every story whispers his name — part 1

The Word for today:
Genesis 18

mark this: Genesis 16:13 --
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."

and this: Isaiah 9:6 --
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

and this: Matthew 1:21 --
You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Stand in the Rain is going to depart from the script for the next couple of days. We can't cover everything in this brief space, so as you sort out the sordid story of Sodom and Gomorrah in chapters 18 and 19, we're going to backtrack through these opening chapters of scripture in search of the Names of God.

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Don't ever forget that the Bible is, first and foremost, a story. It uses the essential elements of all stories--character and plot--to progressively reveal Jesus Christ.

This isn't a book of philosophy. This isn't a book of theology, though there's a smattering of that. This is a story, the greatest ever told. Life and death hang in the balance. The eternal Kingdom of light is set in full array against the principalities of this present darkness. Unbridled power and unparalleled poetry charge through these pages.

And a river of blood flows through it. It flows from Eden through Egypt, through the tabernacle to the cross. It flows from the first-born of Pharaoh all the way to the only Son of God. This scarlet thread sews it all together, until every page coheres.

Yes, the Bible is a Story. And it must be told that way, or it will never be understood:

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

…There are lots of stories in the Bible but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together; and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture. (1)

"Every story whispers his name." Tomorrow, we'll hear the whispers...

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(1) Excerpted from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
Note well!--I hope you'll run out and purchase a copy of this book! Then I hope you'll read it. Then I hope you'll read it to a kid. I think that for everyone, whether child or adult, this little book serves as the best introduction to the study of scripture that I have ever found.