The Attributes of God in Exodus by John Talley III

Christian pastors and theologians have written extensively on the topic of God’s attributes. In fact, A.W. Pink wrote the Christian classic, The Attributes of God. Another popular book dedicated to this subject is The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer. These are two phenomenal books that every Christian should have on their bookshelves. I hope to embark on the same journey these authors did, but by primarily looking at Exodus 1-14. This book was written by Moses, and it highlights the Israelites departure from the land of Egypt from systemic injustice under Pharaoh. I will highlight seven attributes that reveal Yahweh’s character.

1)   Providence: God’s intervention and protective care under certain circumstances. In Exodus 1:15-17, the king of Egypt gave a decree for all male children to be killed. Since the Hebrew midwives feared God and not man, they did not listen to him, which led to the birth of Moses. God in His divine providence protected Moses from danger, even down to the detail of the river in which he was placed as a baby (Exodus 2:1-10).

2)   Immanence: the nearness or closeness of God. God is not as the Deists claim—a  “watchmaker god,” one who creates the world and steps away and has no involvement within that world. This idea holds that God simply leaves the world to function on its own. But is this the God of the Bible? Exodus 3:2-4 shows us He is interactive in His creation. The burning bush is the direct revelation Moses has from Yahweh. God is near and close to those He wants to reveal Himself to.

3)    Goodness: How many times have we heard this saying “God is good”? If we had a penny for every time we heard it, we will be rich! Well, maybe not rich—but you know what I mean.  It is true God is good, though! Exodus 3:7-8 shows this attribute. The people of Israel were being afflicted, and God heard their cry. Verse 8 says that God has “come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Think about how God has delivered you from affliction in your life. Think about the Gospel, and how He has delivered His people from the bondage of sin. We will spend eternity unpacking the goodness of our God, Jesus Christ.

4)   Sovereignty: God is the authority, and He is in control of all things. This is what sovereignty communicates. He is sovereign over creation, salvation, and even hearts: in Exodus 9:12, we read that God is sovereign over Pharaoh’s heart. It says, “But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” Every time I read this, I get the chills. The God of the Bible has authority and dominion over all, because He is the sovereign creator of all.

5)   Omnipotence: Yahweh is all-powerful.  It’s a good thing that we have a powerful God. What if we didn’t? Exodus 10:12-14 reveals this power. Because of the rebellion from Pharaoh for not letting God’s people free, there were a total of ten plagues that came upon the land of Egypt. The eighth plague was locusts. God supernaturally gave Moses power to stretch out his hand and locusts covered the land. Verse 13 says, “So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.” This is power!

6)   Wrath: I think all of the plagues demonstrate the wrath of God in a unique way. But the final plague, death of the firstborn, was devastating to the Egyptians. “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock” (Exodus 12:29).

7)   Grace: the underserved love or favor that Yahweh grants to individuals based upon His will. Exodus 14:1-32 is a picture of His marvelous grace when He allowed the people of Israel to cross the Red Sea. Praise the Lord for the amazing grace found in Him!

As we read the narrative of Exodus, let’s look at the character of God in the story because He is the hero that our eyes should be fixed on. There are more than seven attributes of God, but try and find these seven at work in your Christian walk today. What is God up to you in your life? Do you see His goodness? Sovereignty? Immanence? If so, let’s rejoice in the triune God of the Scriptures.