5
was, so to speak, intended for immediate use, not to be taken to
pieces and examined. The character of these short meditations
will, therefore, differ somewhat from that of many of our other
studies.
`The eternal God is thy Refuge' (Deut. 33:27).
This is the covering title of the studies, and takes us to the
fountainhead of all consolation, comfort and protection.
Moses must have had a reason for using the adjective `eternal'
here. He could have said, with the Psalmist, `God is our refuge',
or `The God of Jacob is our refuge', but he obviously intends to
direct our attention, not only to God, but to some element in His
character that is of particular relevance in connection with the
need for a shelter, and its provision. The word `eternal'
represents at least four different ideas in the Scriptures, and we
must therefore acquaint ourselves with the facts.
Qedem, `eternal', means `to precede, to go before', and so at
times conveys the thought of `anticipating' something before it
happens, as may be seen in Jonah 4:2, which Gesenius
translates: `Thus I anticipated (the danger which threatens me)
by fleeing to Tarshish'.
`Of old' is also a frequent translation, and the words of
Habakkuk 1:12 : `Art Thou not from everlasting?' give a similar
thought. The reader should not only remember that the `eternal'
God is `from of old', for this of itself would not necessarily
prove that He would be a refuge, but also that the word carries
with it the idea of `being beforehand with anything',
`anticipating the demand' and providing for it.