Chapel Recap: Trust and Worship the God of All Grace

Dr. Randy McKinion, Professor of Old Testament, preached from Exodus 34 today, continuing the faculty sermon series in Exodus. Dr. McKinion highlighted that the main idea in this passage is calling us to trust in and worship the God of all grace. Set in the aftermath of Israel’s sin with the golden calf, this chapter reveals both the seriousness of sin and the stunning mercy of God.

Dr. McKinion reminded listeners that “the uniqueness of the people was the presence of their God.” What set Israel apart was not their strength, numbers, or righteousness, but the Lord dwelling among them. Yet the glory-revealing scene in Exodus 34 also revealed that there is a great divide between a holy God and His sinful people. Moses’ bold request to see God’s glory highlights this tension. As Dr. McKinion noted, it reveals “the ongoing focus on the distance that sin has created between humanity and the Lord.”

When God passes before Moses, the emphasis is not merely on what is seen, but on what is proclaimed — His name and character. The focus is not what the people physically see, but what they come to know about their God: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. “Our knowledge of God,” Dr. McKinion explained, “is not the mountain-top experience like Moses’, but the careful reading of the Word and a proper response of faith to those Words.”

The call, then, is to trust and obey — to worship like Moses, believing God’s promises and persevering in hope for the greater things secured in Christ.

Dr. McKinion concluded by drawing clear connections to the Gospel:

• Just as God forgave His people at Moses’ appeal, so Jesus Christ, our Advocate, has secured eternal redemption and forgiveness.
• Just as Moses mediated the old covenant, Christ mediates the better new covenant.
• Just as God spoke through Moses, whose face reflected divine glory, so now He has spoken through His Son — the radiance of His glory.

Because of Christ, Hebrews 4:16 becomes a living invitation: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The message was clear: the God of Exodus 34 is the God of all grace — worthy of our trust, our worship, and our hope.