His Permanent Character

0:00 Anyways, let's look at Exodus chapter 34. I want to start in verse 5. I don't know. I just send it in the cloud stood with him with Moses there and pronounced the name of Adonai. I don't know I passed before him and proclaimed. Yudhavape Adonai, I don't know is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger rich in Grace and Truth showing grace to the thousandth generation forgiving offenses crimes and sins yet not exonerating the guilty but causing the negative effects of the parents offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren and even by the third in the fourth Generations.

0:48 At once Moses bowed his head to the ground prostrated himself and said if I have now found favor in your view Adonai, then please let out and I go with us even though they are a stiff neck people and pardon our offenses and our sin and take us as your possession. So let's back up because really we jumped into the middle of a story. When we when I chose these verses so it's important that when we read the Bible always to figure out what's going on. What's going on in the text? And sometimes you have to go back a chapter two chapters sometimes me sometimes more. So I started this with the children earlier. I was

1:34 giving you guys a heads up. A few chapters earlier and Exodus chapter 25 actually at the end of 24 Moses goes up Mount Sinai. You know and all everyone's watching him the elders the Joshua everybody actually Joshua sins with him at least to a point, but everybody's watching. And the people are down there watching. They're I don't know if you remember the story, but they're terrified. They like they're so scared because God's been speaking out of the cloud and the Thunder and the lightning has been there and they said Moses you talk to God and let us stay down here. And Moses says, okay. and so Moses is up on the mountain for 40 days.

2:23 40 days is basically the fast that we just did. Well not basically it is the fast that we just did from the end of August through Yom Kippur last week. Moses is up there for 40 days. And he gets the stone tablets. And I don't know if it's on the 40th Day or the 38th day or whenever it is but Moses is coming down after 40 days and he hears. the Roar and the camp and Joshua says man, there's a battle going on. There's war. And and Moses says that's not the sound of War. Moses comes down the mountain and Witnesses

3:12 the children of Israel worshiping a golden calf. Right there at the base of Mount Sinai. the immediate consequence Is that 3,000 men died that day as a result of worshiping the golden calf? And Moses goes back to the Lord to intercede on behalf of the people. and in that time the Lord says this is a stubborn people. He says, you know, I've decided I'm not going with you by the way just as in. Okay, let's go zoom out even more and get a bigger macro picture. The people have been delivered from

3:58 Egypt and are going to the land of Canaan. So that's the big picture. And in the meantime, they've stopped at Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord and to Worship the Lord in the wilderness as the Lord told Moses to tell pharaoh. That that's what they were going to do. So that's what they're doing. The Lord declares. I'm not going with the people any further. I'm just gonna send a messenger with y'all. He said y'all. I'm just gonna send a messenger with you all. Moses says Lord we can't go without you. And in fact Moses takes his own relationship with

4:45 the Lord. By the way. The Torah says that Moses is the only person to have ever met with the Lord face to face. That's how intimate the relationship is. Moses States his own relationship with the Lord and in reality his eternal future. and says Lord You can't do this. I'm staying with the people and you have to stay with me basically. And it's a it's a huge moment of intercession. And Moses says if I have found favor in your eyes, then show me your ways and consider this nation to be your people. He doesn't stop with show

5:30 me your ways. He says and consider this people to be your nation. This nation to be your people Exodus 33:13 if you leave us. This is what Moses retorts if you leave us what value will the rest of the world put on your favor? Why because it's the Lord's favor has been resting upon the people. They've come out admits all these miraculous wonders. They've they've come through the desert. They've come to Sinai all of this with the favor of the Lord. And Moses says if you leave your people now, what are the rest of the Nations going to think about your favor? Which by the way that's a really good logical argument that Moses uses.

