^“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).

The verse quoted above is how God described Himself to Moses. We know that God has many attributes, and among those we celebrate most especially during this Holy Week are God’s Justice, God’s Love, and God’s Mercy.

God is a God of justice: He is holy, so he cannot abide sin. The verse above says that “he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” God gave the law to establish the Hebrews as his people and to set standards for how his people should live. The tablets upon which God’s hand wrote the Ten Commandments were physically located in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. God commanded us to “Be holy, because I the Lord your God am Holy.”  Any time we are less than perfectly holy, we are in sin. And Paul tells us that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

God is a God of love: In the opening verse, God tells us that he is “abounding in love in faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands.” And the New Testament reinforces this attribute. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8). ^“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God is a God of mercy: God knows that as humans we are incapable of perfectly keeping his laws, of being free of sin. So, in His infinite mercy, when giving the law, he also set up a system of sacrifices which were the shedding of blood to atone for sin. And He placed a mercy seat on the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies to receive these sacrifices. “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

When Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, an amazing thing happened. The curtain in the temple tore, from top to bottom (humanly impossible). This represented the opening of the Holy of Holies. Jesus replaced the annual sacrificial lamb with his own life, once for all, to atone for the sins of the world. He figuratively entered the inner sanctuary as the Great High Priest, with this body as the atoning sacrifice; and we now have the privilege of following him there as priests, able to meet with God personally through Jesus’ sacrifice. Mercy Triumphs!

Mercy is an element of God’s grace by which he gives His son as the as the atonement for our sins.   “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Mercy is God’s kindness and compassion as He forgives us for our sin (see the opening verse). Mercy Triumphs!

What are we to do with this gift of love, this great mercy? James tells us to “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:12-13). In other words, we are to show to others the same mercy that we have been shown—the same patience, love, kindness, and forgiveness. There is a warning in this passage—don’t miss it! Don’t forfeit the gracious gift you have been offered by withholding grace, mercy, patience, love, and kindness to others.  “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.  And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”  (2 Corinthians 9:12-15).

In Christ,

Judy