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 the earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:2-3, NIV 

One of the things that I love about the Bible is that it is consistent all the way through. It tells just one story - from the creation to the revelation of the second coming of Christ - there is one consistent story, and that one story is that of God's eternal purpose. 

Just think about the history that the first twelve chapters of Genesis reveals: Starting with the creation, we have read through the fall of man, to the lineage of Abraham that was meticulously recorded in the genealogies of Adam to Noah in chapter 5, and from Noah to Abraham in chapters 10 and 11. Now we come to the promise that God made to Abram (soon to have his named changed to Abraham) that included everything from the promise of a great nation coming through his descendants, to the glimpse of the coming Messiah, the fulfillment of the promise that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's line.

As you read, let me encourage you to always keep in mind this one Bible story: From beginning to end, it is the revelation of not only the fall of man, but also of the history of how God carried out His plan to redeem fallen man in order that someday men could dwell with Him forever. Some 2,000 years after the events of Genesis chapter 12, we see God refer to that plan as His "eternal purpose". The Apostle Paul, through inspiration, put it in these words:

Although I am the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God who created all things.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:8-11, NIV

Today is day three of the challenge to study through the Old Testament in 120 days, with Genesis 9-12 being the text for today. May God richly bless you as you seek to better understand the one Bible story and His eternal purpose for you that is contained therein!