6:20 But also in the same in the same sentence, he says show me your ways and Moses says Show Me Your Glory. In Exodus 33:18, and then the Lord says I will cause all of my goodness to pass before you and in your presence. I will pronounce the name of the Lord you'd have. Hey moreover. I show favor to whom ever I will And I display Mercy to whomever I will. Moses responds he's obedient to the request of the Lord. The Lord says go cut two stones. Remember Moses came down the mountain and that he sees the people worshiping the golden calf. He throws a Stones down even at right this is

7:06 the irony in my in my mind is is right after he said to God don't do anything to those. He takes him down and he takes him. He says you people he throws the stones down. Shatters them and now the Lord says now you have to go cut. two sones and bring them back up so that I can inscribe upon them. the words Which I actually are these words right behind me. And Moses rose up early in the morning. He's quick to obey and he ascended Mount Sinai as Exodus 34:4. And so this is what leads into this passage that I just read. So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first then Moses rose up early in the morning went up on to

7:51 Mount Sinai as Adonai commanded him and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. It was at that point after Moses was obedient that the scripture says that the Lord descended in the cloud. So Moses is on top of the mountain the Lord descended in the cloud stood there with him as he called on the name of the Lord. So what? what we are getting into and I'm gonna pause right here for just a moment is because this next section is actually a liturgical prayer that's recited in the Jewish prayer services. And it is called the 13 attributes of God.

8:36 And so we're going to go through this. And we're going to take a look at each one. As we're going and draw some conclusions and then at the end, we'll we'll see how it affects us. So what are the attributes? Adonai passed before him and proclaimed you'd have. Hey you'd have hey, I don't know. I don't know so. It doesn't show up on here. And some of your versions it may be a a capital l o r d depending on your version or maybe Auto nine depending upon your version or maybe italicized but the word that's used in Hebrew is what is known as the tetragrammaton. It's

9:22 yodhave. And it's the name of the Lord. In the name of the Lord implies God's unchanging character. So it's also before we go further into into this attribute. I just want to make a couple. Observations or distinctions for us. You know, we get questions all the time. How come you guys don't don't say the name of the Lord. How come you don't use whatever version I use so on and so forth. And so I'm gonna give you my my reasoning now before we get into the attributes. first of all the name yudhav

10:08 is not pronounced in Jewish tradition. So at a minimum. Like we just align ourselves with the rest of modern Jewish tradition by not pronouncing the name, yudhaywave. And in some of that comes from the third commandment instructs us not to take the name. of the Lord in vain Exodus 20 verse 7 and the name was never to be pronounced except by the high priest on Yom, Kippur. So it had particular moments of use. But it became general practice and Jewish practice to substitute Hashem. Which just simply means the name so when you see the brook Hashem, you see our name Baruch means

10:55 bless Hashem means the name. So it's common in the in the Jewish world. I'm giving you so much. Tangents here. We'll see if we ever get back but when somebody says the Lord provided for me. Actually, let's just use Billy's example the Lord the Lord told me I'm supposed to be supporting somebody but I don't have the money to do it. And then I took the step and did it and then now all of this is is being restructured so that I can still do that and obey the Lord and what he's called me to do. the typical Jewish responses Baruch Hashem Which is bless the Lord or praise the Lord, you know, it's like whenever you go anywhere and you're like this this great

11:41 thing is happening. You say Brooke Hashem. You see we took a great name for for our congregation. Actually, we didn't take the name. It was a name that was given to us. But that's another story for another day and you have to come to the vision class to hear it. So it's General Jewish practice to substitute Hashem or Adonai? For the name that is delineated good. Hey vave. Often we'll just use the word Lord or God depends on your script depends on your version that you that you read from. This name was revealed to Moses at the burning bush.

12:27 You know like 30 chapters earlier. Or if you want to go in years of life. Like 40 years earlier wait 40 years. Is that right? No, it's all right. Could be a couple years earlier actually. anyways totally off topic Let me come back to talk quick here. We take a drink water. This will help Focus me. The name was revealed to Moses at the burning bush and the Lord says I am that I am or or another way to say it is I will be as I will be. He who was who is and who always will be? In other words, he is the fullest essence of

13:13 reality. He is the existence beyond all existence. He is the definition of being. apart from him at best you and I are living in virtual reality. at best So In this passage the use of the lord's name you'd have a which from now on I'll either say Hashem or Adonai just for simplicity's sake The use of the name of the Lord denotes his attribute of Mercy.

