“This goodness of God, His hesed, is central to who God is and who we are in Him.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 5, 2025
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…. Exodus 34:6-7 KJV
It’s the most important question ever asked. Even Christians ask sometimes. Who is God, really? We go to church, go to Christian concerts, have Christian friends, but are we really learning more about who He is and drawing nearer to Him?
For me, studying His attributes has been a huge help. As I learned more, my prayers became better informed and I gained a clearer picture of just who I was talking to.
Though God is invisible, getting to know Him is somewhat like getting to know anyone: The more you learn, the better you know what He’s like.
But before you start, it’s good to remember He’s not exactly like us. With each of his attributes, what God is, he is always and completely.
How Do You Start?
If you want to study God’s attributes, start with good information and prayer. This journey draws you closer to Him, and even beginning it pleases Him. Hebrews 11:6 says anyone who comes to God must believe he exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Moses did something like this.
Though he already knew God, and God knew him by name, he wanted to know more.
In Exodus 33, the people Moses led out of Egypt had turned to idols. And God wanted to destroy them. His justice demanded it. But Moses appealed to His mercy. And God relented.
In the relief that followed this tragic and tense moment, Moses asked God, “Show me your glory.” God answered, instead, that he would show Moses his goodness. This is how He described Himself to Moses:
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin ….” (Exodus 34:6-7, KJV).
When God described Himself, He used His attributes. And He used the same Hebrew word to describe two of them – one is goodness and one is mercy – the same word, “hesed.” This is the most-used word to describe God in the Bible, and many scholars say the word is almost untranslatable. The best translation may be His lovingkindness, but there’s a whole book written about why that word isn’t even big enough.
This goodness of God, His hesed, is central to who God is and who we are in Him. It’s connected to His character, His covenant, and His compassion (Isaiah 54:10). More Psalms and songs than we can count testify to this goodness and never-ending lovingkindness (Psalm 31:19, 73:1, 28, 100:5, 118:1, 136:1, 143:10). Even through some of the darkest times in history, God sent the prophets with promises of discipline … followed by hope and hesed (Isaiah 54:7-10; Hosea 2:19).
This is just one of God’s attributes. There are many more. And studying them gives us a firmer foundation, so that if we find ourselves asking (or someone else asks us) “Who is God?” we’ll be prepared to answer.
Prayer
Lord, let me come to know you better, to always be seeking to know who You are.
Application
If you have time for a full study of the attributes of God, you might like this from A. W. Pink. Or you might consider The Attributes of God, by Daily Grace Co. But if you don’t have time for a full study, consider using my list above to pray through a different one each day, or spend a week or more on each.
Related Reading
Worship Resource
Mac Powell: Your Love O Lord
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