“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
Unique to God is the eternity of His being. In contrast to the seventy years of our brief life span (Ps. 90:10), the second verse of the same Psalm says of Him, “even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God”. He is the eternal God, the “beginning and the end” (Rev. 21:6), that is, the originator and consummator of all things. This is also true of His Son, the Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:13). The Savior is foreshadowed by Melchisedec, the man who, in picture, had “neither beginning of days, nor end of life” (Heb. 7:3). His “goings forth” have been “from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2).
This Eternal God had intentions of grace towards us “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), and will demonstrate the wealth of His grace in “the ages to come” (Eph. 2:7). We are in His thoughts “from everlasting to everlasting”!
Before Thy hands had made the sun to rule the day, >Or earth's foundation laid, or fashioned Adam's clay, >What thoughts of peace and mercy flowed >In Thy great heart of love, O God. >(John Kent)
The encouragement from today's verse is in this, that such a One is our refuge. We are among those who have “tied for refuge” (Heb. 6:18), and there is permanent shelter in that refuge, and permanent support from the everlasting arms. Inevitably, human support is temporary. David found asylum with Samuel (1 Sam. 19:18), but there came the day when Samuel died (1 Sam. 25:1). The Eternal God was still his refuge (1 Sam. 30:6). The Ephesians were devastated by the prospect of Paul’s permanent departure, but they had been commended to God (Acts 20:32), for He was ever present. Hebrew believers had lost faithful guides but Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). In the shifting circumstances of life, the fact that the triune God is the Eternal God means that the Father’s knowledge of our needs is unwavering (Matt. 6:32), the Son’s priesthood in our interests is uninterrupted (Heb. 7:23-25), and the Comforter’s presence with us is unending (John 14:16).
The Creator is “blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25). The Christ “blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5). Amen. This is the eternal God.
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