The Radiance of Mercy

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026

Exodus 34 is a hard reboot of the Mosaic covenant. Moses goes back up the mountain with two new blank stone tablets. Here God performs a self disclosure that is quoted by other parts of the Bible more than any other verse in the Bible. He proclaims His Name: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…” God repeats His personal name: YHWH, and associates character with that name. But then comes the part that’s scary: He “will by no means clear the guilty.” This is the great tension of biblical theology. How can God be perfectly merciful and perfectly just at the same time?

This passage sets the stage for the entire grand narrative. The tension described here is God’s love versus His holiness. It’s the problem that the rest of the Bible tries to reveal to us. Human words are inadequate. It is finally and fully resolved at the Cross, where God’s justice is satisfied and His mercy is poured out. And the intersection of the two (more like the collision point) is divine love through the Incarnation.

Psalm 38:1-10 captures the weight of this tension; the psalmist feels the “arrows” of God’s conviction because of sin. We cannot experience the depth of God’s steadfast love if we ignore the reality of His justice and our lingering sin nature. Our free will, granted by God, has put God in a dilemma! To follow God today is to live in this paradox. We are simultaneously sinners who deserve the “visiting of iniquity” and beloved children who are “abounding in steadfast love.” When Moses comes down from the mountain, his face is glowing. True encounter with the Name of God leaves a mark; it changes the way we look at the world, and ourselves.

There’s no easy answers here. Except that God has resolved the dilemma for us. The question is, can we accept the final verdict? You are loved. You belong. God chose you… and you technically don’t deserve it. But God solved His dilemma, by entering into the human story. What do you do with that truth? This is the quintessential question of life.

Devotional Prompts:

How does God’s description of Himself in verses 6-7 challenge your personal ‘image’ of who God is?
In what areas of your life are you leaning too heavily on ‘mercy’ while ignoring ‘justice,’ or vice versa?
What does it look like for a person’s ‘face to shine’ today after spending time in God’s presence?
How does the renewal of the tablets show God’s commitment to His people despite their failures?

Prayer: od of Grace and Justice, who proclaimed Your Name in the midst of our failure: thank You for not giving up on us. Help us to live in the light of Your steadfast love while never forgetting the holiness You require. May our lives reflect the glory we have seen in the face of Your Son. Amen.