DEVOTIONAL: GOD NEVER CHANGES

The Bible can come across as a bit repetitive at times, don’t you think? Roughly 90 different times in the Old Testament alone, we see God reminding the Israelites that He brought them out from slavery in Egypt: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.” (Leviticus 25:38).

I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you’.

Judges 2:1

There I have set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.

1 Kings 8:21

Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery…

Micah 6:4

This is astonishing when you really think about the consistency of God’s reminders to His people of His gracious rescue of them from slavery. Perhaps one could understand such reminders immediately following the event, but this repetition persists – with fervent consistency – into the minor prophets, which were written approximately 500 years after the Israelites were freed from slavery. This begs the question, why does God insist on reminding His people of this same event? The answer is simple and yet unbelievably profound: God never changes. Notice how many of those references lead with “I AM the Lord your God”.

You see, Israel went through some unexplainable periods of suffering, whether it be 40 years of wandering in the wilderness or their exile in Babylon. God’s comforting word to them consistently reminded them: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the Land of Egypt”. He is saying that He is the same loving God who saw them in their pain and graciously provided a leader for them, He is the same God who powerfully defeated their enemies, He is the same God who triumphantly rescued and delivered them from slavery to freedom, from striving into rest and from abuse into unconditional love.

And the encouragement is that God is still that loving, gracious, powerful and kind God today, nearly 4 000 years later. If you find yourself suffering, or in pain – be assured that the same God who rescued His people from Egypt is reigning over our lives today. He will deliver you; He will comfort you; He is with you and if He is for you, nothing can be against you. God is faithful, no matter how many years pass, He remains the same. And 75 years later, we at MAF know that nothing has changed since day one. God is faithful and He will continue to be.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Psalm 139:1-3