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Many years ago a friend led me to develop the habit of responding to the ubiquitous question "How are you?" with the answer "Better than I deserve." More often than not that answer is met with a quizzical response. You see, the Bible's revelation of the natural state of human beings is that, if we are not presently suffering the torments of the just punishment for our sins, no matter how bad our present lot may be, it is still better than we deserve. The scriptures make clear that we all have been infected with sin (Romans 3:9-18), and the just punishment for our sins is nothing less than the eternal torment of God's righteous wrath (Romans 1:18; 2:5-11). These facts then pose the question: Why doesn't God immediately impose the punishment we each deserve? The answer is found in two of the most important verses of the Bible, Exodus 34:6-7.
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 and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."
This proclamation, by God to Moses, is quoted or alluded to more often in the rest of the Bible than any other statement. One Bible scholar has catalogued 27 occurrences. This proclamation of God's own character highlights his proclivity to be merciful and gracious. While, as he himself proclaims, he will by no means clear the guilty (in Ex. 20:5, those who hate God, defiantly rejecting and opposing him and his word) his emphasis, demonstrated by how he begins, is on his inclination to be merciful and gracious. Because God is merciful and gracious he is "slow to anger." This aspect of God's character is the reason why Israel even remained as his people at that particular moment.
This proclamation comes near the end of a three chapter section of Exodus (32-34) in which Israel violated a principle stipulation of the covenant relationship between them and God which had just been ratified 40 days earlier. Israel's sin in fabricating the golden calf provoked God's anger such that he was ready to destroy them as a nation and start over with Moses (32:9-10). It was only God's "slow to anger" response to Moses' intercession that spared Israel this destruction. While some (probably the instigators) were executed that day, and others fell under a plague, the majority of the nation was spared. Those who were spared demonstrated repentance when they removed their jewelry (33:4-6) and when they worshiped, each at the entrance of their own tent, whenever Moses met with God in his "tent of meeting" (33:8-10). This demonstrates what Paul would later explain that "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (Romans 2:4). Indeed those who recognize God's merciful and gracious kindness in being "slow to anger" will be moved to repentance, and that repentance leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10).
So, if you have not yet experienced God's salvation through believing trust in Jesus Christ, and you're still living (you are if you're reading this article) God has been graciously patient with you, mercifully granting you the opportunity to repent and believe. If you have repented and believed you have experienced the gracious patience of God and mercifully received his salvation in Jesus. And now you live because of his steadfast love and faithfulness.
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Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week's column comes from Pastor Doug Packard of First Baptist Church, Lock Haven.