Exodus 34:6-7 / Steadfast, Faithful, Forgiving
Have you ever done something so awful you thought there would be no way to find forgiveness?
Maybe said something in the heat of the moment that you didn’t mean, or hurt someone very badly with your words or actions?
The truth is, sometimes the person we hurt chooses not to forgive.
And this brings up two realities we should recognize about being human:
We are bound to sin and make mistakes.
Sometimes others will not forgive us for those sins and mistakes.
A sad reality of life is that at times, despite all our efforts to reconcile, we might not find the forgiveness we are seeking.
This can be extremely painful, and when coupled with the shame of what we did to receive their anger or resentment, it can be crushing. Humans make mistakes, we sin, and others sin against us. It can hurt, and it is no fun for anyone.
If we are not careful, we can begin to view God through the lens of this hurt. The lack of forgiveness by others can be projected onto our Creator as well.
But God is not like us in this regard.
He is perfect in His every response. And unlike our frail human emotions, He is steadfast, immovable, and incredibly patient.
There is a story in Exodus 32-34 where the people of Israel, fresh out of Egypt, were waiting down at the bottom of Mount Sinai for Moses as he received the ten commandments from God.
He was up there a while, and although they had just been the recipients of a miraculous salvation from over 400 years in slavery, the Israelite’s patience ran out quickly. They were tired of waiting, they were bored, and they were sinful. So, what did they do? They built a statue of a golden calf and worshipped it!
Talk about an unforgiveable sin, this is the people of God, worshipping a false god, shortly after being saved by God!
Moses came down the mountain, the calf party ended, and God punished them for their outright disobedience.
You would think that this is where God and the people of Israel parted ways. Where He might have had enough and let them go out on their own alone. And actually, He almost did do that (Exodus 33:3) – but then, being the gracious God that He is, He relented.
After the punishment of the people, and quite a bit of pleading by Moses, he went up again to Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord. As he did, God gave an incredible statement about His character that should help us in those moments we struggle to believe in His forgiveness, He said this:
6 … “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”
And this brings up two realities we should recognize about being redeemed:
We are bound to sin and make mistakes.
God’s faithfulness and forgiveness is greater than any sins and mistakes.
If there is something you are struggling with right now – a regret, a sin, a shameful decision – and you think there is no way God would ever forgive you – read the verses above again. Verses written to an ungrateful, unholy people, who had betrayed a loving God.
God is merciful and gracious. It is His very nature.
He is slow to anger. His patience is unmatched.
He abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness. It never runs out.
His steadfast love is for many, not a few. He has enough for everybody.
He forgives our iniquity, transgression, and sin. He sent His Son to prove this is true.
Walk in His forgiveness this week!
With much love,
Pastor Dave
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