6/9/25 God Is Both Just and Merciful
- Fr. Patrick Bush
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Takeaway: God’s justice and compassion is rightly balanced.
“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 the fourth generation.’” — Exodus 34:6-7
Opening Prayer (Monday)
Heavenly Father, as a new week begins, I seek Your presence. Fill me with Your Spirit, renew my mind, and guide my steps. May I walk in faith and purpose today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection
When we think about God’s justice, many of us picture wrath or vengeance. A divine hammer waiting to fall, and punish the wrongdoer. God’s justice is an unbending force of righteousness. For centuries, believers and skeptics alike have struggled with the image of a God who punishes sin. Some have leaned so heavily into this vision that they’ve missed something essential. Others have reacted against it, creating an image of God as pure love without consequence or accountability. But the God revealed in Scripture, especially in Exodus 34, is far more complex, and more beautiful than either extreme allows.
In this powerful moment on Mount Sinai, God reveals Himself to Moses not with smoke and thunder, but with a declaration of His character. “A God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” These words are not a disclaimer or a footnote. They are the heart of who God is. Before anything else, God wants to be known as gracious, patient, loving, and faithful. This is the banner under which His justice operates. Justice is not in contradiction to God’s character, but in harmony with it.
Yet the passage doesn’t stop with mercy. God goes on to say, “yet by no means clearing the guilty.” This too is part of who He is. God doesn’t ignore sin. He doesn’t sweep brokenness under the rug. His love is not sentimental; it is righteous. In God, we see the perfect balance of justice and mercy, truth and grace. He holds people accountable, and yet He forgives. He disciplines, and yet He restores. He judges sin not for punishment, but because He longs for healing and redemption.
Jesus, the fullest expression of God’s character, embodies this balance perfectly. In Him we see the justice of God poured out, not on us, but on Himself. At the cross, God’s hatred of sin and His love for sinners collided. He did not clear the guilty by ignoring sin, but by bearing its weight Himself. And He did so out of mercy. The cross is not a contradiction of God’s character in Exodus 34, it is the fulfillment of it.
Questions
When you think about God’s justice, what emotions or images come to mind?
How have your experiences shaped your view of God’s justice and mercy?
Application
Take time to reflect on an area of your life where you may be struggling to hold justice and mercy together. Whether in how you treat others, how you view yourself, or how you relate to God. Ask God to help you see through His eyes: full of grace.
Closing Prayer
Gracious God, thank You for revealing Yourself as both merciful and righteous. Help me not to fear Your justice, but to trust in Your love that longs to restore and heal. Teach me to walk in the balance of grace and truth, just as Jesus did. May I never forget the cost of the cross—and the mercy it freely offers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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