Exodus 34:5-7, commonly referred to as “The thirteen attributes of our Father” –
:5 “ And יהוה came down in the cloud and stood with Moses there, and proclaimed the Name, יהוה.
:6 And יהוה passed before him and proclaimed, “יהוה, יהוה, an El compassionate and showing favour, patient, and great in loving-commitment and truth,
:7 watching over loving-commitment for thousands, forgiving crookedness and transgression and sin, but by no means leaving unpunished, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Moses’ immediate reaction was –
:8 “ and Moses hurried and bowed himself toward the earth, and did obeisance,
:9 and said: “ If, now, I have found favour in Your eyes, O יהוה, I pray, let יהוה go on in our midst, even though we are a stiff-necked people. And forgive our crookedness and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
:10 And יהוה said : “ See, I am MAKING A COVENANT. Before all your people I am going to do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. And all the people among whom you are, shall see the work of יהוה. For what I am doing with you is awesome.”
Compare this to •Nehemiah 1:5 and 9:17. Here we see what happens when a mortal man takes Exodus 34 to heart. When he believes it wholeheartedly and acts in this covenantal strength!
Neh. 1:5 “…and Nehemiah said, : ”I pray, יהוה, Elohim of the heavens, O great and awesome El, guarding the covenant and loving-commitment with those who love You, and with those guarding your commands…”
Neh. 9:17 “… But You are a forgiving El, showing favour, and compassionate, patient, and of great loving-commitment, and did not forsake them.
:18 Even when they made a moulded calf for themselves…
:19 yet You, in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness…”
Perhaps this example of Nehemiah is meant for us for such a time as which we are living in. May this be part of what the prophet Daniël had in mind when he penned down Daniël 11:32 for the last generation who would have to face difficult times?
Dan. 11:32 “Those who do wickedly against the covenant, he (the man of sin) shall corrupt with flattery, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR ELOHIM SHALL BE STRONG, AND CARRY OUT GREAT EXPLOITS!”
We can only, like Moses, fall on our faces and proclaim in the bookend words of Psalm 8 – “O יהוה, our Master, HOW EXCELLENT IS YOUR NAME (CHARACTER) IN ALL THE EARTH, You who set Your splendour above the heavens!
- If you take the first yud in Exodus 34:5-7, and count 40 letters onward repetetively, it spells out THE NAME, יהוה.
- Nehemiah served king Artashashta in Babilon during the exile. He received exceptional favour to leave Babilon to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After fervant prayer to our Father, he could assure his people : “The Elohim of the heavens, He shall bless us and let us, His servants, rise and build.” (Neh. 2:20) We read in Nehemiah 6:15 that the wall was supernaturally, in the mighty character of our Father, completed within fifty-two days.
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