14:00 So we start with this passage. I don't know. I passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem. So we see it twice. So why is it repeated the repetition is explained in the talmud as meeting? I am the merciful god. Before a man commits sin and I'm the same merciful and forgiving God after a man has sinned. You see that you see the difference. There one's God is merciful before sin to to someone. But he's also merciful after sin. In other words, he doesn't change. Anything any change that happens actually happens with the person not with God they move from a different from

14:45 one place to another in a different category if you will. So the Lord is merciful. And this he's by the way these attributes that we are looking into these are God declaring this he's this is him defining his own nature. For everyone else so that everyone understands. A person before he sends even though he foresees the person will sin. You ever have those moments. I have them with my children all the time. Don't do that. I know exactly what you're going to do. If you do that, there will be consequences.

15:32 to your actions and then Max will always look at me. And then just run. To whatever it is. I just told them not to do. I feel like my relationship with Max really defines all of our relationship with God. God tells us you shouldn't do this. There's going to be consequences to your actions. And then generally speaking all of us go. Okay. See you later. Let's run. We're just not we're not just gonna like tiptoe around here. We're gonna run. To whatever it is that you just told us not to do.

16:18 God, listen when I tell Max not to do something. I see it in his eye. That he's not going to listen. God sees it in our eyes. When we when he tells us not to do something. He sees it in our eyes that he knows that we're going to do it anyways. You know what he chooses to still be merciful. to us But the other is also true. That once the person has sinned. He willingly accepts the person's repentance and erases the record of guilt.

17:04 Both before God is merciful. And after God is merciful. It is yeshua's sacrificial death. That is the embodiment. Of God's mercy and takes away the guilt of our sin. Yeshua bore the punishment that should have fallen upon us all. I don't I passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God. So we've talked about both Hashem and Hashem and now we'll talk about God. So this is a different word that's used in Hebrew. This is the word L the use of the word El implies deity and denotes God's role as deity and judge over all creation.

17:50 The name establishes God's attributes as Divine judge and the one to whom all of us. Will be held accountable. As the judge of all he has the capacity to express mercy and the judicial authority to vindicate. That's the attribute of God Hashem. By the way. I'm just going to keep reading this verse and probably by the time we get to the end you'll have it memorized because you'll have heard it so many times. Hashem Hashem past before him and proclaimed. Excuse me. I don't know I passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God compassionate. We come to this word rahoon. This word is closely

18:35 related to the word Raheem, which is the word for you. for womb and the use of this term suggests God's feelings towards Humanity resemble those of a mother toward children who come out of her womb So men, we don't have really any way to identify and truly understand this but this is what I will tell you. My wife with our children. if she ever sees either that they're going to put themselves into a danger Beyond recovery, or if there's someone X some external threat that is coming.

19:20 There's a reason we have the expression Mama Bear. Because all of a sudden I don't know if any of you have ever witnessed a mother but like when they get into action. It's just best to stand back. It's just best to to get out of Harm's Way. And and to just let it play out. because the that first of all I heard my wife say the other day. Don't do that. I went to a lot of work to make you. And that is going to hurt you. And I thought to myself. But that's really that's an apt way

20:06 to describe it. I didn't do a lot of work in the making process. Brittany did a lot of work. So she cares for the children as if They're fine. China that that will be easily broken which they are and they aren't there's there's benefits to both the mother role and a father role. But the Lord looks upon us with the same desire to protect and to watch over us. That's what's being called out in this in this attribute attribute compassionate. Yeshua is often moved with compassion throughout the gospels. I don't know if you when you read the gospels if you notice but yeshua's the text always says she was a move to compassion.

