God’s Nature and Sovereignty

I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, says the LORD, and I will declare my name, the LORD, before you; I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy; You will have mercy on whom you will have mercy.” (Exodus 33:19 New Translation)

The name of Jehovah is the very nature of God. His nature is good. Be kind to whom you will have mercy on, and have mercy on whom you will have mercy on. This sentence can easily be misunderstood as God’s arbitrariness. In fact, the key point here is the sovereignty of God’s love. God can eliminate all other factors to achieve the purpose of His love.

This passage records a very mysterious thing, just like the poem "I Came Alone to the Garden", the meeting between Moses and God in the garden. Moses had just experienced Israel’s sin against God by worshiping the golden calf and God’s mercy and grace in forgiving sins. Moses said, "Show me your glory."

God's glory is perceptible, not ethereal. His glory is His good nature, and His sovereignty is sufficient to achieve His good ends. So he said, be gracious to whom you will have mercy on, and have mercy on whom you will have mercy on.

It is His nature and His sovereignty that God wants to be gracious to us.

At every corner of life, God has prepared new mercy for us. ——Gai Shili