From the Calf to the Cross

This blog post is part of the Jesus in the Old Testament Series.

The Old Testament doesn’t simply prepare the way for Jesus; it bears witness to him through promises, prayers, and patterns. In this series, Dr. Donna Petter, in her piece titled, “From the Calf to the Cross,” connects God’s justice and mercy in the narrative of Exodus in relationship to Christ’s sacrificial death. Dr. Trey Nation’s, “The Lament of the King,” highlights Jesus’ anguish on the cross and also the promise it portends as expressed through his cry from the first verse of Psalm 22. Finally, “The Seal of the King,” by Dr. Seong Park, explores how the prophecies of Balaam impart signs of the coming Messiah. This exploration invites readers to see the entirety of Scripture as one unfolding story, rich with allusions, that culminates in the coming and salvation of Jesus, the Coming One. (President emeritus Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. wrote the first such reflection.)

Dr. Donna Petter

A great concern in the church today pertains to the question of whether the God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New Testament: whether the grace and mercy of God are manifest in Jesus, while judgment and wrath are manifest in Yahweh. Rather than there being a great divide, or discontinuity, between the testaments, I would submit that a continuity of character prevails and that Exodus 34:6-7, in the Declaration of the Divine Name, sets the stage for this.

The Declaration of the Divine Name: Hesed-based Mercy and Justice

On the heels of the golden calf incident, as a response to Moses’ desire to know more about the Lord’s ways and, specifically, how he intends to handle a corrupt, stiff-necked, idolatrous people who cannot be shepherded (Exodus 32:7-9; 12-23)—the Lord makes this declaration about himself:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and great in relational loyalty (hesed) and faithfulness, guarding relational loyalty (hesed) to thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin but who surely, won’t clear [the guilty], attending to the iniquity of the fathers according to the manner of the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation” (34:6-7, AT).

Yahweh informs Moses that he deals with such people in two ways. He demonstrates either hesed-based mercy or hesed-based justice (vv 6 and 7, respectively). The operative word, hesed—mentioned twice—is rendered in most English versions as “steadfast love,” suggesting an unending loyalty in the relationship. Such loyalty demands demonstrations of either mercy or justice. As it relates to hesed-based mercy, it is notable that he communicates this first, and even qualifies his mercy as being “great.” Yahweh states that he possesses deep affection and commitment, which enables him to exercise patience towards corrupt and stiff-necked people who refuse to be shepherded. This sounds like grace to me! Because of the greatness of his relational loyalty, which cannot be quantified, he guards that relationship through carrying away every type of sin; hence, he forgives in order to preserve the relationship. He pursues sinners as far as needed. This also sounds like grace to me!

But guarding relational loyalty also demands accountability. Accordingly, he attends to sin, in fact, he pursues sin with severe consequences. This is expressed here with the terminology of the house of the father, to the third and fourth generation. Each successive generation that sins, whether a father, a son, or grandson, can expect the Lord to attend to that sin. This sounds like justice to me! The Lord admits the scale tips heavily towards compassion, yet it does so without compromising the merits of the divine justice system. Thus, Yahweh assures Moses that based upon his strong character, the Lord will do right by people.

Reliance on the Declaration of the Divine Name from the Calf to the Cross

The nation of Israel, Moses, and many Old Testament writers rely on this revelation, and align themselves with it out of necessity. Stiff-necked behavior continued from the time of the golden calf to the Babylonian captivity and ultimately concluding with the sad notification of the stiff-necked activity of Zedekiah, the last of the Davidic rulers to sit on the Judean throne (2 Chronicles 36:13; Jeremiah 27:12). In fact, stiff-necked behavior continues from the calf to the cross. Building the golden calf represented the first concrete illustration in the life of God’s people of rejection of and resistance to God’s Word. The calf story ends with a revelation as noted above. But resistance and rejection reach a pinnacle in the New Testament with the building of the cross. The culmination of rejecting the living Word manifests itself in the crucifixion of Jesus. Stephen, in Acts, testifies that stiff-necked religious leaders rejected and killed Jesus (7:51-53). The cross story, too, however, ends with a stunning and ongoing revelation of God’s grace (John 3:16; 12:36). Thus, from the calf to the cross, rejection and revelation manifest themselves in redemptive history.

An Allusion to Jesus and his Mission

These verses represent a profound allusion to Jesus’ mission. That declaration and revelation prepare us for Jesus’ declarations and the revelation that unfolds at the cross. When Jesus cries out, “Father forgive them,” the conditions of divine mercy are met in his forgiveness (Luke 23:43). As Jesus exclaims, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” and breathing his last (Luke 23:46), the conditions for divine justice are likewise met in his death (Luke 23:46).  Exodus 34:6-7 prepares us too for Jesus’ act of dying on the cross. Yahweh assured he would not clear the guilty and Jesus becomes the guilt offering for the people (Isaiah 53:4-12), which covers sin and guilt. This results in many to be accounted righteous (Isaiah 53:11), showing the extent of Yahweh’s hesed, which, according to the Declaration of the Divine Name, reaches to the thousands! Yahweh’s unflinching relational loyalty (hesed) produced a faithful king; one of David’s offspring (Matthew 1:1-25; cf. 2 Sam 7) who did not stiffen his neck but instead humbled himself and allowed himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter. On Good Friday the conditions for hesed-based justice and mercy are met for all!  At the cross God’s hesed-based mercy collides with his hesed-based justice, providing the remedy for stiff necks. In fact, the cross gives stiff-necked people a new designation and reputation. The cross declares stiff-necked people righteous. Thus, Jesus’ final words and death on the cross correspond to the proclamation Yahweh made to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and great in relational loyalty (hesed) and faithfulness” reflects a continuity of character that exists between the God of the OT and NT.

Significance of Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

Understanding that the Declaration of the Divine Name alludes to Jesus’ mission connects one to the unity of the biblical metanarrative in general, but specifically to the continuity of God’s character, and the continuity of the character of the people of God. I deem it perilous for discipleship to see a dichotomy. Those with such a viewpoint tend to limit Bible reading largely to the NT except for the Psalms or Proverbs. Preachers, too, embracing this perspective, lean less towards OT exposition. God’s just justice system gets dumbed down favoring the message God is love rather than God is love and justice. Not inconsequentially, this jeopardizes how we evangelize. The fruit of this spawns imbalance and a distorted picture of God’s character. Disciples must know the character of the person they decided to follow, one that includes both mercy and justice—and trust for a wholehearted commitment.

Dr. Donna Petter is professor of Old Testament, director of the Hebrew Language Program, and chair of the Division of Biblical Studies.  She wrote the commentary on Ezekiel in The Gospel Coalition Commentary. Her book, From the Calf to the Cross: A Biblical Theology of Exodus 34:6-7 in the New Studies in Biblical Theology Series is forthcoming. In addition, she is writing the commentary on Ezekiel as part of the Pillar Old Testament Commentary Series (2 volumes).