Exodus 20:5-6 We’ll just read the last part.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
We’ll also read 12:14
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

If there's one thing that we can concentrate in these two verses is God's focus on generations, that God was not just dealing with a few million people there His plan was not just to bring them out of Egypt and take them to Canaan, His plan was not just the redemption and His plan would not end with bringing them to the promised land. Over here God is talking about three four generations and He's saying that this Passover you're going to keep it forever. It's a feast to all generations and this is how the Lord would in fact address Moses and say that I am the God of your father's so He's not just looking at the generations in future, He's looking at the generations and past and He’s trying to address or introduced himself saying that I am the same God of your father's and I'm going to be there for your next three and four generations either for good or for worse.

Even for those who are sinful I will visit the iniquities of the fathers unto their children and their children's children. So, let's be clear that what we're reading over here; God was not just dealing with a few million people for that point of time. It goes beyond their death. They would all fall dead. They were all dying, and God would still be with them. So, in that scenario when you are asked to trust upon a God that is not just for your lifetime. You are asked to trust upon a God that is going to deal with your posterity upon your generations and you’re asked to trust a God that will deal with your children the same way God has dealt with you; that God will be loving and kind like He has been to you. Why would you trust a God like that?

Or if God comes up to you and shows himself in a burning bush and says that I am the God of your father's; why would you trust that He is still the God of your father’s? that the God of your father's is the same God today and will be the same God to your children. You see that brings us to an attribute of God that we will very easily understand it today. It's very easy to understand and easy to grasp but the more I studied it the more I realized that perhaps this is one I could attribute that we rarely or very scarcely thank God for. We know it so by heart that God doesn't change that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore and that would not be a really a point of first on our list of things we thank God for. How often do we really thank God for a God that doesn't change? A God that's immutable; His unchangeableness, His steadfastness.


Man’s Changing Nature
Let’s also be clear on the fact that we are used to people around us the change. We’re used to people that are capricious and fickle and volatile and on top of all of India bipolar. We're used to people that aren't it unpredictable, unstable; these are the people that reign our lives. We relate with them, they are our bosses, they're our teachers, they’re our professors and we are used to it and yet we will not want to thank God when God says He doesn’t change. We exactly know how these people can hurt us. We exactly know how these people make our lives difficult.

We exactly know how difficult our lives become when people change their world and yet when God repeatedly says that I do not change we yet would not find it a reason to thank God for it. You see I somehow recollected one of, some of, not just one of my professors all of my professors in my engineering college; most of them were so unpredictable. They all had a mind of themselves, and they were so moody. You never knew what would they really say and particularly one of them was a terror he was such a big terror that I can't explain human psychology that if you live a lot with terror you will suddenly start to respect it.

You will suddenly start to give it some reference that suddenly this person was a terror is some big person and the moment you try to have a good impression about the person the next moment he will spoil it for you. He was so unpredictable. So, I could say that all of our professors sparing one or two were like that. It is said that - What is the single most reason for people to change their jobs? What is that? Yeah, the boss. Yeah, the boss becomes a single most reason why people frequently change their jobs.


Rejoice, God is Unchangeable
Trust me we live with these people every single day and today we need to rejoice that our God who is above them says He doesn't change. That is what we need to appreciate God and worship God for; that he is a God who is saying yesterday, today and forevermore. Why would God address himself like that? That I am the God of your father's. He wants to tell us that this way He has led the father's, He will be the same way; He's gonna lead us. That's why David towards the end of his life; he would tell Solomon - And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind (1 Chronicles 28:9). And so again and again it would be a reference that this I am the God of your father's, I am a God to all your generations, I am a God forever even unto death. He is a God beyond time and time will change but He does not change.


He is Immutable
So here are some reasons why we need to appreciate his unchangeableness, His immutability. Let's start with the Bible. Let's look at the Word of God as to why the Word of God is unchangeable. This is how Isaiah would say that all the grass would fade and all the flower of the field will fade but your word doesn't change; it says it is forever. Christ would say that heaven and earth will pass away but a jot and a tittle of this word will not pass away till it's fulfilled. So God's word is unchangeable. But as someone said this way; you might have realized in this way that when you read a passage like this in Exodus you read about kings, you read about people that were nomads like Abraham.

