"The Lord had said to Abram, 'leave your country, your people and your father's household and go into the land I will show you.

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing;

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'"

Genesis 12:1-3, NIV 

 

Thus begins one of the most important periods in the entire history of mankind. How important is this time of Abraham? Consider this: The first ten and one half chapters of the Bible cover approximately 2,000 years of history. The next fourteen and one half chapters are devoted to just the latter portion of the life of the one who would become known as the father of the Jews.

 

In Ephesians 3:7-13, the apostle Paul is inspired to reveal the following about Christ in God's eternal purpose:

"according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:11)

 

I would encourage you to read the entire context to get the full meaning of this important concept, but the gist of the passage in Ephesians is that God has always had a purpose for mankind (His "eternal purpose") and this purpose was fulfilled by His Son Jesus. The reading we have today in Genesis sheds light on how God began to unfold that purpose with the call of Abram. Abram was a righteous man whom God chose from all men to become the father of a great nation (the Jews) and from that great nation all peoples would be blessed.

 

It is not until 2,000 years after this point in history that we see God's promise to Abram that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" being fulfilled in the person of Christ Jesus, a direct descendant Abraham. 

 

Let me encourage you as you begin to read the Old Testament to pay particular attention to the fact that God does indeed have an eternal purpose,being especially attentive as to how His eternal purpose ingeniously unfolds throughout the pages of the Old Testament.

 

One last thought: The Bible tells one consistent story from beginning to end. It is not a jumbled collection of disjointed histories and stories as some might believe; rather, it is a thoughtful, logical and systematic revealing of God's plan for mankind from the creation account revealed in Genesis, to the advent of Christ and the revealing of His will for those who would follow Christ in the pages of the New Testament. 

 

I hope that you will enjoy what will become for you a lifetime of the study of God's Holy and inspired Word!

 

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

II Timothy 3:16-17, RSV 

 

Today is day 2 of the thirty day challenge to read through the Books of Moses, with this day's reading consisting of Genesis 8-14. May God richly bless your efforts to learn more about His eternal purpose from His inspired Word!