Mutable and Immutable - Hebrews 1 part 2

"Thou, LORD, in the beginning didst

lay the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the works of Thy hands;

they will perish, but Thou remainest;

and they will become old as a garment,

and as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up;

as a garment they will also be changed,

but Thou art the same,

and Thy years will not come to and end."

(vs 11-12)

Looking at life from our horizontal perspective, change seems to be the one constant. Hours turn to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, years to decades. The new born becomes the toddler, becomes the teen, becomes the young adult, becomes the middle-aged adult, becomes the senior citizen, becomes ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Things are always changing in this ever changing world. "Things change" - God does not!

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not' as Thou hast been Thou
forever wilt me." - Thomas O. Chisolm, 1923

Things change - days that start out good sometimes turn out bad. Smiles turn to sorrows. Triumphs to tragedies. Again, things change GOD does not! There is great comfort in that fact, for we have an EVER PRESENT help in ALL of our troubles. Because of that "we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea." (Ps 46).

The immutable God is with us and always will be. His existence will not change - He will not grow old and die. His character will not change - He won't suddenly cease being kind and merciful and suddenly become evil and cruel. His ways will not change - He will keep His promises to His children. His unchanging nature is a grand comfort!

There are three facts that I'd like to highlight from these verses - three realities that have served as a catalyst to encourage my soul this morning. Then I shall rely on Matthew Henry's comments which time them together.

1) Christ is the Creator of all that is. "Thou, LORD, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands."

2) Created things are mutable. "They will perish...and they all will become old as a garment, and as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; as a garment they will also be changed."

3) Christ is immutable. "...but Thou remainest... but Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end."

"This world is mutable, all created nature is so; this world has passed through many changes, and shall pass through many, many more. Not only men and beasts and trees grow old, but this world itself grows old, and is hastening to its dissolution. It changes like a garment and has lost much of its beauty and strength. It bears the symptoms of a dying world. But then its dissolution will not be utter destruction, but its change.

"Christ will fold up this world as a garment not to be abused any longer. Sin has made a great change in the world for the worse, and Christ will make a great change in it for the better. Christ is the same in Himself, and the same to his people in all the changes of time. Christ is immutable and imortal, His years shall not fail. Christ lives to take care of us while we live, and of ours when we are gone."

The unchanging Christ lives, rules, reigns. He, the immutable one makes our mutability a marvelous thing - for He makes old things new. He brings beauty from the ashes, dancing from the mourning, life from death!

As the changes of this day unfold - are you building on the shifting sands of uncertainty or on the immutable Rock of Ages? He has created the world in which we live and this day in which we walk. All are the work of His hands. They will perish, but He will remain. Lean upon the everlasting arms and rest on the firm foundation.

In His glorious grace,

Lori