6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. 7a Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6-7a KJV
When Moses ascended upon Mount Sinai, “the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed “The Lord, The Lord God.”
The Lord is “merciful” or compassionate as He along with us all suffer of this world Him giving and showing mercy to us all.
The Lord is “gracious,” i.e., “Thou are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful” (Nehemiah 9:17 KJV).
The Lord embodies “longsuffering” with us as he is calm, and slow to wrath as we should also be.
The Lord is abundant in “goodness” as His “fruit of (His) Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or being patient through suffering), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness (or a soft temper), temperance (or self-control) against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).
The Lord is abundant in “truth” i.e., “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5 KJV).
The Lord has “mercy” or favor for all as He forgives “iniquity” or He pardons our evil ways, pardons our “transgressions” or our rebellion against Him, and the Lord pardons our “sin” or our sin offerings.
All of this that God proclaimed to Moses is found through the door of Jesus Christ who welcomes us into His truth found in the Gospels, and throughout the Old and New Testament. Praise be to God for His mercy.
Brenda A. McGee has attended New York Theological Seminary in New York, NY, and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA as a Master of Divinity student.