Gracious

2  “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”  Exodus 34:6

A few days ago we looked at another form of this word (chanan).  Have you been gathering chicks under your Hebrew wings?  Today we see that this is the second characteristic that God includes in His definition of Himself.  The phrase is rachum we channun.  It is one of the most important phrases in the entire Bible.  Without these words, we would all be condemned.

If rachum is about mercy and forgiveness, then what can channun mean?  What does it add to God’s self-definition?  It means that God responds to our desperate situation with benevolence and favor.  The second characteristic of God is that He is the God Who helps those in need.  He is the strong One Who helps the weak.  Every time this word is used, it is about God’s character.

Stop thinking that God is the head of the moral police force!  Stop thinking that God is out to get you!  God Himself says that His second most important characteristic is help.  There is no Old Testament God of wrath and vengeance in opposition to the New Testament God of love and grace.  God has never changed.  His purpose is the help us.

Yesterday you had a chance to find compassion in your own soul and let it reach out toward someone else.  Now you see that compassion and grace go together.  Help is a God quality.  Nurture it.

Understanding God’s self-definition is one of the most important insights you will ever discover.  If your relationship with God is based on some bad characterization of Who He is, you will always be caught in struggles and fear.  Open your mind to God’s own description.  Let the God of Exodus 34 be the One you worship and enjoy.  Life will be different.  It is God’s nature to help.