Genesis 21:33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

Exodus 15:18 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Psalm 90:1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Lamentations 5:19 Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Also Isaiah 44:6-8.)

Revelation 11:15b The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

MEMORY VERSE: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. —John 8:58

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Abraham called on the name of Jehovah El Olam, the everlasting God, who was known and recognized in that way by Moses, the Psalmists, the prophets. By ascribing this quality also to Christ, Jesus’ own words as recorded by the apostles established the truth of the incarnation of Christ.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Genesis 21:33 “The Lord, the everlasting God”: Hebrew: Jehovah El ‘olam. “In Genesis 14:22, Abraham claimed for Jehovah that he was El ‘elyon, the supreme God; in Genesis 17:1, Jehovah reveals Himself as El shaddai, the almighty God; and now Abraham claims for Him [El ‘olam] the attribute of eternity. As he advanced in holiness, Abraham also grew in knowledge of the manifold nature of the Deity, and we also more clearly understand why the Hebrews called God, not El, but Elohim. In the plural appellation all the Divine attributes were combined. El might be ‘elyon, or shaddai, or ‘olam; Elohim was all in one” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers).

Deuteronomy 33:27 “Refuge”: dwelling place; habitation; the same as in Psalm 90:1.

Psalm 90:2 “From everlasting to everlasting”: “From the eternity that is past, before time began; to the eternity that is after, when time shall have an end. This is the highest description of the eternity of God to which human language can reach” (Clarke’s Commentary).

Isaiah 40:28 “Everlasting”: Hebrew olam: long duration, antiquity, futurity.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Abraham was one hundred years old when God blessed him and Sarah, who was ninety, with their promised son, Isaac. Soon, conflict developed between Ishmael and the son of promise and Abraham and Sarah sent Ishmael and his mother Hagar out on their own.

Afterward the Philistine king Abimelech and Abraham made a covenant of peace between them and as was Abraham’s usual way, he turned the occasion into a time of worship to God. It was here he called upon the Lord as the everlasting God. He had seen the character of God revealed in many different ways. Twenty-five years he had waited for his son. His life had been filled with journeys, conflicts and many times of earnest prayer. Through it all He could see God, faithful, unchanging, enduring. And this is how he prayed: “Everlasting God.” How significant this is as we consider that his next test was the offering of Isaac upon Mount Moriah! His comprehension of and trust in the unchanging, eternal God of power gave him the strength to obey God; he was rewarded with the revelation of Jehovah Jireh.

“Forever and ever.” This next verse in our lesson is the triumphant finale to the chorus sung by Moses and the children of Israel after they had witnessed their enemies, the Egyptians, being destroyed at the Red Sea.

The everlasting arms of an eternal God are extolled in Moses’ last blessing upon the children of Israel, recorded in the fifth book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy. Moses was pronouncing prophetic blessings upon Israel, tribe by tribe. As he ended, he commended them to the unending, enduring, never-failing comfort, refuge and help of God, who would keep them safe, supply their temporal needs, and exalt them to inherit the high places of all their enemies.

The ninetieth Psalm is also written by Moses. Again he extols the eternal qualities of God as he recalled Israel’s forty-year-long journey with no certain dwelling place; but, he exclaims, “YOU are our home! In every generation, before the beginning, and after time ends, You are God!”

In Psalm 100 we are reminded that God’s mercy is everlasting (Psalm 136 repeats this refrain: His mercy endureth forever). Psalms 102:25-27 is quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12 and is applied to Jesus Christ.

The prophet in Isaiah 26 speaks of God’s everlasting strength, literally calling Him the “Rock of Ages,” from which comes the familiar hymn by that name. In chapter 40 we again find the name Jehovah-Olam—the Lord, the Everlasting God; in chapter 57 we are told that He inhabits eternity.

Jeremiah, weeping as he looked over the ruins of his beloved Israel, comforted himself by remembering that God remains forever, even when everything around us crumbles into chaos, and that, generation after generation, God is still on His throne and in control.

The vision John had of Christ while on the Isle of Patmos gives us glimpses into the eternal kingdom of God as the majestic, glorified Christ proclaimed, “I am Alpha and Omega,” once again establishing Himself as God incarnate as He says nearly the same words God spoke in Isaiah 44:6. In chapter eleven John sees a picture of the end of all things, where Christ in His eternal kingdom reigns forever and ever.

Our memory verse contains the statement which made the Jews very angry with Jesus as He used the same words for Himself as God had used in revealing His name to Moses. “I AM.”

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Before the World Began: Which verses describe Jesus in this way?
2. Rock of Ages: Which verse gives this title to the Lord Jehovah?
3. In Control: Which verse shows the comfort this brought to a weeping prophet?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…” Paul, writing in Romans 1:20 made this statement, and what an interesting study can be made of the different things in creation that show us eternity!

Consider, for instance the concept of infinity in mathematics and science. I grew up learning that the number line goes on infinitely in either direction, or that pi is a number (rounded to 3.14 for the purpose of calculating the circumference of a circle) that goes on forever. There are studies about how the number of times light is refracted from a droplet of water is infinitesimal (we call this a rainbow). My point here is that carnal man is always trying to explain why an eternal God cannot exist; yet at the same time he acknowledges this principle in physics.

In the rainbow, in light waves, in music, in the spiral patterns of shells, flowers, and DNA, and in the universe itself, we can find witnesses to the eternity of God.

Our verses today remind us of the never-ending reign of God, the everlasting refuge that God is, the eternal dwelling place that is His presence, and the everlasting strength and mercy of God. Contemplating these truths brings comfort and solidity to our faith, even in the midst of changing times.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

Idolatry is the worship and admiration of a person or object that makes one feel secure. While it may seem that idolatry is a thing of the past, let us consider the many idols that are being worshiped and deified in this present day and time: jobs, money, nature, the human body, religion, and celebrities of music, cinema, or sports just to name a few.

On Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged the people to quit struggling between two opinions and “…let the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.” When the prophets of Baal begged the attention of their god, Elijah prodded them by saying, “Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” The false god Baal could not even reach the level of humanity, much less that of an eternal God.

Elijah then prayed a simple prayer. The fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. The only thing left was the everlasting God!

Idol worship blocks the will of God in our lives. It hinders us from being properly cared for by the everlasting God who loves us and gave Himself for us. The Lord wants our total security to be in Him. I am thankful that we can trust in this God who is not limited by the laws of nature. Our God is the God who inhabits eternity! The Lord knows just how to take care of us here in this present world and in the eternal world to come.

—Sis. LaDawna Adams