And the story continues…
Have you ever started reading a book and suddenly discovered the key that makes every page come alive? That’s what happens when we realize that everything in the Bible revolves around God’s two-line promise. What follows this promise to Abraham in the Bible are carefully selected events that showcase God fulfilling His promise of blessing His people and, through them, blessing the world.
Why only these events? Consider this: The apostle John, after writing just about Jesus’s earthly life, said:
John 21:25 – Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
If that’s true about just thirty years of Jesus’s earthly life, imagine documenting everything God has done since creation! So, when we read Scripture, we must remember – of everything God could have told us, He chose these specific stories. Let’s see how this new lens transforms even seemingly minor verses into profound revelations.
Take this verse, for instance:
Exodus 15:27 – Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
At first glance, this might seem like a simple travel log. But look closer at those numbers: twelve springs and seventy palm trees. Remember where we’ve seen these numbers before? Twelve – the tribes of Israel wandering in the wilderness. Seventy – the number of ethnic groups from the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Suddenly, this isn’t just about a rest stop; it’s God painting a picture of His promise! The twelve springs (Israel) providing water to nourish the seventy palm trees (the nations).
This theme echoes throughout Scripture. Consider these familiar words often spoken at the end of church services:
Psalm 67:1 – May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
Many of us know this verse by heart – it’s the Top Line, the promise of God’s blessing to us. But how many of us know what comes next?
Psalm 67:2 – so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
There it is – the Bottom Line! God’s blessings aren’t meant to stop with us; they’re meant to flow through us to all nations.
Let’s talk about the Promised Land. When God led Israel through the wilderness, He was taking them to a specific piece of real estate – Palestine, that small strip between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. But why this particular location? The prophet reveals God’s strategic purpose:
Ezekiel 5:5 – This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.”
Think of it as God’s divine placement strategy. The Top Line blessing was the valuable land itself given to Israel as a blessing from God. The Bottom Line? This was the ancient world’s ultimate crossroads! The three major kingdoms – Egypt along the Nile, Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates, and the iron-working Hittites in modern-day Turkey – all had to pass through Israel to trade with each other.
In those days, traders would offer sacrifices to local gods when entering foreign territories. Imagine their confusion when entering Israel and finding no idols! When they asked about Israel’s God, they’d hear names like “Jehovah Jireh” (Yahweh Provides) or “The Lord our Righteousness.” Picture their amazement: “Your God provides for you? Our gods only take from us!” These traders became unwitting missionaries, carrying stories of Yahweh back to their homelands.
Finally, let’s peek into heaven’s library. While we often hear about the Lamb’s Book of Life, there’s another fascinating volume called The Register of the Peoples:
Psalm 87:4,6
4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.'” 6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
Imagine a book with a chapter for every ethnic group that has ever existed, even those now extinct. In each chapter, a list of names, each followed by the phrase “this one was born in Zion.” This isn’t just any record – it’s God’s evidence that His Bottom-Line promise will be fulfilled, proving that all nations will indeed be blessed through His people.
This is how the story unfolds – each page revealing another facet of God’s magnificent plan to bless all peoples through His chosen people. Does the story flow through the New Testament as well?