Exodus 34:5 - Meaning and Application

No sooner had Moses reached the top of the mountain than God met him there (Exodus 34:5). The Lord came down with some visible sign of his presence and glory. His coming down shows his humility. He lowers himself to notice those who humble themselves and walk with him (Psalm 113:6).

He came down in the cloud, most likely the same pillar of cloud that had gone before Israel and had met Moses at the tabernacle the day before. That cloud was meant to fill Moses with reverence, so the close friendship God allowed would not turn into careless familiarity. Even the disciples were afraid when they entered the cloud. God made the cloud his covering to show that, although he reveals much of himself, there is still much he keeps hidden.

Notice how God proclaimed his name, as he passed by Moses. Clear, settled views of God are reserved for the life to come. The best we have in this world are brief and passing. God was now doing what he had promised the day before, that his glory would pass by (Exodus 33:22). He proclaimed the name of the Lord, the name by which he makes himself known.

God had already shown Moses the glory of his self-existence and self-sufficiency when he said, “I am who I am.” Now he shows him the glory of his grace, goodness, and complete sufficiency for us. He is about to give the law again, and he begins with this proclamation, because it is his grace and goodness that give the law, especially the law that provides a remedy for sin. Israel’s sin in worshiping the calf was now to be pardoned, and God wanted them to know that he forgave them freely, only because he chose to forgive, not because they deserved it.

This proclamation also shows the wide reach of God’s mercy. He is not only good to Israel, but good to all, and everyone should take notice of that. Whoever has ears, let him hear, know, and believe.

First, the God we deal with is a great God. He is Jehovah, the Lord, who exists by himself and is the source of all being. He is Jehovah El, the Lord God, the strong God, the original source of all power. This title comes before the display of his mercy to teach us to think and speak of his grace with deep respect and holy awe. It also encourages us to trust those mercies. They are not the mercies of a frail, changeable human being, but the mercies of the Lord God, sure and sovereign mercies that can be trusted, but not taken lightly.

Second, he is a good God. His greatness and goodness shine more clearly when seen together. His greatness might make us afraid, so we are told how good he is. His goodness might make us careless, so we are told how great he is. Many words are used here to show and persuade us of God’s goodness, and to show that his goodness is both his glory and his joy.

He is merciful. That means he has tender pity, like a father toward his children. This comes first because it is the first turning point in all of God’s kindness to fallen humans, whose misery makes them objects of pity (Judges 10:16; Isaiah 63:9). So we should not think hard thoughts about God or keep hard hearts toward other people.

He is gracious. That means he is both free and kind in giving good. He not only feels compassion for his creatures, but takes pleasure in doing them good, and does it from his own will, not because of anything in them. His mercy is free grace. This teaches us to be not only compassionate, but also considerate and gentle (1 Peter 3:8).

He is long-suffering. This part of God’s goodness is seen especially when sinners are wicked, as Israel had been. They had tested his patience and found it real. He is slow to anger. He delays judgment, waits to be gracious, and gives mercy more time.

He is abundant in goodness and truth. That means his goodness is rich and overflowing, far beyond what we deserve, or even what we can understand or say. The springs of mercy are always full, and the streams of mercy keep flowing. There is enough mercy in God for all, for each person, and for all time. It also means promised goodness. God’s goodness is joined with truth, so his promise stands behind it, and his faithfulness secures it. He not only does good, he also promises good and binds himself to show mercy.

He keeps mercy for thousands. This means mercy reaches thousands of persons. When he gives mercy to some, he still keeps more for others, and he is never emptied out. He has mercy enough for all the thousands of Israel, even when they grow as many as the sand. It also means mercy continues through thousands of generations, even to those on whom the end of the world has come. Its line runs as far as eternity.

He forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. Pardoning mercy is named here because God’s grace is shown most clearly in it. It is also the door through which all his other gifts come, and he had just given a strong proof of it. He forgives every kind of offense. He multiplies pardons, and with him there is abundant redemption.

Third, he is also a just and holy God. He will by no means clear the guilty. Some understand this to mean that even when he punishes, he does not destroy utterly. That is, he does not bring the greatest judgment until there is no remedy left. Read as we have it, it means he will not ignore guilt as if he saw no sin. Or it means he will not clear the unrepentant guilty, those who keep going on in their sins. He will not pardon guilt without satisfaction to his justice and without upholding the honor of his rule.

He visits the sin of the fathers on the children. He has the right to do this, because all souls belong to him, and sin has a corrupting power that spreads through families. He sometimes does this, especially in judging idolaters. In this way he shows his hatred of sin and his displeasure against it. Yet he does not keep his anger forever, but limits this visiting of judgment to the third and fourth generation, while he keeps mercy for thousands. This is God’s name forever, and this is how he is remembered in every generation.

Moses seems to have received this declaration as enough answer to his request that God would show him his glory. We do not read that he went into the cleft of the rock to try to see God’s back parts.

Perhaps this was enough for Moses, and he wanted no more. We do not read that Thomas put his hand into Christ’s side, even though Christ invited him to do so. After God had spoken his name in this way, Moses seems to say, “It is enough. I will wait for heaven to know more.” At least, he did not think it fit to tell us all that he saw.

Now we are told, first, what impression this made on him. Moses quickly bowed his head in worship (Exodus 34:8). In this, he showed humble reverence for God’s glory and gave God the honor due to that name he had just proclaimed. Even God’s goodness should be met with deep respect and holy awe. He also showed joy and thankfulness for this fresh revelation of God’s character.

We have good reason to thank God for his goodness, not only in the ways he acts, but also in the way he speaks of himself in his word. We should thank him not only that he is gracious to us and will be gracious, but that he is pleased to let us know it. Moses also showed holy submission to God’s will as revealed here. He accepted God’s justice as well as his mercy, and he placed himself and Israel under the rule and guidance of this God, who had now made himself known. “Let this God be our God forever and ever.”

Second, we are told how Moses used what he had learned. He immediately turned it into prayer (Exodus 34:9), and it was a warm and earnest prayer. He prayed for God’s presence with Israel in the wilderness, because God’s presence was everything to their safety and success. He also prayed for pardon: “Lord, forgive our sin and our guilt, or we cannot expect you to go with us.” He asked, too, for the privileges of being God’s special people: “Take us as your inheritance, the people you claim, care for, and delight in.”

God had already promised these things and given Moses assurance about them. Yet Moses still prayed for them, not because he doubted God’s truth, but because he wanted those promises fully secured. God’s promises are meant to guide prayer and encourage it, not replace it. Those who have good hope, by grace, that their sins are forgiven should still keep praying for pardon, for the renewing of that pardon, and for clearer assurance of it in their hearts.

The more we see of God’s goodness, the more ashamed we should be of our own sins, and the more eager we should be to have a share in that goodness. God had just said that he would punish sin in the children, and Moses asks him to hold back that judgment. “Lord, do not only forgive us, but also our children, and let our covenant relationship with you be passed down to them like an inheritance.” In this way, Moses shows true public spirit, as he intercedes even for children yet unborn.

Yet he uses a strange argument: “For it is a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 34:9). God had used that as a reason not to go with them (Exodus 33:3). Moses, in effect, says, “Yes, and that is all the more reason for you to go with us, because the worse they are, the more they need your presence and grace to make them better.” Moses sees how stubborn they are, and he feels he has neither the patience nor the strength to handle them. So he says, “Lord, you must go among us, or they will never be kept in check. You will spare and bear with them, because you are God, and not man” (Hosea 11:9).