# God's Love in the Pentateuch



## nwink (Nov 9, 2010)

What are some examples (verses) of God's love, mercy, grace, compassion in the Pentateuch? One example is Exodus 20:4 "showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."


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## Jack K (Nov 9, 2010)

Um, I'm inclined to answer "the whole thing." The story and the laws all show God's mercy and compassion. Proof-texting it reduces it to less than what the whole reveals.

But I realize that may not be helpful. The first passage that comes to mind as being similar to what you quoted above is Exodus 33, where God reveals himself to Moses and passes before him, revealing his name. Or what about Exodus 3, where God speaks of how he has seen his people's affliction and will bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey? Both of these are central self-revelation-of-God texts in the Pentateuch.

God's actions in Genesis 2 and 3 should also be seen as foundational truths about his nature: He is a loving provider (all those seed-bearing plants), caring comforter (garden walks, providing Eve for Adam), and gentle restorer even in the face of our sin (animal skins, protection from the tree of life, curse of the serpent).


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## nwink (Nov 9, 2010)

Thanks for your comments, Jack. I enjoyed the examples you gave, too. I definitely agree with you that proof-texting reduces it to less than what the whole reveals, which is why we must understand the whole council of God...understanding Him in all of His attributes. But, yes, I was asking for verses/examples of His love in the Pentateuch. Here's a few verses:

Exodus 34:5-7 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 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 15:11-13 "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode."

Deuteronomy 7:6-16 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you. And you shall consume all the peoples that the LORD your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you."


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## nwink (Nov 9, 2010)

Joshua said:


> That God would even provide revelation pertaining to Himself and His holy requirements is one of the greatest examples of love of which I can think. We would be justly condemned without ever knowing said revelation and could never be brought to faith without it. Not only has he revealed His law, by which we understand our great indebtedness to the thrice Holy God, but from Genesis 3 on God has revealed His love in the promise of a Redeemer Who alone would satisfy those very requirements of God on His people's behalf.



Amen to that. Thank you, brother.


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## jason d (Nov 10, 2010)

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say “How have you loved us?” (Malachi 1:2)

No Generic Love – Kevin DeYoung


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