20:56 In fact in Matthew 23. He says Jerusalem Jerusalem. You who kill the prophets and use Stone those who are sent to you? How often I wanted to gather your children. Just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings. You see what he's you see what Yeshua is doing is he's extending this compassionate attribute of the Lord. And he's exercising it. Saying that he wanted to gather you together. as a hen with her chicks But you refused. We come back the Lord passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful

21:42 and compassionate. So see we have here. Paired with compassionate the word gracious hanoon, which is a variation of the word, hen. And this has to do with consoling The Afflicted and raising up the oppressed. in man these two qualities manifest themselves fitfully and temporarily However with God it's different with God compassion and grace are permanent. It's not just do I feel this way today. It's he is this way every day. They're permanent inherent and necessary emanations of his nature.

22:28 Hence, God Alone is spoken of as rahum the hanoon compassionate and gracious. Joking on the immerser speaks concerning Yeshua, we have all received from his fullness. Yes Grace upon. Grace for the Torah was given through Moses Grace and Truth came through Yeshua the Messiah John chapter 1. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger. This is such an interest fascinating phrase as I was as I was studying. It just it's very interesting. This word these this

23:13 phrase Eric apayim literally means slow nose. You know because the rest of us are fast-nosed. I'm just playing but slow knows because the Hebrew idiom for getting angry is to have a hot nose. Or the opposite would then be to have a slow nose? Yeah, it's like Pinocchio, you know, except not necessarily quite so much. but in other words the Lord is patient. That's what's he doesn't he's not quick to anger. He's patient. He doesn't hasten to punish The Sinner but rather he gives them time to reflect improve and repent.

24:00 sometimes some of us are not gracious compassionate and slow to anger and we say God just come down and fire already. Like let's be done with it. Right. Do you ever think about that Lord enough is enough. Just come back. Just let Yeshua come back. Do you realize? that today there are more people living on this Earth today. Then like it was just call it this within the last 50 years. Then within the previous existence of the earth combined.

24:46 Does that make sense if if we took the population of every 50 year period hundred year period up until let's call it 1950. I'm just I'm just stick a random number in there. Up until that well, that's not 50 years ago. You ever have those moments when you're like 40 years ago was not 2000 was not 1960 is 1980 82 anyways Where was I? Anyways, 1950 let's just stick with 1950. It's easier number. All of the populations for every 50 or 100 year period if you took them all together and combined them.

25:32 The number of people alive in that period is less than the number alive today. So you think about it this way? by delaying God is able to exercise more Mercy today than he has ever been able to before. We always look God it's getting worse. It's getting worse. Lord, I don't know if you realize this is getting worse down here. You I find that funny when we're like God you don't realize how bad it is down here. He knows everything. We're like he's getting worse. It's getting worse. Can you he's like, no. No, I'm waiting for the maximum moment of the Maximum Impact for my grace

26:19 for everyone. Man, that means some of us have to put up with a lot. or all of us have to put up with a lot is really the or really God has to put up with us a lot. I think all of the statements are true. Yeshua Didn't just sit back and wait for Sinners to repent. He went out and patiently taught them concerning the coming kingdom of God and their need for repentance. He endured scorn and abuse with reality without retaliation. He was quiet like a lamb that

27:07 is led to slaughter. He did not open his mouth even as Isaiah said that it would be The Lord passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger rich in Grace or abounding and loving kindness. The rabbis recognized that the Lord is kind even to those who lack personal merits. blessed this word hassid Is generally concerned or is used concerning Covenant faithfulness or Devotion to the Covenant? So when we talk about God being faithful to his Covenant, this is what we're talking about.

