‘Who am I?’ I remember watching Sale of the Century as a child. It was incredible to watch the contestants compete against each other in the ultimate (in my opinion) game of trivia. They were fast and knowledgeable. Often there was a runaway winner, but there were occasions where, incredibly, there was a draw. The tie-breaker question was always a ‘who am I?’ as details of someone’s life were read out and the contestants guessed who it was.
There are numerous times in the Bible where some aspect of God is described. He speaks the truth, is holy, brings justice, and is powerful. There is one place, though, that stands out.
The people have just been punished for making and worshipping a golden calf, but because of Moses’ intercession they were not destroyed. More, God would not leave them, but would travel with them as they journeyed to the Promised Land. And Moses prays, ‘Please show me your glory’ (Ex 33:18).
What does God do? Does he send thunder and lightning? Do the trumpets sound from heaven? Do angels appear to sing his praises? No. All these happen at other times, but not here. Rather than the spectacle of his power, God speaks. He explains who he is, the essence of his character.
While Moses was in the cleft of the rock in the mountain, ‘the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation (Ex 34:6-7).
This is our God. Let all people worship.