One of the first things brand new parents do following the birth of their child is to give him or her their name. Generally that is something that they had decided upon before the baby was born. In Jewish culture, if the baby is a boy, he is officially given his name eight days after his birth when the baby is circumcised. Jesus’ parents were devoutly religious, and they followed this practice with the infant Jesus when He was eight days old, which would fall later this week (Luke 2:21). He would have officially been given His Name then, a Name that both Mary and Joseph had been given by angels before He was born (Luke 1:31; Matthew 1:21). Names are important, and God holds His Name as important, as it speaks of His character. In today’s Old Testament Scripture we read of the occasion when God proclaimed His Name to Moses, and through him, to the people of Israel.
As our Scripture opens, the Lord told Moses to cut out of rock two tablets of stone a second time, for Him to write the Ten Commandments again, as the first tablets had been broken. This had happened when Moses had gone down Mt. Sinai with the first ones, and then had seen the people worshiping the golden calf, and participating in terrible sins. In a moment of righteous anger, he had thrown the tablets down, breaking them (Exodus 32:19). A little while after that, Moses had returned to the top of the mountain, and God was going to give him a second set. It was here that God proclaimed His Name and character.
Before Moses had returned to the top of the mountain for a second time, he had interceded on behalf of sinful Israel. God relented from destroying the nation, and was merciful to those who repented, but He was also just, not allowing the guilty to go unpunished. In this Scripture passage we clearly see God’s holiness and His mercy. We also see how God is faithful to His covenant.
It was God who initiated the making of a second set of the Ten Commandments (vs. 1). The covenant was renewed by God’s grace, not by Israel’s merit. Moses needed to prepare the tablets, but God wrote the words. God provides the revelation. God does not abandon His people when they fail. He restores on His terms, not ours. This is a picture of salvation: we bring nothing but obedience.
For this second meeting of Moses with the Lord, He had some specific requirements and preparations to be done (vs. 2-3). God was the one who set the terms of worship, not man. Moses was to rise early and come alone. Meeting with God is never casual. Moses was not to improvise his own actions or style. God defines how He is to be approached, not man. Reverence in worship is not optional. God is not to be approached flippantly. No one else was to touch the mountain. Separation underscored God’s transcendence. God is not “common”. His presence is dangerous to sinful men. Holiness in all things demands separation. We need to distinguish between what is sacred and what is common.
Moses did exactly as God commanded (vs. 4). He showed reverence, diligence, and submission to the Lord. It was then that God descended to him and proclaimed His Name and character (vs. 5-7). God revealed Himself to Moses. Moses did not define who God was. God defined Himself. In proclaiming His Name and attributes, He stated that He was merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. When He is merciful to us, He withholds the judgment that we deserve. His grace is receiving His undeserved favor. God is patient with sinful man, and His love is overflowing. God is truth - He is faithful, reliable, and trustworthy. As Christians, we can rest in God’s character, not in our performance.
We also read how God will forgive the sins of those who repent, showing them mercy, as His mercy is vast. However, He is also a just God, and His justice is uncompromising. He will not clear the guilty, as sin must be punished. There are generational consequences for sin. This refers to the natural impact of sin on families, not on inherited guilt. Each generation suffers the fallout of the previous one’s choices. A child is not held guilty for the sins his father did, but there is fallout that he must live with, such as living with the consequences if his father goes to prison for a long time, or is living the destitute life of a drug addict or alcoholic.
Verse 7 shows the perfect union of mercy (forgiveness) and justice (punishment). The Cross is the ultimate fulfillment of this. God remained just while justifying the sinner who believes (Romans 3:26). God’s forgiveness never cancels His holiness, and true repentance matters.
As our Scripture closes, we read that Moses bowed his head and worshiped God (vs. 8). That was the proper response to hearing God’s Name and His character revealed. Worship is the only fitting reaction to who God is. Moses recognized God’s greatness and his own unworthiness. As we see, God alone defined His nature, not us. We cannot decide what God is like to suit our fancy or our own personal beliefs. We also see that He is both infinitely merciful and perfectly just. Neither attribute cancels the other. Focusing solely on one or the other makes a caricature of God, and we never want to do that. He is a holy God!
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