You read about dictators like Nebuchadnezzar. You read about polygamous people like David and the reason why I took examples are because I am referring to their cultures that are different than us. You are reading of things that are two thousand, three thousand years ago. So, what lesson can you learn about it? What lesson can you learn about David having so many wives? Obviously, that's not going to be a sin named among us. We don't live in that culture that's a very far stretched thought. So, you read about David having so many wives. You read about Abraham living like a new nomad. You read about Nebuchadnezzar like a tyrant and all other tyrants, and you realize that you are living in a totally different world today.


God’s Word is Unchangeable
You're living in the twenty first century and you're reading a book that is so old and sometimes you will feel disjoint over it; So, what is the connection between what happened two thousand and three thousand years ago and what you are living today? Why should you read something so old as this? Why should you read something so old and so different like this that will not be applicable to you? Why should you read about people that that were living with sacrifices and burnt offerings and people that had slaves; we don't even have slaves today. Let's be clear that the Bible is written in times are totally different from us and why is two-by-two still relevant for us? The answer is God. The answer is God is unchanged.

The God of Abraham is still our God. So, you might read about David. You might read about David having so many wives and you might question as to what is the lesson, I can learn from it? I mean that is definitely not a sin that is going to happen with us but, what is the lesson that we can learn from David having so many wives. Just for an example you see it will tell us two things either one of the one of the two things versus two about David either David was ignorant, or he lightly understood the Word of God. He was a child when God told him that you were to be a king and if he knew the Word of God clearly it was so clearly written that he should not have more than one wife. And even before he became a king he had more than two wives.

When he became a king, he had wives and concubines and eventually it all ended with the story of Bathsheba. So, you ask what is the lesson you going to learn about David having so many wives. So many lessons are there that we can learn today. For one that what happened with Bathsheba was not something out of the blue. It was waiting to happen. David was already a person that had downgraded the value of a family that God said. Instead of having one wife and children with one wife and one family he was already peddling his love with so many women and eventually he was having so many wives that he looked at somebody else's wife and decided even for her to be his wife. So, what happened with David was waiting to happen. Why? Simply because God had told in through Moses in Deuteronomy that you should not have more than one wife. David was a man after God’s own heart but if there was one failure it was a failure of family. So, you ask is there any lesson that we can learn. So many lessons. Today we are the bride of Christ. Christ is our bridegroom. And if we pedal our love instead of giving our full love to Christ into things and people of this world and that is called adultery. The same sin that David did.

So, let's be clear we might be reading something so ancient. For our point of reading the Bible is not to know who their father was, who their wife was, who their children was, where the places they lived was, who preceded them, who succeeded them, what were the generations and what were the kingdoms and kings and queens. No! We are studying God. We are reading lives and we're studying God. And the God of David is our God and the way God would deal with David is the way God would deal with us. And what God expected from David is what God expects from us. So, you might be reading somebody that is totally different but there are so many lessons to learn because at the end of the day you are learning about a God that is unchangeable. Because his word is unchangeable.


Uncompromising Justice
Let's continue reading in 1 Samuel 15:28. 28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

We know the context of the story this was the sin that Saul committed and over here we read that Samuel is saying that your kingdom is divided from of Israel this day and has given it to a neighbour of yours. And verse 13, this is Saul's reply, and this is what we look at. Saul is saying, I have sinned yet honour me. Now I pray you before the elders of my people. And this is the audacity of soul because in verse 29 Samuel is saying, that the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent or nor relent or not change. One of the translations literally says that God the strength of Israel will not change. And what was all Saul's wish is that God's punishment would be taken away.

You see that's called wishful thinking and most of our prayers is sometimes just on the basis of wishful thinking. We just wish that God will do this for us. So, God says, Saul's Kingdom is rent into two and Saul is saying no but God is saying that he is not going to change his mind. You see this is what even Moses did …wishful thinking. God told that he is not going to enter into Canon and no matter how great this person Moses was God's purposes and his word doesn't change. It's very clear that you cannot change the mind of God and to be very clear on this just look at the cross. God will not spare Saul, God will not spare Moses and God will not spare His own son. That is the Holiness of God.

That is His unchangeable, uncompromising, unyielding holiness that even for a son on the cross he will not be spared. So on the cross law Jesus Christ said that Eli Eli lama sabachthani. In Psalms 22 it is written that my God my, God why have you forsaken me, why you’re so far from hearing my cry, I cry in the daytime you do not hear and in night time I'm not silent but then it is written but you are Holy and that was the reason why God will forsake his own son.

Even when it comes to His own son God's holiness is so unyielding and so Un-compromising. So, despite your best wishes God doesn't have reasons to change this mind. So, you might say God forgive me just because you wish God to forgive you, but God will not forgive you. God’s punishments are there and you'll have to bare it. But then we come to a contradictory par, this is one side of the coin where Saul is asking Lord to forgive me, and the Lord is saying I'm not going to change my mind. Your kingdom will be rent in two.


God’s Love has never changed
Let's look at one more aspect of His unchangeableness. The other side of the coin. Let's turn to Malachi 1:1-2 - The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. 2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob. This is the final words of God before He sends His son to the earth. This is how he signs off the oldest testament. Malachi is His last and final prophet, and He begins by saying I have loved you. You see that is one of his attributes this just like God is unchangeable, everything about God becomes unchangeable. His word is unchangeable and here we are looking at the unchangeable love of God. This is His last word.

You see in Genesis 3 it was easy, God was dealing with only one sin, then it became a sin of a family, then it became a sin of a city then it became a sin of nation and of this whole world. Sins were piling up again and abounding over and over again. God was sending one after the other of His prophets and asking them to return and they were not returning. And you think that God is looking at all of this sin, you see God has enough reasons to stop loving them. God has enough reasons to punish them and destroy them and even not repent of it. You see God has enough reasons to change himself. He has enough reasons to change this behaviour with them.

He has enough reasons to now start hating them. How long should He extend the line to them? How long should He be considerate towards them? You are talking of from Adam up to Malachi, how many sins? Innumerable sins of innumerable people for innumerable amount of time. All of the sins are piled up and there is no way out. This is His final words. He can shut down all His words. This can be His final words. He doesn't need to send His son. But He says, His final word says, I have loved you.

I have loved you. Who? Not Israel. I have loved you, Jacob. He refers to the old name of Jacob. Jacob should stand about his old nature. Two thousand, three thousand years ago God changed Jacob to Israel and said that Jacob you need to stop being Jacob. You need to stop being a deceiver. You need to stop being a cheater. You are Israel. You are the prince with God, but Israel returned to their old life and again and again. God would call upon using their old name Jacob. And you are still the same. You are old. You are still sinful, and I have loved Jacob. So, this is how God would look at is unchangeable love that despite our worst sins God loves us.

God is not going to change this behaviour towards us just because we sinned. So just be clear, our sin did not diminish His love. And our coming back to God is not going to increase his love. If you want to quantify God's love, God's love is limitless, eternal, infinite. There is no decrease, there is no increase. He loves us just the same. He loves us either we go to heaven or even for Judas who went to hell. He loved Judas. So despite our changeableness, our volatility. Despite our unpredictableness. Despite our rebellion. Despite giving God so many reasons to stop loving us as Paul also would say God has not changed this mind. He still loves us.

So how again God in this book in chapter 3. Malachi Chapter 3 and verse 6 He says, 6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. I am God I do not change that's why you are not consumed. So, God is clearly saying of his unchangeable love. This is how God would say through Isaiah. Isaiah 54 and verse 10 - 10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. Everything will go: the mountains will depart, the heaven and earth will fade away, but God's love is steadfast.

God is looking at the end of the Old Testament and His love for them is still the same just like they have never sinned. You see that is why we have an assurance that the way God dealt with His son the way God has loved us through his son will be the same even tomorrow. We can go to the bed tonight with the assurance that tomorrow when we wake up God is still the same.


His Promises are Unchangeable
You see this brings us to another thing because again as I said we might not realize this so much but we can take this attribute for granted. What about God's promises? Let's read from Hebrews 6:16 onwards – 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Let's continue to the next chapter verse 21 - 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

This is a beautiful passage, and I can tell you this needs a whole study on itself but over here the point is God saying that I don't need to swear because there is no one greater than Me. We even always swear a promise something by somebody greater. So, God says, I am going to swear by myself and now then there becomes two immutable things. It’s written that verse 18 of chapter 6 that by two immutable things His word for what He says and God on top of it is promising. See reason why I was saying about this is because we are accustomed. We are accustomed to people breaking the promises and imagine if God was like a politician having a list of promises all of them sound so good but God doesn't keep them. See what is the point of all of that?

If God would have to say all of these things but God doesn't keep them. Then what's the point. And the fact of the matter is God doesn't need to promise but God is eager to show himself to the heirs of promise and that is why He will make a promise by himself and say that there are two immutable things: My word and My promise. That's why what I have purposed will not fail. You see I remember this in my school days we had we had this captaincy of students. Maybe in nine standard. So there were four or five candidates who were standing for election…and they had to come before the intercom and give a speech to the whole school.

