Deut. 33:24-29; Jer. 31:2-6, El Olam (2)

We worship an eternal God.  We are not eternal; we are temporal.  Of what value is it that our God is eternal?  Is it just that we will have a life after we die?  That’s a lot, and it’s essential that God be able and faithful to bring that about.  But our God is about bringing about His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:10).  The eternal God is at work to provide stability now!  What does He provide?

·       Gen. 9:16: When Noah got off the ark, the rainbow in the cloud was a reminder of the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

·       Deut. 33:26-29: There is no God like the God of Jeshurun, a name for Israel.  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.   

·       Psalm 110:5; 103:17: Oft repeated words in the Psalms are these: For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.  Mercy (checed, God’s overall and total goodness) and truth (God’s faithfulness) are eternal.  It’s where we get those familiar words: God is good, all the time!

·       Psalm 119:144: The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting.  God’s testimonies are the things He does that witness to His character.  It never ends. 

·       Psalm 139:23-24: There is a way that seems right to man, and it is the way of destruction (Prov. 14:12).  Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me …see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

·       Isaiah 26:4: Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.  Do you see the names of God in this verse and what is associated with them?  Trust in YAHWEH forever (Heb. ad, similar to olam), for in YAH (shortened form of YAHWEH) YAHWEH is everlasting (olam) strength (tsuwr, the word for Rock).  He never ceases to be our Rock.

·       Isaiah 54:8: When God is your redeemer, there is one thing that is NOT eternal: His wrath, the hiding of His face!  But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you.  Oh Lord, may it be so in your people today!

·       Jeremiah 31:2-3: Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, because he saw Jerusalem burned and the temple destroyed.  Israel’s future still has a time of great tribulation.  What will they do?  What is their hope?  It is to find grace in the wilderness.  How can there still be grace?  Because I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

·       John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE.