Eternal God
“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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