27:53 cussed For at one let's see what I'm gonna quote here. Titus well, really, I'm quoting Paul but in the book of Titus For at one time we too were foolish and disobedient. Deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and Pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy people hated us and we hated each other. But when the kindness and love for mankind of God, our deliverer was revealed. He delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous Deeds that we had done but on the ground of his own Mercy. He did it by means. Of the renewal of rebirth in the renewal brought

28:38 about by the ruach hakodesh the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua, the Messiah are deliverer. Our God is rich in Grace. He is faithful to the Covenant that he has made and he always will be faithful to that Covenant. even when we're not in fact, it's his grace and mercy. That allow us to even draw near to him. I don't know. I passed before him in proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate. slow to anger rich in Grace and Truth abounding in truth

29:25 You see we had a bounding and loving kindness. And now abounding in truth. God is eternally true to himself pursuing his plans for the Salvation of mankind. Dennis Prager translates this phrase as a bounding and faithfulness. God is true to his word his promises his vows his standards. What's interesting is according to Prager and I hadn't really thought about this. But most great evils that have existed. in this world Are based on lives? You think of the the horrible evils that have taken place? Certainly, you can think in the 20th century of lots of

30:12 evils all of which were based in lies. Lies that certain people are less than others. Lies that just abound but are believable enough that everyone believes them. You know today we would probably call it misinformation. but lies are not where God is found. God is found in truth. And so we see gusset and Emmett are often paired together throughout scripture. Emmett is generally preceded by husted in other words. You speak truth by all means But be quite sure that you speak truth and love.

31:05 Yeshua John tells us in John 18. Yeshua came into the world to testify to the truth. And Yeshua says I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but through me. I don't know. I passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger. Rich and Grace and Truth. Showing grace to the thousandth generation or keeping loving kindness for thousands. God's covenant faithfulness endures for a thousand Generations in other words that phrases used in scripture to denote eternally.

31:53 Because even today there haven't been a thousand Generations. When you think about it, there were Matthew lays out the genealogy. from Abraham to King David to the rubble to Yeshua And and the generations go 14 14. Did I just do that count, right? Is it three sets of 14? Matthew chapter 1 somebody go look it up. Anyways, that doesn't come out to be nearly even a hundred generations and that covers a huge span of History. So to cover a thousand Generations, we will not see in other words God's covenant faithfulness is

32:40 forever. when God created a covenant When he cut Covenant with Abraham and subsequently with Isaac and with Jacob. God's covenant of faithfulness will extend forever doesn't matter what the Jewish people do. which For all of us. We should say praise the Lord. It doesn't matter what they do. God will be faithful why because that's the definition of his character. God's character

33:25 Is on the line? If God doesn't remain faithful. Then it's like what Moses said if if your favor isn't present, what are the rest of the nation's gonna say if God's not faithful to his Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants. What does it matter if we find Yeshua? It doesn't matter. Jesus means nothing about to make us bold statement. means nothing without Abraham Isaac and Jacob and God's covenant faithfulness that he cut Generations before. His sacrifice would mean nothing without the Covenant

34:12 that goes back to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And our God is a covenant keeping God which is why it's great that we can count on Yeshua being true to his word to us. because God has been true to his word. from the beginning and he hasn't changed. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger rich in Grace and Truth showing grace to the thousandth generation forgiving offenses or forgiving iniquity. Sin, these are commonly in Tradition in Jewish tradition sins committed by evil disposition.

34:59 In other words intentional willful Disobedience and evil Deeds. In the New Testament in the brick Auto Shah. The equivalent Greek word is translated as lawlessness. So when you go through and you see lawlessness, that's what we're talking about this attribute teaches us that the Lord forgives even intentional transgression of his laws. when The Sinner repents you see there's a there's a if then Clause if you will. There's a wind Clause when something happens the Lord will forgive. Yeshua models this for us when he is on the execution stake.

35:47 And he cries out father forgive them. For they don't understand what they're doing. He is. Addressing the willful the intentional willful Disobedience and evil Deeds the sins that are being committed at that moment against him. And he says father forgive them. Because they don't understand what they're doing. I don't I past before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger rich in Grace and Truth showing grace to the thousandth generation

36:33 for giving offenses and crimes or transgressions. These are interpreted to be evil Deeds springing up from malice and Rebellion against God. This is a this is that sin that's committed intentionally in defiance of the Lord. You know, that's what I was talking about with Max earlier. When the Lord says don't do that. And then we look at him and go. And then we do it. Some of you understand how frustrating that is as a parent. Some of you are parents looking back and going. Oh my goodness. I did that to my mother.

