“Merciful and Gracious” 9-19-21

Overview

Merciful and Gracious: A Window into the Heart of God

When God descended on Mount Sinai to give Moses a second set of stone tablets after the golden calf rebellion, He did something remarkable: He proclaimed His own name and character. In Exodus 34:6-7, the very first words God uses to describe Himself are merciful and gracious. In Scripture, the "heart" is far more than emotion—it encompasses motives, attitudes, thoughts, and feelings. It is the control center of a person. So when God reveals these words, He is opening a window into who He truly is at the core. Mercy means God does not give us what we deserve; grace means He gives us what we don't deserve.

The descriptors then pour out like a waterfall: "slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." The Hebrew phrase translated "slow to anger" is literally "long of nostrils"—an image suggesting the opposite of a snorting, agitated bull. Notice throughout Scripture that God must be provoked to anger (Deuteronomy 9:7; 1 Kings 14:9; Jeremiah 32:32), but He never has to be provoked to love, grace, or mercy—those flow from Him naturally. With us humans, it is the reverse; we must be stirred up to love, as Hebrews 10:24 urges: "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds." The covenant language of "steadfast love and faithfulness" means God has bound Himself to His people—sealed for us in the waters of baptism—and He never throws up His hands and walks away.

God forgives "iniquity and transgression and sin"—three Hebrew words with distinct flavors: a blotch to be blotted out, dirty clothes to be washed, a stain to be removed. The text continues that He "by no means clears the guilty, but visits the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and fourth generation." Scripture is clear that children are not punished by God for their parents' sin; that punishment was borne by the Lord Jesus at the cross. Yet sin can be generational—patterns passed down through family systems—and each person remains responsible for his or her own sin. The hopeful contrast is striking: judgment touches three or four generations (typically those alive at one time), but His steadfast love extends to a thousand generations—and the Hebrew can even be rendered "thousands." God's mercy reaches farther, deeper, and longer than sin's reach.

There is a story of pastor George Buttrick, who, when students told him they didn't believe in God, would gently ask, "Tell me about the God you don't believe in." After listening to their descriptions of a distant, indifferent, or hypocritically represented deity, he would reply, "I don't believe in that God either"—and then point them to the God of Holy Scripture, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. This is the God we know. When you find yourself wondering whether God has grown tired of you, whether your sin is too much, or whether bad circumstances mean He is punishing you, return to His own self-description. He is not what we fear Him to be. He is merciful and gracious. You know His heart.

Transcript

What you want when your Bible is pleased with me to Exodus 34th chapter for our study today. 2s

Exodus 34, if using a few addition, you're going to find that on page 75 in the Old Testament. 9s

Exodus chapter 34. 18s

We began a new sermon series last week entitled The Heart of God. 20s

And in recall, we talked a little bit about the biblical meaning of the heart in Holy Scripture. 26s

So often the heart is associated with feeling and emotion, but biblically speaking, 35s

it is so much more encompassing. 41s

We talked about how it encompasses motives and attitudes and thoughts, and, of course, feelings and emotions. 45s

But it is a wide net in the biblical understanding of the heart. 53s

The heart is really as one author describes it, the control center of us. 59s

And so when we say of a person, I know they're heart. 66s

I know they're heart. 70s

That's a very biblical, descriptive term in terms of saying, here's the encompassing nature of that person. 72s

And I understand that which controls them. 82s

We took a look at the one verse, actually a tiny portion of one verse, in which the Lord Jesus 87s

specifically addressed and described his heart. 94s

There were two words you were called, that he used, gentle and humble, gentle and humble. 100s

Well, as we continue our series today, I want to look at predominantly two more words with you. 110s

These are two more words that God uses to describe himself in Exodus 34th chapter. 118s

Right after he says, his name, the Lord. 124s

I want to focus predominantly on the first two words that he uses to describe himself, 129s

because it is a window into the heart of God. 137s

God had called a very special servant by the name of Moses. 147s

He called Moses up to Mount Sinai, and there on Mount Sinai, God gave the law. 153s

Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain. 160s

And when he came down, what did he discover? 165s

But the people had taken matters into their own hands, quite literally. 168s

They had collected the gold that they had. 174s

They had melted it down. 177s

They formed a gold and calf and idols, and were worshiping the calf and idols saying, 179s

here are the gods that led you out of Egypt. 185s

And when Moses with tablets and hand, these sends from Mount Sinai, 192s

scripture says that he, quote, burned heart with anger. 198s

He took those two tablets and he threw them down, and they absolutely became pieces on the ground. 208s

