In this new series, we are going to be studying the character of God. Trying to describe an immortal spiritual being might sound complex but this is a rather simple task. Yahweh, the God of the Bible and King of the universe, actually gives us a description of himself. He gives us his own description of himself which is far better than mere humans trying to figure him out. This description comes in Exodus 34 which we will study throughout this series. 

In Exodus 34:6-7, God describes himself as such, “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; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” The first part of this description sounds lovely but the second part seems like an angry God who is cranky and doesn’t care about anyone. We will get to this second part later on in the series. For now, I want to focus on the first two aspects, God’s compassion and his grace. 

God most certainly is a compassionate God. Psalm 103:13 declares, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”. God is like a father to those who love him. He would give anything for them and even die for them (which he did through Jesus). We also see examples of a compassionate God throughout the stories of the Hebrew Bible. The garden of Eden when God sends the humans out of the garden instead of killing them, which was the punishment for eating the fruit. God has compassion to save Noah and his family from the flood. He also had compassion for his people Israel when he led them out of Egypt on dry ground. Stories like these prove that God has compassion for his people.   

We see this same compassion in Jesus. Matthew 9:36 and 14:14 both say that Jesus had compassion whether on individuals or on an entire crowd that has been following him. Jesus had enough compassion to die for his people and we are called to show this same compassion to others. 

In Colossians 3:12 we are called to show compassion, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion”. We are to put on compassion as if it was so visible by others like our own clothes on our body. We are surrounded by God’s compassion and grace and so we should do the same for others. 

Psalm 78:38 says, “Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger”. Part of God showing compassion and grace is forgiving those who sinned against him just like us and not destroying us. He does not show his anger at us time and time again which shows his immense love and grace for us. 

Compassion and grace are mentioned 13 times together in the Old Testament and they are always quoting from Exodus 34. I believe this shows God’s compassion and grace for his people. They are linked so closely together that you cannot have grace without his compassion and his compassion without showing his grace. We serve a loving God who is compassionate and gracious to us.