37:20 I mean, that would be me but my mom my mom and I have discussions I think maybe every week. About how similar? Maxes to me in in his behavior and expressions of himself some of which are good. But not all. Yeshua addresses this as well. Addresses those sins that are committed intentionally in defiance

38:06 of God and ironically Yeshua uses a father-son parable to address it. and in that parable he he shares concerning a prodigal or a rebellious son. And shows what will happen if that person returns to their father in Heaven. They will be forgiven. We continue on the Lord passed before him in proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger. Rich and Grace and Truth showing grace to the thousandth generation forgiving offenses crimes and sins. So we come now to sins.

38:53 This word that's uses is it's interesting. It's often defined as shortcomings that are due to heedlessness and error or apathy and carelessness. Some of us have those moments. Where we're just apathetic we're careless. We're just really not paying attention. We're not really being intentional about every step that we do and in that moment we What is called we missed the mark? by our apathy by our lack of intentionality we miss the mark. But Yeshua forgave men. Of their sins. You see it in first John your sins have been forgiven you for his

39:41 name's sake going back to this attribute from God. It's it's not for our sake although it is it's for God's namesake. His reputation his name that he has established in all of the Nations. It's for his namesake that he forgives sins. The rabbis connected for this the forgiving attributes of the Lord with the future Redemption when the Lord will completely redeem and forgive his people. And they connect it in particular this. Oh, wow, my did my count get off in my notes.

40:27 Yeah with this one. Which is the 12th one? This speaks in in particular to the coming messiah in his ability. To forgive connecting the forgiving attributes of God with the future Redemption and we see this word used in Jeremiah 31. I will forgive their iniquity and their sins. I will remember no more Jeremiah 31 33 and this is in the context surrounding verses of what the Lord says. I will cut a new covenant. with my people the Lord will forgive. Our iniquity in our sins will be remembered no more.

41:16 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed Hashem Hashem is God merciful and compassionate slow to anger. Rich and Grace and Truth showing grace to the thousandth generation forgiving offenses crimes and sins yet not exonerating the guilty but causing the negative effects of the parents' offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren and even by the third and the fourth Generations. This we come to the final one. Not exonerating the guilty. So it's interesting is we have a slight difference between the liturgical prayer and the source scripture The

42:02 Source scripture being here in Exodus 34 It says not exonerating the guilty. And and continues but in the liturgical prayer it says that he cleanses. It cuts that verse and stops right there with he cleanses. I think there's there's something to be said for both actually. As I mentioned the biblical text says that not exonerating the guilty in other words Our God even in his Mercy is also just and so we'll experience the consequences for our actions. Our guilt will be taken away. But it doesn't mean the consequences to our actions won't be experienced.

42:47 You know, I was I I'm going way back here and I can't remember who told me this story and if I could I would tell you. When I was young, I mean I must have been around 10. Some way and I'm trying to remember if they told me a story or if they made me do it. It was it was either one or both took a two by four nailed. I don't know half a dozen Nails into the two by four. And then pulled the nails out. You know because I repented and I was sorry. But what was still in the two by four? holes My actions had consequences. So every time I would nail a nail in out of Disobedience or

43:34 or whatever it would be. It didn't matter if I repented because there was always a consequence. I mean, it did matter I shouldn't say it didn't matter it did matter. But like I tell my children today. What sorry means is you won't do it again. And if you do it again, then what you really are is you're not sorry. So stop telling me you're sorry. Because our actions have consequences the Lord will forgive our our guilt. Don't get me wrong. We've all been cleansed if you've accepted. Yeshua's the Messiah and you're walking with him. Are guilt has been taken away and it's been cleansed, but there's still consequences to what we do. and those will experience and sometimes we'll experience some from

