If you ask someone, “What is God like?” you’ll get a variety of answers. I posed this question on Facebook last year. From dense theological explanations to quick two-word descriptions and a few poetic portrayals, the variety of answers was surprising. Some responses dealt with omnipresence or His all-knowing nature, while others focused on God as a loving Father.
I strongly believe that the way we describe God matters. Further, how we describe His character matters. God’s character directly relates to how He interacts and deals with humanity, so accurately understanding and portraying His character is crucial.
If we want to understand God and His character, one of the best places to start is Exodus 34:6-7. In these verses, God clearly describes His character and nature to Moses while on top of Mount Sinai. The first word that God uses to describe himself is the Hebrew word rakhum (רַחוּם). And in Hebrew literature, order matters! The list of character traits starts with compassion, which means it’s one of the most important things to know about God.
The simplest definition of rakhum is “compassionate, compassionate one.”
This would have been a shocking statement for the people of this time. They were used to hearing about the numerous gods that were full of anger and rage, therefore people did anything they could to keep those gods happy. God, Yahweh, is different. Yahweh doesn’t require ritual and appeasement to ward off anger. The Ancient Near East audience of Exodus 34 would have been shocked to hear that God delights in showing His compassion.
“The Ancient Near East audience of Exodus 34 would have been shocked to hear that God delights in showing His compassion.”
Depending on what translation you’re reading, you’ll see different English words used in Exodus 34:6 for rakhum. ESV uses the word “merciful,” NIV uses “compassionate,” and other translations use both. But to better understand God’s compassion, let’s take a deeper look at the Hebrew.
A Quick Word Study
Rakhum is an adjective derived from the parent noun rekhem. Look at the other words and definitions that come from this one parent noun:
- Nouns – “womb” (rekhem) and “compassion” (rakhamim)
- Adjective – “compassionate, merciful” (rakhum)
- Verb – “to show compassion, to deeply feel, to love” (rakham)[1]
The theme of “compassion” is present in all of the definitions, except for the one word that influences the rest. All these words are derived from the first noun rekhem, which means “womb.” It’s no mistake that God uses this emotionally charged word to describe Himself. However, this idea of a parent’s compassion isn’t just limited to a mother’s womb. Scripture frequently describes God’s love for His children, both as a nurturing mother and a compassionate father.
A Compassionate Parent
Looking at some of the usages of these words in Scripture will aid us in deepening our understanding of God’s compassion. The word compassion is used in Isaiah to depict the love a mother has for her nursing baby.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child
that she should have no compassion [rakham] on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget
Yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:15-16, ESV)
Compassion is used in Psalm 103 to refer to a father’s love for his children.
“As a father shows compassion [rakham] to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion [rakham] to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13, ESV)
These words describe the deep emotions, feelings, and actions that a parent has toward their baby or child.
“These words describe the deep emotions, feelings, and actions that a parent has toward their baby or child.”
Remember, the noun and root word, rekhem, means “womb.” The womb is a place of protection, nourishment, and the starting place of a parent’s compassion. It is a place of utmost care for a baby that is completely dependent on the mother for their growth and development. While in the womb, everything the baby needs is given by the mother.
One way a parent shows compassion is through self-giving love. I learned this when I became a parent for the first time and my selfishness was exposed and forced to change. And I now realize the self-giving love I received as a child. My parents gave me their resources, time, and energy…and still do! I think of my teenage years as my mom and dad drove all over the place with my drum set in the back of their truck, attending every single band concert, and paying for drum lessons.
Parents will wake up in the middle of the night, adjust their schedules, prepare meals, change diapers, and drink cold coffee that has been forgotten on the counter, all for the good of their children. These acts of love are rooted in the feeling and emotion of compassion that a parent has for their child.
Compassionate Forgiveness
Compassion is a feeling that leads to action. Compassion is often met with forgiveness. Over and over, God puts His compassion on display when His people rebel.
“But He, being compassionate [rakhum], forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them;
And often He restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.” (Psalm 78:38, NASB)
Compassion (rakhum) is often experienced when God’s forgiveness is paired with deliverance. Throughout the Bible, it is used to depict God’s love for His people and how He moves to rescue them, even when it doesn’t seem deserved.
“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” (Isaiah 54:7, NIV)
Because God is compassionate, He looks upon humanity and sees His children in need of forgiveness and rescue. His affections for his people are stirred when He sees us dealing with sin and evil, even if we have turned away from Him. If you read the rest of Exodus 34:6-7, you will see that God is serious about forgiveness.
“Because God is compassionate, He looks upon humanity and sees His children in need of forgiveness and rescue.”
And God’s forgiveness and rescue are best witnessed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
New Testament Compassion
Not only does the incarnation display the compassionate nature of God, Jesus also possessed this quality and is often depicted as having compassion (Greek, splagchnizomai) for those who are sick, outcasts, and those who are suffering. People were astonished that he would spend time with the lowly of society, the untouchable and unclean, but he was fueled by compassion.
When Jesus looked at people, he felt compassion.
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14, ESV)
The Greek word used to describe Jesus’ compassion is splagchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι). This Greek word describes the feeling of being moved inwardly or feeling the compassion “in your guts.” That’s a deep level of compassion, to feel it in the core of your being!
Jesus’ extreme level of compassion led him to engage in the ultimate act of love—suffering on the cross on our behalf and dying for the sins of the world. Jesus gave up his life so that we could have life to the fullest (John 10:10). The gospel is the apex example of God’s compassion, and Jesus was the chosen one to crush Satan and bring hope to the world (Matthew 12:15-21).
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Live it Out
As followers of Christ, we are on the receiving end of God’s compassion and we are called to “be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36, NLT). Our lives are to be lived in a way that is self-giving and other-centric (even if it makes us uncomfortable!).
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45, NIV)
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36, ESV)
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6 ,8, NIV)
John Mark Comer says, “Mercy is one of those things you just can’t ever have enough of.”[2]
Who are your enemies? And what would it look like to show them mercy and compassion? To love them and pray for them? To forgive them? Pray for these opportunities and then be prepared for God to answer them.
What would it look like to partner with people during a difficult time? In the book Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, the authors describe how the English word compassion is derived from the Latin word compati, which means “to suffer with”:
“Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”[3]
Consider ways to show compassion and mercy on a daily basis.
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
As a dad, I think about compassion quite a bit. When one of my children is sad, upset, hurt, or tired, I try to approach the situation from a place of compassion. Does it always happen this way? No…but I keep trying!
When I’m awake in the middle of the night with one of my children and I’m beyond frustrated because I just want to sleep, I try to remind myself of the compassion I have experienced from God. If I meditate on God’s compassion, it provides me with the best attempt at flipping my attitude and letting my life be a channel for God’s compassion.
Perhaps it’s offering grace to a co-worker who made a mistake, rather than rushing to criticize.
It might be stopping to listen to a friend who is struggling, even if it disrupts your schedule.
Or it could be forgiving someone who hurt you, despite the temptation to hold a grudge.
“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.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)
Compassion can be hard to find in our world. We are called to reflect the compassion of God—a feeling and action that leads to intense levels of care, love, and forgiveness. Just as God is ‘rakhum,’ may we too learn to embody this self-giving, protective, and forgiving love in a self-serving and self-centered world.
[1] From Bible Project’s Study Notes on the Compassion Word Study Page.
[2] John Mark Comer, God Has a Name (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017).
[3] Henri J. M. Nouwen, Donald P. Mcneill, Douglas A. Morrison, Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life (New York, NY: Image, 2006).
From Craig Archer’s “Active Theology” website. Used with Permission.
