the god who shows mercy

god's action is always bent towards restoration

The Virgin of the Apocalypse, Miguel Cabrera (1760)

Numerous images and depictions of God fill the Hebrew Bible.

In some texts, yhwh, the God of Israel, draws intimately near to God’s creation, in others God’s name is scarcely mentioned. At times God liberates God’s people, at others God calls them back into slavery; God will avenge those who act wrongly against Israel, yet God also will use the nations to enact divine punishment upon Israel for their disobedience.

Each of these images and depictions is rooted in the God described by the author(s) of Genesis. Ultimately, God is progressively revealed to be far more complex than the reader of Genesis could ever imagine.

In this weekly series for paid subscribers, I will examine what the book of Genesis has to say about the God who shows great mercy, feels divine emotion, and is intimately tied to creation.

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Week 1: The God Who Shows Mercy (Genesis 3)

One of the most powerful images of yhwh is as a merciful God. The first biblical depiction of God’s mercy in response to disobedience is found in Genesis 3. Prior to this chapter, humankind walks with God, interacting with God in the right relationship. One biblical scholar describes this pure relationship found in the first two chapters of Genesis in this way:

“Humankind was made ‘in dialogue for dialogue’ – the man will only be heard when there is woman, a corresponding being to speak to (2:23). Rhetorically, the “divine plural” (“us”) from the heavenly stage initiates a mission that the “human plural” (“them”) enacts on the earthly stage. Bracketing the entire unity, God’s speech is both informative (1:26) and empowering (1:28).^[1]