44:20 generation to generation and it's important that if you are one of those who have a previous generation that Messed up in a in a bad way. You know what your job your job is really difficult. Because your job is not to do that again. Your job is to cut off whatever it was from your parents or your grandparents. But you also still have to honor your parents and your grandparents so that you can model that for your children. It's a really difficult job. It's a job. That's that's so difficult that actually very few of us. Walk it well. I I'm my wife and I were talking I think it was last night or the night before and she said something like

45:09 What if we mess up our children or something like that? And I said, yes, we will. Like that's the reality parents. I'm just gonna tell you you're gonna mess up your kids. Now that that has that has been understood let's not do it tons. Like just a little bit. Like try not to mess them up as much as possible. But the reality is is we all mess up our children because all of us are yet to be perfected. Yes, we may have taken on the image of Yeshua and put on our Messiah, but we're still walking that out day by day and we are bound to mess up.

45:55 And if you tell me you never mess up. Well, we got some talking to to have. But we're bound to mess up and it's okay. But we do our best. So that our children don't have to walk the same difficult path that we do. If we have to plow a field. That's never been plowed. Like we're first generation Believers. We have to dig up all of the stuff. You got to start with getting the bad trees out of the field. You got to start with getting the Rocks the boulders out. Well, it doesn't we're having gotten to the

46:40 part where we plant. But just the plowing is difficult. It's hard work to plow fields. But that's your job. So that your children don't have to plow the same field. Your children can plant your children can weed because the weeds always come back. this last attribute Not exonerating the guilty. Seemingly stands in contrast to the first 12 all of the first 12 are God being merciful. This one says not exonerating the guilty.

47:25 Yeshua reconciled this seeming contradiction between God's mercy. And God's judgment by bearing the weight of God's punishment for all generations upon himself. As Isaiah 53 says yet the Lord laid on him. the guilt of all of us therefore I assign him a share with the great he will divide the spoil with the mighty for having exposed himself to death and being counted among the Sinners while actually bearing the sin of many and interceding for the offenders. The author of Hebrews continues on and says with our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

48:13 Going back to Ezekiel chapter 36 were taught where the Lord says. I will cleanse you. from all of your filthiness So what does this what does all of this mean for us today? What do these attributes communicate about our Lord? They communicate his desire to have us draw near to him and to be in relationship with him. Why do I say that because he is merciful. And forgives our guilt so that we can draw near to him. It's not just so that we can be Guiltless. It's so that we can draw near to him and be in relationship with him for the same reason that he says Israel. He he tells

48:58 Moses go to pharaoh and say Let My People Go why? Not just so they can be free. Yes being free is great. But not so just so they can be free but so that they can be free and that they can worship me. at Mount Sinai The purpose is never Freedom. The purpose is worship of God. That's the purpose so when he communicates his attributes to us, it's not just so that we can be guilt free. It's so that we can draw near to him and we can be in relationship with him and worship him. the next few verses after the part that I read the Lord says I'm cutting a covenant with you. He speaks to cut a covenant that the the Lord speaks

49:45 to this cutting a covenant and his desire for All Peoples of the earth to see his work in His People Israel. Excuse me. The Lord is cutting a covenant and he desires for all of the peoples of the earth to see his work in his people. Why is it important to know God's character? Because if we don't believe that he's covenantly faithful. To His People Israel than we have. No reason to believe that he's going to be faithful to us. And that's just your minimum. That's your minimum bar.

50:31 As humans we do our best. to erect permanent structures of support for ourselves This is what we do. We build houses. We build buildings. We build sanctuaries so that we can meet and not experience the rain, which is great. But probably not going to happen tomorrow. Because we're gonna experience the rain we're experience the temporary nature of our own lives. And that's the season that we're in. the season of Sukkot draws us to remember every year that we are temporary. You know, I think it was. Was it my dad somebody recently? I think was my dad left last Shabbat talked about

51:18 if you could summarize Who quote in one word. What would you what would you summarize it as I can't remember where I was but I leaned over to to someone and I said I would summarizes, Kansas. All of you should be like what? Because all we are is Dust in the Wind. Everything that we are just disappears like that. It doesn't matter how permanent we are how well permanent. We think we are how permanent the the the roads that we build first of all if you live in Dallas if you lived here for longer than like five years you realize the permanence of 635 is not permanent. It's anything but It changes daily.

