There Is One Purpose Behind The Universe
The catechism begins by asking, 'what is the chief end of man'. The answer of course is 'to glorify God and enjoy him forever'. Glorifying God is to acknowledge the weightiness of God's being; to apprehend his attributes in such a way that it transforms our thinking and actions, to acknowledge His perfect plan and handling in all things.
John 17:3
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
God is revealing himself to us. This is amazing that the Creator of the universe is personal and loving and is willing to reveal himself to us.
The purpose of all that IS, all time and space, is to glorify God. We may find the means of God's revelation difficult at times but it really is for our good. God is glorified in his mercy and in his justice, in his love and in his wrath. We may find his providence so hard that it cripples us for a season, but the answer to the question "Is God good?" is perpetually and forever answered by the event of Good Friday -
Romans 5:6
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
So the context for the universe and all that exists is the Glory of God; the universe is the story of God. The Bible contains the truths that explain what we see around us and through our telescopes and microscopes. The Bible has a context as well. The Bible is a story of RESCUE. If you don't understand that the Bible is the story of redemption then you really do lack the context of the whole book. The history of redemption is the skeleton that holds the Bible's narratives, sermons, prophecies, doctrines, epistles, laws and poetry together. The Bible is not a book of scientific explanations, moralistic stories or an explanation of the headlines, it is the redemptive history of man.
The whole of the Bible pivots on one verse, Genesis 3:15. After the fall of man and sin totally ruined mankind, God said these words to the serpent (possessed by the fallen archangel Satan):
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This remarkably short prophecy is the summary of the several millennia to follow. The history of the world is the amazing 'playing out', the expansion and expounding, of those words. God will display his glory in the redemption of fallen man by displaying his providence in the form of a struggle between the woman's seed and the offspring of the serpent-tempter.
Let me pull up just a few of the stories from the history of redemption to make this point.
Moses and Pharaoh
God sends Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Is this a man going before a great king to inspire us to trust God and stand up to bullies? NO! This is the seed of the woman going to the seed of Satan and saying, “God will redeem His people and you can’t stop Him!”, the seed of Satan replies, “I will strike you dead” and then he tries every thing in his power to destroy the seed of the woman.
Egypt was the most powerful empire in the world with an enormous army. Why didn’t God send a massive army to destroy pharaoh? That would make sense. Other times in scripture he sends armies. Instead God sends one man, why? Because the man is special? NO! He sends one man because God’s plan of redemption cannot be thwarted. It is God who is in control and against all odds the seed of the woman crushes the head of the serpent in Exodus and God redeems his people out of bondage.
Jael and Sisera
Judges 4:1-3 4:1
And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
Verse 12 -
12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and....
For the sake of our younger readers and the squeamish, I’ll let you read the rest of Judges 4. But here he is, the seed of the serpent is bent on destroying the descendants of the woman and end the hope, the plan of redemption once and for all - but it can’t happen. God leads the mighty Sisera, feared by men everywhere, to the tent of a tiny little woman who gives him rest, a drink of milk and a head ache he will never recover from. He will strike at your heel, but you will crush his head.
David and Goliath
You know this story well, a young shepherd boy going up against a vile giant. The boy fights for Israel’s army and the Philistine is the champion of Israel’s enemies. Is this supposed to be some kind of David and Goliath story? NO! David is the seed of the woman, the hope, the line of the redeemer. Goliath is the seed of the serpent who wants to cut off the line of the redeemer. God told Adam this would happen and all Israel held there breath in this horrible mismatch. Goliath should have defeated David with ease. Is a sling better than a spear? No. Is a shepherd boy more effective than a 9 foot warrior? Never. But God’s plan cannot be changed. The seed of the woman felled the giant with a sling and a stone and rushing to the fallen destroyer he grabbed the giants sword and crushed the head of the serpent.
I could go on, Samson and the Philistines, Job and Satan himself. Satan hit Job with such unjust evil and yet Job would proclaim in Job 19:25
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.Job knew the plan could not be thwarted.
Esther and the Wicked Haman -
Esther 3:13
Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
The serpent trying every scheme to stop the line of the redeemer.
King Herod, on hearing that a baby had been born who would be the king of the Jews slaughtered countless babies and toddlers. Why, because he was jealous? No, because the seed of the serpent will not stop in his battle
against the seed of the woman. This is the history of our redemption.
Go to Part Three
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