Exodus 34:5-9
Summary for Exod 34:5-9: 34:5-9 a Moses experienced God’s presence in a revelation of the name, or character, of God. As God had promised (33:19 b), he showed Moses the glory of his goodness.Summary for Exod 34:5-6: 34:5-6 c Yahweh: Here God is emphasizing his personal name.
34:6 d compassion and mercy (see 20:5-6 e; 33:19 f and study notes): The Creator who was revealing himself to the Israelites, and through them to the world, is a God of grace. Neither his justice nor his sovereignty are underlined here, as true as those attributes are. If God were merely just, the Old Testament would have ended at this point, or it would have picked up and started again with an entirely new family. This did not happen because God, in his unique character, is slow to anger and full of unfailing love and faithfulness. These qualities were the basis for his renewal of the covenant.
34:7 g God’s unfailing love and his generous desire to forgive are not weakness or indecisiveness, nor are they reason to sin. Sin will have its effects, because God created a world of cause and effect. The murderer may repent, be forgiven, and lead a new life, but the effects of previous choices will continue to play out. We should not sin just because we know that God will forgive (see study note on 20:5-6).
• a thousand generations: See Deut 7:9-11 h.
• I lay the sins of the parents: Our sins affect future generations of descendants, but God restricts the natural effect of those sins to three or four generations. See also Exod 20:5-6 i.
Summary for Exod 34:8-9: 34:8-9 j Since the Lord had already twice promised to go with them (33:14 k, 17 l), this renewed request seems to show a lack of faith. It may also be that God’s presence had driven home to Moses how absolutely holy God is and how very different he is from this stubborn and rebellious people. Here Moses took his request a step further and asked God to travel with the people and make them his own special possession (see 19:5-6 m). Moses asked for the complete restoration of the relationship.
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