The opening verses of the psalm briefly proclaim the eternity of God so that it may be contrasted with the mortality of mankind, which will be emphasized in the following section. The psalmist is not interested in a philosophical discussion of God’s eternity, but in the practical application of God’s eternity. Moses begins and ends the psalm with the assertion that the Lord is our God. God’s eternity is not simply described as the opposite of our mortality; it is proclaimed as the answer to our mortality.