52:03 And it's concrete. everything that we do is as Dust in the Wind. Nothing about us is permanent. Except for the part where we dwell with the Lord. The Lord is the only permanent shelter that we can ever find. the boundaries of that permanent shelter Are known as his character or his attributes which we have just read. in Exodus 34 It's what holds everything together. I don't know about you. But as a young man I viewed myself

52:51 as relatively indestructible That's the term. I'll use yes, I could be injured. but not mortally so now I I had full cognition that I was a mortal human being and that I would die someday. But that day was never going to be soon. Ever why because sometimes we have that ability as young as younger people. And it's good. It causes us to take risks and to do things that that can be productive. However I didn't necessarily Ponder spend my

53:36 time meditating on the brevity and the fragility of life. Some of you are going to laugh. Now that I'm older. You can laugh at I know many of you are older than me. Now That I'm Older the reality is I have surpassed The midpoint according to what the Psalms say is our lifespan. Which means I've already more than half lived my life. The Psalms teach us to number our days. The older I get the more I realize how brief and fragile life truly is.

54:24 The older I get. the more I realize how everything that we attempt to build. Is so fragile and lacks permanence. In the older I get the more I appreciate Sukkot because this is what Sukkot tells us. Is that we need to pause and consider our own fragile existence in this world? We make plans all the time. And we count them as something that is sure to come to pass. The reality is we've been planning this to coat picnic tomorrow.

55:10 For a couple months. I don't know how long and I've been watching the weather for at least six weeks. And it's been sunny. The whole time it wasn't until like four days ago. All of a sudden. Hey, there's rain in the in the forecast. Lord, can you just not give us rain? But but also we need a lot of rain because we live in, Texas. And we haven't had much rain this year. So, can you give us rain at a particular moment? but the reality is The more I've been thinking about it tomorrow about tomorrow today The more I realize it's just the perfect definition of Sukkot. When we come together and we like we have no control.

55:56 You know, sometimes I think that we think we have more control in this world than we actually do. I think sometimes. As humans as as people, we believe that we control the world the solar system the universe. That are I mean, I'm not saying our actions don't matter. But I don't know that they matter as much as we think they matter. Or as much as we like to think they matter. We can't even guarantee that we're going to wake up tomorrow morning. That's not a guarantee. so let us let us do two things. Let us be quick to act like Moses after Moses.

56:43 Has this interaction with the Lord the verses go on? And it says this at once Moses bowed his head to the ground and prostrated himself and said if I have now found favor in your view O Lord, then please let the Lord go with us, even though they are stiff neck people. Pardon our offenses you see Moses. Lumps himself in right here. Pardon our offenses and our sin and take us as your possession. When Moses hears the character of God, he immediately prostrates himself and intercedes on behalf of the others. So let us be quick to act like Moses. And secondly, let us be quick to recognize that today.

57:30 This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it. as Psalm 118 says let us not hold off our rejoicing and praise until tomorrow, but let's also do it tomorrow. Let us rejoice today in the Lord. avinasha, Mayim Our Father in heaven What are we thank you for this day. Lord this day that you have made Lord we thank you for this season this Festival of Sukkot. where we focus on the permanence of you Lord in the fragility of our own lives Lord let us seek out your Mercies.

58:16 every day or we bless you and we praise you and yeshua's name. amen May the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Give our recognize. panavaleka, who never

59:02 Car he saw tonight another laka. They are some lack of. Hello. Besame sure mishikenu in the name of our Messiah Yeshua shabbat shalom