Exodus 34:6-7 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering… Draw near and contemplate this Christian paradox; come, behold with us, for a time, this Christian mystery, the certainty that the guilty cannot be cleared — that God cannot do it — is the safeguard of redemption, the guarantee of the offered atonement. I. It is true that this declaration of God's character — of the impossibility of His clearing the guilty — SHUTS MANY LARGE AND WIDE DOORS OF HOPE. The hearts of sinners are full of devices for salvation. They have many entrance-ways to pardon and favour. 1. There is the placability and compassion of God upon which they largely draw. The Divine anger is thus, in their imagination, a bugbear, well got up to scare transgressors, to keep them in check, but as to any ultimate and eternal condemnation resulting from it, all is set aside by their convenient doctrine of His easy and overwhelming compassion. 2. Again, there is the tempter's suggestion of the changeableness of God, "ye shall not surely die," opening to many a wide door. It is not that the veracity of God is actually questioned. But then He may take back or change His word. These deceitful hopes are met, and the door they open for ever shut, by the one decisive passage — "and I will by no means clear the guilty." II. Whilst this passage shuts with so decisive a hand every false door of hope, and announces in characters of light, that guilt cannot go unpunished, IT YET OPENS A DOOR OF HOPE THAT NEVER CAN BE SHUT, and is an immovable anchor to every soul that has fled for refuge to the great propitiation. He can by no means clear the guilty, therefore am I assured He can by no means punish the innocent. In Christ I am innocent; guilt is no longer attachable to me; my soul is justified; justice, with its sword, has no claim upon me — it is satisfied; the law, with its penalties, has no demand against me; every jot and tittle of it is fulfilled. "Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died." III. We observe that the strong consolation drawn from this passage is WARRANTED ONLY ON THE SUPPOSITION THAT, IN DYING, CHRIST DIED AS A TRUE AND REAL SUBSTITUTE IN THE ROOM AND STEAD OF HIS PEOPLE, AND FOR THEM ALONE. (J. Lewis.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, |
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