You Remain The Same

September 7

Song of Solomon 7-8

Psalm 102:23-28

Proverbs 22:5-6

Ephesians 5:1-20

You Remain The Same

“I say, ‘O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are from generation to all generations.  Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.  Even they will perish, but You will remain; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.  But you are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.  The children of Your slaves will dwell securely, and their seed will be established before You.’”  Psalm 102:24-28 LSB

The immutability of God is a foundational principle in Christianity.  Who God is, His character and His purposes are unchangeable.  He does not evolve, grow, progress or mature because He does not need to.  He is perfect and has been complete and whole since the beginning of time.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).   If He changed, it would have to be for the better or worse.  Since God is perfect, He does not need to change.  Nothing can be added or taken away to make Him more perfect.  God’s attributes including His love, mercy, holiness and justice are eternally consistent. His plans and purposes are set and cannot be altered by any circumstances or events.  Because God is omniscient, He knows all and sees all in the past, present and future.  No new information can come to light that would make Him change His mind because He already knows how everything is going to happen.  He knows what is best because He knows what the future holds and can plan for that eventuality. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent;  has He said and will not do it?  Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?”  Numbers 23:19 LSB 

 The assurance that God does not change provides a solid foundation to anchor our faith.  In a world that is constantly changing, it provides security and hope for believers.  “For I, Yahweh, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6 LSB  “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and confirmed and one which enters within the veil, where a forerunner has entered for us—Jesus, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:17-20 LSB  We can rely on His promises and trust in His nature because we can see how He has acted throughout history and how He continues to act on behalf of His people today.  “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17 LSB  Seasons come and go, years and generations pass, people and circumstances change, but God remains the same throughout the ages.  “The counsel of Yahweh stands forever, the thoughts of His heart from generation to generation.”  Psalm 33:11 LSB    God is dependable and we can place our complete faith and trust in Him!