Attending to waywardness over generations

[Bryan Ries]

Such a rich, deep & challenging episode! Thank you so much for sharing Goldingay’s interpretation/transaction of Exodus 34:6ff. I have always struggled to reconcile how God could be merciful, gracious and streadfast in love AND ALSO punish children (and subsequent generations) for the sins of their parents. Grudge holding isn’t merciful. Punishing the innocent isn’t gracious. So, hearing that word “punish” can also be translated as “care for” or “attend to” makes that passage way more consistent. (It also brings God’s self description to Moses in line with God’s self revelation in Jesus.) What a blessing to know that God not only forgives our sins but God also attends to us as we navigate the cascade of consequences falling us from prior generations!

[Todd Austin]

I know. I had the same reaction when I first saw Goldingay’s work on this. “Carrying the waywardness” also resonates with the voice of the prophets. This translation is the piece that makes the puzzle come together on Exodus 34.

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