So, there was like big bashun for like fifteen minutes. All of them gave but one guy came, and he was so brilliant but 30 seconds speech. I can't say it verbatim, but this is what he had said at the end of the day. He said, I don't make promises because I believe promises are meant to be broken but, I'm here to stand for captaincy. Please give me your vote. And this guy won over eighty percent. Just because he said I'm not going to give any promises.

You see we are so, I mean seriously, if politicians follow something like this, they'll win but we all stick to giving promises we want to increase our worth and we say I will do this and we know nobody does that. So then somebody came along the way and say I'm not going to give you promises that person won all the votes. Imagine if God was really like this, giving promises and not fulfilling it. Imagine God is saying I have called you but at the end of the day we find out we are not saved. Imagine God is saying that I will bring you to eternal life and imagine it doesn't happen.

What is the surety that God will do what he has promised? Because the Old Testament was all about our promises. Now we are relying on God's promises and God is saying I have promised and then to bring in that distinguishment, that difference He looks at the priesthood of Aaron and says, Aaron was a priest without the promise. In Chapter 7 and verse 21 for those please clear made without the promise and then the next the next part says the Lord shares and will not change. He looks at Christ and says you are the priest forever and you have been given an unchangeable priesthood and that is why we have a new hope that is leading even to the inside of the veil. A hope that we can rely on because God, this Christ, this priest lives forever and He lives to save even the uttermost.

Let's read Romans 11:29 - 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable, unchangeable. Whom God has called He will justify. Whom God has justified He will glorify. There are no dropouts in between. And whom God has called He has called without changing his mind. This is how job would say in Job 23:13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. Job 23:14 For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. So, this is Paul saying over here that God's calling is unchangeable. If He has called us those who called, they will be justified. Those who justified will be glorified and there is no dropouts in between. So, we have a hope in God who doesn't change and He has sworn that His son is a priest forever and He has given an unchangeable priesthood to His son who intercedes even to the uttermost.


Comfort in God’s Unchangeableness
Finally let's come back to Psalm 102:1 onwards. The context over here is this person who is writing the Psalm he's in big trouble. He's afflicted that's how my marginal reading says the prayer of afflicted; when he is overwhelmed and poured out his complaint before the Lord. We can read it in verse 1. He says, Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. 2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. 3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. 4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. 7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house :top. 8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

It's an incredible description of what life can throw at you. From enemies to God's wrath and saying that my bones, my skin, my health, everything is gone. And he's saying, the verse starts O Lord let my cry come upon you You. The Psalmist is in a position where he is filled with afflictions and trouble and what is the comfort that the psalmist gets when he's in this position of trouble. You see he's like in an ocean that is raging, it's tempest, it's turbulence all over the place. What is the comfort that he can get? His comfort is that God is like a rock that is removable. So, when the oceans rage and that all the waters like tempest rage God is like a rock that is immobile. He is like the rock of ages. A rock for all of ages. In whose cleft we can hide.

Look at how you says it in verse 25 - 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 - That is his consolation. That, when everything around is perplexing, when everything is so troublesome and it's like the oceans that are raging God is like a rock that is immovable. That the heavens will pass away the hills will be removed but you are the same. You see, this is a comfort in our trials.

When everything is so unstable. When everything is so unpredictable, we can hope in a God that is unchangeable. That is same yesterday, today and forever. You see this is what one of the hymn writers said that change and decay all around I see but you God that do not change abide with me. So this is one of the greatest applications of this un-changeableness of God. That in a world that is so troublesome and in a life that is like there is nothing stable; when our days are like shadow; we have a hope that God doesn't change. I believe it was Tozer or A.W. Pink I believe he said it this way, His power is unabated, his wisdom is undiminished, His Holiness is unsullied, the attributes of God can no more change than deity can cease to be.

His veracity is immutable, for His word is forever settled in heaven. His love is eternal. He says, I have loved you with an everlasting love and having loved his own which were in the world He loved them unto the end. His mercy ceases not for, it is everlasting. God has neither evolved, grown, or improved. All that He is today he has ever been and ever will be. That is His immutability. That God is not going to improve. He is holy and he is not going to become more holier. He is powerful and he's not going to get more powerful. He is perfect so He cannot become any better or He cannot become any worse. What God was in the ages past even before the foundation of the world He is too the same God today. May God bless these words to our hearts.