Welcome to Day 2757 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2757 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 102:18-28 – Daily Wisdom

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2757

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2757 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.  

The Title for Today’s Wisdom-Trek is: The God Who Changes His Clothes – The Immutability of the Creator.

Today, we complete our journey through the "Prayer of the Destitute," Psalm One Hundred Two. We are covering the second half, verses eighteen through twenty-eight, in the New Living Translation.  

In our previous trek, we sat in the ashes with the psalmist. We felt the heat of his fever, the loneliness of the "owl in the desert," and the pain of being "picked up and thrown down" by God. Yet, in the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem, we saw him pivot. He looked away from his withered heart to the Eternal Throne of Yahweh. He realized that the "set time" to favor Zion had come because God’s servants had begun to "cherish the dust" of the ruined city.  

Now, as we move into the final section, the psalmist’s vision expands even further. He stops looking merely at his own pain or even just the immediate restoration of Jerusalem. He looks forward to a future generation—a people not yet created. And then, he looks upward to the very fabric of the cosmos.  

He realizes that while his life is fleeting, and even the earth itself is wearing out like an old shirt, the God he serves is the Unchanging One. This section contains some of the most profound theology on the nature of God found anywhere in Scripture, passages that the New Testament authors (specifically in Hebrews Chapter One) would later apply directly to Jesus Christ.  

So, let us stand on this unshakable rock and look at the changing universe through the eyes of faith.  

The first segment is: The Written Record for the Unborn Generation.

Psalm One Hundred Two: verses eighteen through twenty-two.

Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.  Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down from heaven to earth to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die.  And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord.

Guthrie Chamberlain: The psalmist begins with a command that explains why we are reading this psalm today: "Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord."  

He is conscious that his suffering—and God’s eventual deliverance—is not just for him. It is a legacy. The phrase "people not yet born" is literally "a people to be created" (am nibra). This suggests a new creation, a revived community rising from the ashes of the exile. He wants the story written down so that this new people will know that their existence is a result of God’s intervention.  

What is the story they need to know? "Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down from heaven to earth."  

This language reflects the Ancient Israelite worldview of the cosmos. God is in His "heavenly sanctuary" (marom—the height). This is the cosmic temple, the meeting place of the Divine Council. From this high vantage point, the King surveys his domain. He is not detached; He is observant.  

And what does He see? He sees the suffering of the exiles: "to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die."  

The phrase "condemned to die" is literally "the sons of death" (bene temutah). These are people whose situation is so hopeless, so locked down by the powers of Babylon and the spiritual forces of chaos, that they are marked for the grave. But Yahweh intervenes. He hears the inarticulate "groans" of the prisoner. The High King descends to liberate the death-row inmates.  

The result of this liberation is a massive, international gathering: "when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord."  

This connects back to the themes we saw in Psalm Ninety-six through One Hundred. The restoration of Zion is the magnet for the nations. When God rescues the "sons of death," the "kingdoms"—the very nations that were once under the dominion of the rebel gods—will gather in Jerusalem to serve Yahweh. The "people not yet born" includes not just the restored Jewish exiles, but the ingathering of the Gentiles into the family of God. This is a vision of the Kingdom of God fully realized.  

The second segment is: The Frailty of Man and the Plea for Life.

Psalm One Hundred Two: verses twenty-three through twenty-four.

He broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days.  But I cried to him, "O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young!

Suddenly, the psalmist crashes back into his immediate reality. The vision of the gathering nations fades, and he remembers his fever and his weakness.  

"He broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days."  

Literally, "He humbled my strength on the way." The journey has been too hard for him. He feels like an old man before his time. The restoration of Zion is coming, but he fears he won't live to see it. He feels like Moses, who might die on the edge of the Promised Land.  

So he prays a desperate prayer: "But I cried to him, 'O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young!'"  

He appeals to God's eternity as the basis for his own survival. He addresses God as the One "whose years are generation to generation." This contrast between the dying servant and the Undying Master sets up the magnificent theological climax of the psalm. He is essentially saying, "Lord, You have so much time; can You not spare a little more for me?"  

 

The third segment is: The Theology of Laundry: The Universe as Old Clothes.

Psalm One Hundred Two: verses twenty-five through twenty-seven.

Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.  They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing.  You will change them like a garment and discard them.  But you are always the same; you will live forever.

Here, the psalmist soars to the height of inspiration. He looks at the physical universe—the most stable, permanent thing we can imagine—and declares it to be temporary and disposable.  

"Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands."  

He affirms God as the Creator. The earth and the heavens are not rival deities; they are artifacts. They are things God "made with his hands."  

Then comes the shocking statement: "They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing."  

In the ancient world, the heavens (the realm of the stars and the celestial beings) were often considered eternal and divine. But the psalmist demotes the universe. He compares the cosmos to a garment—a piece of fabric that frays, fades, and gets holes in it over time.  

This is a profound insight into entropy. The universe is running down. It is not self-sustaining. It is "wearing out."  

"You will change them like a garment and discard them."  

The imagery here is of God undressing. Just as a man takes off an old, worn-out coat and tosses it aside to put on a new one, so God will eventually strip away the present heavens and earth to make way for the New Creation. The physical universe is not essential to God’s existence; it is merely His attire. He exists independently of it.  

"But you are always the same; you will live forever."  

The Hebrew here is literally, "But You are He" (ve-attah hu). This is a claim of absolute immutability. While the stars burn out and the mountains erode, God remains "He." He is the Constant. He is the Unchanging pivot point of reality.  

This passage is famously quoted in Hebrews Chapter One, verses ten through twelve, where it is applied to Jesus. This is a massive theological statement. It identifies Jesus not as part of the created order (the garment), but as the Creator Himself (the One who changes the garment). It asserts that the Carpenter from Nazareth is the Ancient of Days who laid the foundations of the earth.  

The fourth segment is: The Logic of Security.

Psalm One Hundred Two: verse twenty-eight.

The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.

The psalm ends with a logical deduction based on the theology of the previous verses.  

Because God is the Creator (verse 25)... Because God is Eternal and Unchanging (verse 27)... And because the universe is just a garment He controls...

Therefore: "The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence."  

The immutability of God is the guarantee of the survival of His people.  

The psalmist started the psalm feeling like smoke and withered grass. He worried that he would be cut off in the middle of his days. But he concludes with confidence—not necessarily that he will live forever on this earth, but that the community of faith will endure.  

The "children of your servants" (the offspring of those who cherish the dust of Zion) will be established (kun—made firm) before God. They will not be swept away when the garment is changed. When God rolls up the old heavens and earth like a scroll, His people will not be discarded with the old clothes. They will be carried into the New Creation, thriving in His presence.  

Psalm One Hundred Two takes us on a journey from the ash heap to the end of time.  

It teaches us that when we feel physically broken and emotionally spent, we must anchor ourselves to the Eternity of God. Our bodies will wear out. Our world will wear out. The political systems and the very stars in the sky will eventually fade like an old shirt.  

But "You are He." God is the same.  

And because He is the same, His promise to the "sons of death" stands firm. He will look down from His height, He will hear our groans, and He will ensure that the children of His servants are established forever.  

So, as you trek through your own difficulties today, remember: You are serving the God who outlasts the universe. And because you are in Him, you have a future that is more permanent than the ground you walk on.  

If you found this podcast insightful, please subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of, ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’  

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.   As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Live Abundantly.   Love Unconditionally.   Listen Intentionally.   Learn Continuously.   Lend to others Generously.   Lead with Integrity.   Leave a Living Legacy Each Day.  

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!