How Would You Define God?

Posted on by Chips Ross

Exodus 34:5-8

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord.

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

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.”

Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.

How would you define God? That’s a very intimidating question to answer! Thankfully, God has answered this Himself for us in Exodus 34:6-7. This definition of God is so crucial, you will find it repeated in various forms throughout the Old Testament (see Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; and Joel 2:13).

The context of this passage is amazing, as it follows on the heels of Israel’s tremendous idolatry in Exodus 32. God’s anger burned at Israel for their worship of Him through a golden calf, but Moses interceded for God’s forgiveness. When this intercession was complete, and God’s mercy extended to Israel, Moses asked to see God’s glory (Ex 33:18). God answered, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you … (v. 19). God’s glory and His goodness are intertwined. When you know how good God is, then you also know how great He is.

Our verses in Exodus 34 are the moment when God fulfills His promise to Moses of making His goodness and glory pass before him. God defines Himself in 7 characteristics:

  1. Compassionate – He is merciful. He feels strongly and deeply about His people.
  2. Gracious – He is welcoming, overlooking faults. He is generous and giving to His people.
  3. Slow to anger – He is quick to love, but slow to anger. He is not quick to bring punishment on His people.
  4. Abounding in lovingkindness and truth – He is trustworthy and faithful. He does not abandon His people or forget His promises. His commitment to His people never runs dry.
  5. Keeps lovingkindness for thousands – God has no expiration date for His faithful love.
  6. Forgives iniquity, transgression and sin – Nothing you have done or will do can ever cause God to stop loving you.
  7. Punish the guilty by visiting iniquity on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations – God is not soft towards your sin, but will hold you accountable.

Many believe God to be full of lightning bolts, ready to zap anyone with punishment for the slightest infraction. But does that agree with this passage?

As you think through what God says about Himself, you realize that He wants you to know His love, His mercy, His compassion, and His faithfulness. This is a God you can depend on, even in your darkest of moments. Only at the last does God bring up His justice. Even there, His justice is swallowed up by His love. For while He will visit punishment for a few generations, His love lasts for thousands of generations!

We need to learn to think about God based on what God declares Himself to be, not on what we feel, think, or want God to be. The process of learning truth about God requires repeated exposure to His Word and especially to the Gospel.