He was furious. 219s

God in his grace said, I'll give you two new tablets. 222s

Call Moses back up on the mountain, and look at verse 4, please, of chapter 34. 229s

So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and he rose early in the morning 235s

and went up on Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him. 241s

And took it his hand, the two tablets of stone. 246s

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name, the Lord. 250s

Now just in the side, why is God in the cloud? 258s

The answer is given up into verse, or chapter 30, verse 20. 262s

He said, you cannot see my face for no one shall see me and live. 269s

This is an act of grace on the part of God. God hides himself in the cloud. 273s

Because if Moses sees God face to face, he dies. 280s

This is an act of grace. So we call Moses up to the mountain to receive the tablets a new. 287s

He is in the cloud and he describes himself as the Lord. 295s

And then he says, the Lord, the Lord, a God gracious and merciful. 301s

The very first words that God uses to describe himself in Exodus 34 is merciful 313s

and gracious. 327s

Now remember, we've studied this in the past, but recall there that what mercy is. 329s

Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. 336s

What's grace giving us what we don't deserve. 342s

So God doesn't give us what we deserve. That's the expression of his mercy. 348s

And he gives us what we don't deserve. That's the expression of his grace. 353s

The very first two words that God uses to give a window into his soul to describe who he is. 362s

After he says his name, the Lord is merciful and gracious. 373s

And the words they don't stop there. Do they? 384s

If I were to describe a person and say, you know they've got a short fuse 393s

or they're volatile or they can be a Tinder box. 400s

You don't have to put many descriptors on that. 406s

To quickly come to the conclusion that the person has a short temper, right? 410s

They're quick to anger. 415s

If I were to describe a person and say, they are long in nostrils. 420s

Well, you might think I'm making fun of them, right? 427s

But long of nostrils are the very next words in Hebrew. 432s

Long of nostrils translated into English is slow to anger. 440s

The translators knew if they translate that literally, we're not going to understand what they're talking about there. 445s

Where it says God is long in nostrils. That's a Hebrew phrase. It's a Hebrew image. 452s

The image is of an animal. Let's just take a bowl. 458s

Eyes flaring, nostrils flaring, 461s

pulling at the ground there, staring at you. 465s

One would say that that animal is short-nosed. 471s

So in the Hebrew, when it says God is long of nostrils, 476s

they would have immediately gotten it translated into English. He's slow to 483s

anger. Have you noticed in scripture? 491s

Where God has to be provoked to anger? 498s

You're most of that? God has to be provoked for him to be angry. 505s

I think, for example, in Deuteronomy, the ninth chapter. 514s

It says, remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. 520s

You've been rebellious against the Lord. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until 527s

you came to this place. First kings, 14. But you have done evil above all those who were before you. 532s

And have gone and made for yourself other gods and cast images provoking me to anger. 543s

Jeremiah 32. Because of all the evil of the people of Israel and the people of Judah that they did 551s

to provoke me to anger, God has to be provoked to anger. He doesn't have to be provoked to love and grace and mercy. 558s

It's the opposite with humans. It's the opposite with humans. 576s

What is recorded in Hebrews 10? And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. 581s

God doesn't have to be provoked to anger. Love and grace and mercy comes naturally. Humans, 593s

we've got to provoke one another to love and good deeds. What comes naturally to God? 600s

Is His grace and mercy? Okay. I've asked to our text verse 6 once again. The Lord passed 610s

before Him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord, hear the first two words He uses to describe Himself, 622s

a God merciful and gracious. And now the waterfall of descriptors start to come, 629s

slow to anger, long in nostrils, and then He says, and a bounding instead fast, love and 637s

faithfulness. The words there are covenant words, they're covenant language. It's God saying, 650s

I am bound to you. God binds Himself to us in the waters of baptism. God never comes to a point 656s

where He throws His hands into the air and say, I'm just tired of it. It's tired of it. 666s

The sick of it. I'm sick of it. No more. He never comes to that point. 673s

Why? Because it's covenant language out of what comes naturally to Him of His grace and His mercy. 679s

The very first two words of Jesus, gentle humble. First two words here of God in Exodus 34, 691s

merciful, gracious, here comes the waterfall. Slow to anger, abounding instead fast, 700s

love and faithfulness He goes on keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, 709s

forgiving iniquity and transcription and sin. Let's break those words down. 719s

They're all words for sin, but they've got a distinctive flavor to them. 730s

So God is grace and mercy for gives and forgives and forgives. And what does He forgive? 736s

He forgives e-niquity. The picture there in the Hebrew is a blotch on a piece of paper, 742s

something that needs to be blotted out. Says, He forgives transcription. The image there in Hebrew 752s

is dirty clothes that just need to be washed. He forgives of our sin. The picture there in the 761s

Hebrew is of a stain that needs to be removed. God forgives them. The blotch, the dirty clothes, 771s

the stain. Jesus first two words, gentle humble. God first two words here, merciful and gracious. 783s

The waterfall of descriptors now has just come to change the image here. The damn here is burst, 795s

and it is just gushing forth with the expression of who God is and His mercy and grace put more 803s

and more on display. I've deeply now, I've deeply into the second part of verse 7. 813s

Yet, by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children 826s

and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. Let me read that again. 838s

Yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children 847s

and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. 855s

Now this comes right after he starts out by saying, I'm merciful and gracious. He is. 864s

Now closely here at what's being said first, scripture tells us that children are never punished 871s

for the sin of their parents. Never punished for the sin of their parents. They can experience the 883s

ramifications of the sin of the parents. The implications of the sin of the parents. The scripture 893s

reveals children are never punished by God for the parents sin. In fact, 902s

who has taken the punishment for sin? But the Lord Jesus. So in bad things happen in life, 911s

that is not God punishing us. It's not why. Because the punishment for our sin has been born 921s

by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. All of our sin debt laid upon him and the father puts 932s

the punishment for sin upon the spotless lamb of God the Lord Jesus Christ. When bad things happen in life, 942s

have you ever heard someone say God must be punishing me? What's the response to that? 955s

No. No. For the punishment has been laid upon Jesus. Sinfulness can be generational 961s

in other words. In family systems, sin can be passed from one generation to another. There can be a 977s

and the uncles. It can be in the system. It can be generational. Does that mean then? 1007s

That when a child or a grandchild then does the same sin that they're off the hook? No. 1019s

For we all bear responsibility, regardless of the systems that we come from, we all bear responsibility 1031s

for our own sinfulness. Now, in the end, these words here, 1040s

goes right with the theme of who God is and is an incredible source of comfort. 1055s

Notice what it says. Visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children's 1065s

children to the third and fourth generation, hop up even farther by no means clearing the guilty 1071s

in other words. The unrepentant still stand guilty before God. 1079s

Responsible for their own sin. They may be in a generational system but responsibility for their own 1089s

sin. To the third and fourth generations, ah, that is typically the number of generations that are 1100s

in a family at one time. All right. Now, back up. Back up into verse 7, 1110s

keeping steadfast love for the thousand generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. 1122s

In fact, in the Hebrew, you can translate that not just the thousand generation, but thousands of generations. 1137s

You can translate it either way. God's grace and mercy then reaches down upon generation after generation, 1147s

after generation, for thousands of generations swallowing up the sin. So often manifest in families. 1160s

As the three four generations gather the forgiveness of God, 1176s

extending and swallowing up in the pronouncement forgiveness through Christ. 1187s

Such grace, such mercy. His name was George Butrick. He was a pastor. He was a professor 1204s

and he was given that title, preacher to the university at Harvard. He was born late in 1800s. 1221s

He writes that sometimes students would come into his office and they would say, 1234s

I don't believe in God. Don't believe in God. Butrick would look at them and said, 1239s

hmm. Tell me about the God that you don't believe in. Tell me about the God you don't believe in. 1246s

It was the same response every time. So they would sit down and the student would start the list. 1253s

Some had shorter lists, some had longer lists, but he would just listen. 1260s

And the list was typical. 1266s

I met this person who was supposedly a Christian this one time. If that's a Christian, 1270s

I don't want to do anything with a God that that person worships, taking a bad witness by a 1277s

Christian and foisting it upon, well, this is who God must be. 1285s

Or the list would go on. I don't believe in this God who's indifferent, 1290s

distant, impervious to suffering. On and on, they would go. When they'd conclude, 1302s

Butrick would look at them and say, you know, funny thing. I don't believe in that God either. 1309s

I don't believe in that God either. And then he would testify to the God of Holy 1314s

Scripture, the one and only God, Father's Son, and Holy Spirit, and testify to His grace 1324s

and His mercy. 1339s

A love of God testify to who God is. Who is gracious and merciful. 1344s

This God indeed, who is long and nostrils. God who abounds instead of fast love, 1363s

expressing that steadfast love and forgiveness for generation, after generation, after generation, 1376s

testify to Him. Because you know His heart, don't you? You know His heart. 1387s