enter the story...

The Word for today:
Genesis 16, 17

From the very earliest pages of scripture we note that the images of salvation are solitary.

In the third chapter of the Bible, we are told that a single seed of the woman will defeat evil:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

In the 15th chapter, God makes an appearance as a flaming torch, gliding through the dark between the glistening pieces of a butchered animal:
God said to Abraham, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. (Genesis 15: 9-10, 17)

It was customary that the parties to an agreement walked together “between the pieces.” This symbolized that if either party were to break his word, he would be sundered like that animal had been. So when God passed between the pieces alone--while Abraham slept--he unilaterally guaranteed both sides of the agreement.

In Leviticus, when the High Priest offers the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, he enters the Holiest Place alone. This is another prophetic picture of the sole Savior.

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Achieved alone, salvation is received in the same way.  The tale is abroad, as if told by the wind: a lone soldier dies sundered in the battle for the soul.

But hearts that can hear won’t let it end that way. They change the story by the only means they have--they enter into it:

“He didn’t just die,” they’ll tell you.  “He died for me.”

You can enter in too.  Just make that your prayer.

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