God’s Attributes

In Exodus 33, God sent word to Moses on what the punishment for the Israelites would be for making the golden calf and worshiping it. He told them to get moving toward the Promised Land. He would send an angel to guide them, but He would not be going with them. When the people heard that, they began to mourn. They removed their jewelry as a sign of repentance. In verse 15, Moses was meeting with God and said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place” (NLT). He understood the power of God’s presence. He would rather forfeit the blessings of the Promised Land than to be without God’s presence. It was having God Himself with them that set them apart and gave them favor.

Then Moses made one of the biggest requests in the Bible. He asked God to show him His glory. God responded by telling him, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” He told him that he couldn’t see His glory and live. Instead, He put Moses in the cleft of the rock, covered him with His hand, passed by him, said, “Yahweh,” and let Moses see His goodness from behind. By doing this, God wanted Moses, the Israelites and us to know His goodness, His attributes and His character. By saying His name, He was reminding Moses that He is the great I Am. He is who we need Him to be in every moment of our life.

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” We need God’s presence to go with us wherever we go. Just as importantly, we need to know God’s character and attributes. He is faithful to His Word and keeps His promise for a thousand generations. He gives us His unconditional love and goes with us without ever abandoning us. Whatever you face in this world, or wherever you young, you will not be alone. God wants us to focus on His character and His attributes because our situations will often cause us to doubt God or cause us to think we’ve been abandoned or that He doesn’t care. In those moments, focus on who He has always been and know that He never changes. We must learn to understand that He is the great I Am.

Photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash