When I was in school, I was taught a trick that came in handy if I didn’t have time to read something in its entirety. When it’s time to skim, make sure that you always read the first paragraph of a chapter and then the first sentence of every paragraph thereafter. If it is well written, you will get the gist of what the rest of the paragraph is about by reading the first sentence.
Exodus, as you may know by now, has a lot of skimming potential — it is long and full of strange commandments, schematics for building a tabernacle and some other peculiar stuff. That trick works OK for Exodus, but there is another trick that we have discussed that is also relevant: When God says something, anything, pay close attention.
As we get to chapter 34, it’s time to focus because, for the first time, God’s character is actually described by God.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…”
Exodus 34: 6-7
And there you have it. This is confirmation of what we have previously discussed about what we can understand about God through the witness of scripture — and in this case, the very words of God.
He is full of grace, compassion and love, but also a God of justice.
And so it should be with us, his followers: Always love, always show grace and compassion, and seek justice for all people.
See you Sunday!
The Pipe 