“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.”
—Exodus 34:6–7

When God spoke His name to Moses in the Book of Exodus and disclosed His nature, the very first characteristics of His nature are revealed: compassion and grace.

HaShem is a good God who delights in loving His chosen ones. He is merciful and slow to anger. He is not a God who erratically loses His temper, but rather He is filled with goodness, long-suffering, and love. And notice in our verse today that the Lord is “abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” What does abounding mean? It points to something that is bubbling up, overflowing, and more than enough. Our God is an astonishing Father, running over with more than enough compassion and grace to meet all our needs!

But let’s also notice the next thing our God makes known about Himself: “Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” Think about this. God is, first of all, compassionate, but secondly, He is just. We need to understand His essence, ways, and actions from these two perspectives. The Father is first of all merciful. That is why He sent our Messiah, Jesus. If He wanted to just show justice, He never would have sacrificed His Son for us. He would have just destroyed mankind for their sin and not provided a path for redemption. But because God is compassionate and gracious, He provided a way for us to turn to Him through Yeshua.

God loves you and me. But when He stands at the door of men’s hearts and knocks (Rev. 3:20) and is not received in, He has no choice but to execute justice, condemning those who will not receive His grace (Rev. 20:15).

Father God, I confess that You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. Let me always respond to Your grace and never take it for granted. You are a good Father, and I don’t know what I would do if not for Your mercy and gentleness. Thank You, Lord, for providing a path to redemption so I can enjoy these times of fellowship with You. I love You.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.