September 15, 2026
Tuesday, September 15
I love the word “chutzpah.” It’s fun to say. You have to force yourself to talk from the back of your throat, like you’re coughing up something: “HOOTS-puh!” It’s a Yiddish word that means “nerve, audacity, gall.” Moses never heard the word chutzpah, but he showed a whole bunch of it in Exodus 33:18, when He said to the Lord, “Show me your glory.” Here’s the story.
God’s answer is interesting. He says, “I can show you my back, but you can’t see my face.” He tells Moses to climb up on a rock, and God will pass by him, covering him in the crevice of the rock with His hand, and then let go so he can see His back. Moses does what God says, and this is what happens:
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 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, 7 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 the fourth generation.”
By the way, did you know that this passage is quoted by other biblical writers more than any other in Scripture? That’s how significant it was to God’s people. Here’s what it reveals: God’s glory is found in His mercy and in His wrath. We like the first part of that equation. It’s good to know that He abounds in steadfast love and kindness, that (in the words of the old hymn) His grace is greater than ALL our sin. Hallelujah! But we’re not so happy when we read that He “will by no means clear the guilty.” First of all, that includes me. And you. We’re all guilty. Does that mean God is out to get us, that He has His divine finger on the “fire and brimstone” button, ready to torch us at any moment? Second, it seems like a contradiction. How can he forgive all sin, and yet punish all evil? Third, it seems inconsistent, even hypocritical. How can God justify His own anger, while also telling us to let sin roll off our backs?
Over the next few days, I hope to answer those questions. But first, let me say this: Part of our problem is in assuming that God is like us. Specifically, we hear about God’s wrath and assume it’s like our own anger. Thank God (literally), that’s not so. Let me just speak for myself: When I get mad, I am a jerk. I say things that I can’t un-say, but later wish I could remove from the record. I get red in the face, yell, and throw stuff. I act, in other words, like a two-year old. I can’t think of a single thing I’ve done or said while losing my temper that I’m proud of, but I can think of a whole lot of stuff I sincerely regret. In contrast, God’s wrath doesn’t change His character. He is consistent. He loves you just as much when He’s expressing wrath as ever.
So what is God’s wrath, if it’s not “losing it” like we humans do? We’ll talk about that tomorrow.
“Lord, I am not Moses. I have no right to ask to see your face. Yet you chose to put this story in your Book, so that ordinary people like me would know who you are. I praise you, and pray that seeking your face would become the passion of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
