“I Will Cause All My Goodness

To Pass In Front Of You”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Exodus 33:18-19

The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:1-7

Having been chosen to lead a large group of people who often grumbled against him, Moses wanted to know that God would indeed help him with his great task. Moses’s request was rewarded by a demonstration of God’s glory. God announced to Moses His name and characteristics. He is the “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

This verse reminds us that God is not impulsive, suddenly striking out in anger. That’s reassuring considering how many times we have lashed out against Him.

We can see God and His glory in His patience with us, the encouraging word of a friend, a beautiful sunset, or – best of all – the whisper of the Holy Spirit inside of us.

Though we often change, God never does.

Our Daily Bread – January 13, 2018