mercy that is still wondrously reserved for us still.
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
Heaven find me on my knees
Hear my soul’s impassioned plea
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Deeply my revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Heaven find me on my knees
Hear my soul’s impassioned plea
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
Heaven find me on my knees
Hear my soul’s impassioned plea
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved
Mercy still reserved
Mercy still reserved for me
There is another version with even more beautiful lyrics.
Jesus speaks and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move;
He receives me with his love.
Today, like how Moses pleaded to God for Israel, Jesus is also pleading on our behalf. He is our mediator before God, and through Him, God’s wrath is dissolved, and we can be reconciled with Him.
God has not given us the things that we deserve (mercy), and has given us the things which we do not deserve (grace). As we join in the baptism sacrament today, and look at the deep waters, may we be able to ponder over the depth of His mercy still reserved for us today.
Reflecting on this morning’s baptism, it is really wonderful how grace and mercy played out before my eyes.
Treasureinearthernvessel shared the definitions that “Grace” is a favour given that we do not deserve to receive and “Mercy” is a punishment that we rightly deserve but is withheld.
Eleven souls were added to the flock of the Lord this morning (as the heavens rejoice so do we here on earth). A few of the candidates were a big surprise in the sense that most of us did not ever expect it to happen and did not do much to make it happen.
But despite our very poor Christian love, our lack of evangelical spirit, our stubborn streak, our … the list can go on and on… God decides to show His Mercy and Grace so that these souls are now our brothers and sisters.
While the Mercy of God is evident on people like me – in that I thoroughly deserve any chastisement from God for not doing my bit properly but chose to instead let me reflect and learn from this – the Grace of God is evident on all of us – the newly baptised and the church in that we are all one family with Him as our Lord and Saviour and now having the heavenly hope – something we totally do not deserve for the lack of what we have done.
Two songs “Depth of Mercy” were shared by Treasureinearthervessel. And I like to share another that moves me everything I sing it…
The chorus of “Hymn 279 There is a Gate That Stands Ajar” goes like this…
Oh, depth of mercy! can it be
That gate was left ajar for me?
For me, for me?
Was left ajar for me?
It is only through the depth of mercy of the Lord that the gate was left ajar for me….
So while there is still time…. while God still gives us the opportunity…. while we still can….
We must start NOW and not take the Mercy and Grace of God in vain and start doing something today.
Ex 34:9 Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
This was Moses’ pleads to God. It is resoundingly true of what i need today.
Lord Jesus has fulfilled the prayer of Moses on us today bec we are under grace:
i) Lord Jesus is among us even though we are a stiff-necked people;
ii) Lord Jesus continues to pardon our iniquity and our sin by with the washing of water by His word (Eph 5:26-27) and
iii) Lord Jesus takes us as His inheritance, He even stamps His seal of ownership on us, until the redemption of the purchased possession (Eph 1:14)
James 5:16 …The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Moses’ prayer on Mount Sinai definitely availed much. May be when Moses spoke to Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses pleaded with Lord Jesus again to “remember them when You come into Your kingdom.”
Lord Jesus, true to His self-declaration of abounding in goodness and truth (Ex 34:6), sends the promised Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18).
Have i made room for the Holy Spirit to re-write the ten commandments in my heart?