“Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of Thy righteous judgments endures forever.” — Psalms 119:160
There are some sports I really enjoy watching, and basketball is one of them. It’s a game that combines teamwork with individual skill. An NBA game is divided into four quarters of twelve minutes, but with timeouts and breaks, it usually lasts around an hour. As the clock winds down—especially in the final five seconds—we know the game is about to end, along with any remaining chance to win.
So, the beginning of a game is always exciting, full of anticipation and hope. I imagine it was something like that at the creation of the world. There must have been great wonder as God established time, formed the earth, created animals, and placed the first man and woman in the garden. What a beginning! God declared that everything He made was good.
When God said, “Let there be light,” there was light. When He commanded the earth to bring forth trees and vegetation, it happened. Everything God spoke in the beginning came into being because His word is true. What He declares is, and always will be, true.
Yet not long after this perfect start, that goodness was interrupted. Adam and Eve chose to seek the knowledge of good and evil for themselves—to be like God—rather than to trust and obey Him.
Yet even in judgment, God spoke truth with hope. He declared that the serpent—Satan—would bruise the heel of Eve’s descendant, but that descendant would crush the serpent’s head—a fatal blow.
At Easter, as we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are called to look back to the very beginning. What God said then remains true today. Apart from Him, there is only death—first spiritual, then physical. But Jesus is the way God has provided: to deliver us from sin and to satisfy His righteous judgment.
So what will you do with God’s Word? Will you believe it, or will you wait until the clock runs out?
