6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Exodus 34:6-7 lets us know the Name of the Lord as proclaimed or revealed by Him. Moses had requested of the Lord to see His glory in Exodus 33, the preceding chapter, because the Lord had said to him that he had found grace in His sight. The Lord said He would show him only His back side for His face cannot be seen by any man, but that He will first cause all His goodness to pass before him, and that He will proclaim the Name of the Lord before him. Exodus 34:6-7 then says that the Lord proclaimed His Name before Moses: The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Three things pop up very clearly as to knowing the Name of the Lord from Exodus 34:6-7: One, His Lordship or Sovereignty; two, His graciousness or love or mercy; and three, His justice and righteousness. Knowing the Lord in truth and verity hinges on these three hubs. When He speaks, it is the King of kings, the Lord, the Lord God who speaks, and His Word must be obeyed in the light of His lordship; for He is the Lord, the Lord God. He is worthy of our obedience and worship; we ought to revere Him.
Secondly, the Lord is merciful and gracious; He is abundant in goodness and truth or faithfulness. We must recognize Him as the gracious and merciful One who give and loves mercy. He loves those who love mercy, and He gives mercy to those who give mercy unto others. Indeed, He is merciful and forgiving. Thirdly, He is just and righteous; He is holy and full of truth and justice. We must recognize the Lord as the holy and just One; His eyes are too pure to behold iniquity. Not only does He forgive iniquity and transgression and sin, but he also judges them. What’s the balance? He is merciful to the repentant and meek, but He judges the proud and obstinate. He gives mercy to those who love Him and are of a contrite and broken spirit. But those who take Him for granted by refusing to repent of their wrong deeds, He judges. He dispenses mercy justly, and judges mercifully.
My Solid Front (Confession):
Heavenly Father, I thank You for revealing Your Name to me. Your Name reveals Your eternal character. Therefore, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that I walk in the light of Your Name, honouring You with my life today and forever. Amen.
Further Meditation: Matthew 6:9-11; 1 Peter 1:15-16.