The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ”The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression [wrongdoing] and sin…” (Exodus 34:6-7).
God showed a part of His glory to Moses on the mountain of Sinai. While doing so, God spoke these words of love to describe Himself. According to Exodus 34:7 God then went on to speak about His just punishment for all who remained guilty. He was not denying the fact that He is angry with sin. But it is important for us to see what God, in revealing Himself, chose to speak of first. He spoke of His “love” before He spoke of His anger. Is this love only for very good people? No. This love is “forgiving” toward those who have rebelled against Him. Here is hope for all of us who have fallen into sin. The God who has spoken has spoken first of how much His mercy and compassion reach out to us even in our sin!