When we think of God, the first impression some of us may have in our hearts and minds is often not compassion. We may think of God’s power or omniscience, but for many, God’s compassion is not their first thought.
Beloved, I want to show you something. I am going to take you into a mystery that will reveal who God really is. We are going to the book of Exodus to a profound portion of God’s Word. In fact, I believe that Exodus 34 contains the most accurate revelation of who God is in the entire Hebrew Bible.
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As we come to Exodus 34, I want to point out that Moses is in the midst of having a passionate dialogue with God, that begins in Exodus 33. Moses said, “LORD, you called me to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, please assure me that You are with me in this. Father, give me more confidence. Because, “If You are not with me, I am not going to go. If I have found favor in your sight, LORD, show me.” God continues giving Moses His assurances. Moses needs to know that when he goes forward to lead Israel out of Egypt by God’s command, He will be with them. Moses is essentially asking God – ‘Will You do what You said You were going to do?’
Finally, Moses pushes the envelope one step further and makes this key request:
“Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18)!
The LORD graciously answers: “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you” (Exodus 33:19).
Yahweh, the God of Israel, then instructs Moses to go into the cleft of the rock and to call upon His name. (In Hebrew, Yahweh is spelled Yud Hei Vov Hei). So, Moses goes into the cleft of the rock and begins to call upon the name of the LORD. Then Adonai, the Great I Am, – passed by in front of Moses:
“Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth’” (Exodus 34:6).
When the LORD came to Moses and revealed to him who He was, Moses was instantly filled with living, dynamic revelation, and supernatural light. Moses truly knew, in that second, who exactly God was. He did not just hear God saying, “The LORD is compassionate.” Moses was filled with the essence of what that meant. He did not just hear it intellectually; he was totally filled with revelation of who God is from head to toe.
The Hebrew word for compassion is rachum. Rachum, is related to the concept of a mother’s womb. Think about a child in his/her mother’s womb; that child is protected and totally encased with loving-kindness. The mother is carrying her baby in a secret, separate, sacred, and secure place. She takes care of that child inside her, shielding it from anything that could cause harm. The child is deep within her and protected from the outer world, buried deep within motherly love. Beloved, that is how God loves you and I.
I know it does not always feel like that. We face so many challenges. As we all know, life can be difficult and things happen that are painful. So we wonder, “How could I be protected in God’s womb? How can I be secure and safe in His compassion?” And sometimes, when we look at our circumstances, we do not feel safe. We can feel vulnerable and not sealed and secure in God’s loving-kindness. When we face such hardships, problems, and heartaches, the question becomes: if God cares so much, and He is so loving, and He is so compassionate, and He is so involved, why does He not do something to take away some of these challenges?
But beloved, as I have described and as God revealed in Exodus 34:6, we always are.
The reason that the LORD allows His children to face difficulty is because He wants us to grow, develop, and progress into maturity.
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The secret is to understand that the obstacles we face are the tools that Father God uses to bring you and I into maturity. This is what Paul taught. When the LORD sent some type of Satanic resistance in Paul’s pathway Paul prayed “LORD remove this obstacle, remove this difficulty, remove this problem.” What was the LORD’s reply? “My grace will be sufficient for you to deal with this Paul and as you struggle against it and overcome it, My power will be perfected in your weakness” (See 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10).
As we cling to Father through lifes difficulties, overcoming evil, choosing to stay faithful during the trials and the tests – we mature and evolve into what God has called us to become. God does not want us to stay as infants. He wants us to progress into mature sons and daughters. Father’s plan is that we can love Him as grown-up human beings that have been created in His divine image. Beloved, our love means everything to Him.
The love of a baby for its mother is different than the love that a mature adult gives someone. A baby’s love is based on an attachment because of receiving. But a mature person chooses to love, not just for what they can get but for what they can give. God’s desire is to bring you and I into maturity so that we choose to love Him – simply because of who He is and because of who we have become.
Rabbi Schneider hosts the impactful television program, Discovering The Jewish Jesus, which is available in more than one hundred million homes in the United States and nearly two hundred nations worldwide. In 2021 he began broadcasting on radio and now airs across America. Rabbi Schneider imparts revelation of Jesus’ Jewish heritage and His fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. Questions of how the Old and New Testaments tie together, and how Yeshua completes the unfolding plan of The Almighty Yahweh, are answered with exceptional clarity.
www.discoveringthejewishjesus.com/about-2/rabbi-schneider/
