Imperishable Inheritance

Many Christians believe that when Jesus spoke in Matthew 28 about making disciples of all the nations (people groups) that The Great Commission started right then, but when we look farther back we will see that the purpose and intent of God of seeing His name exalted throughout all of His creation started back in Genesis 1!

Creation

In Genesis 1, right after the account of creation, God gives His first command to man: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" (Gen 1:28). We see that from the very beginning God made man to have His name throughout His creation.

After the fall, God decides to pass His judgment upon mankind and floods the earth saving only Noah, his family, and a remnant of animals (Gen 7:23). After the water subsided God gave a command to Noah that is very familiar: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" (Gen 9:1). As has been the record thus far, man doesn't fulfill the commands of God, and it climaxes at the Tower of Babel. Man was told to extend outward, but they decided instead to go upward. It was here that God made all the people groups and scattered them (Gen 11:17-18).

The Abrahamic Covenant

In Abram, God reveals His plan of redemption. God said to Abram, "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Gen 12:3; cf. Gen 26:3-4, 28:14). God later renamed Abram to Abraham which translates to a "father of a multitude of nations" (Gen 17:5; cf. 22:18). The Abrahamic Covenant is the instrumental event in the story of redemption.

Moses and the Law

God then sends Moses to free the Israelites from their captivity (Exo 9:14; cf. 5:1-2, 7:1-5, 8:10, 16:11-12), and God said the reason He has let the Pharoah to remain is so that, "for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth" (Exo 9:16).

God delivers the Israelites and gives them His Law with Moses as the mediator, and He does so to ensure that others know of His great name (Deu 4:5-6), and He promises calamity for those who forsake His Law and His name (Deu 28:19-20).

The Historical Books

God raises up each patriarch in a strategic way to make His name known. Joshua tells the purpose of God drying up the Jordan (and the Red Sea cf. 2:8-11) is so that "all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever" (Jos 4:24). Samuel reveals insight into the plan and purpose of God that He is taking a people for His name sake: "For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself" (1 Sam 12:22; cf. 1 Sam 17:46).

Solomon wisely prayed that the temple he built, "in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name" (1 Ki 8:41-43; cf. 1 Chr 16:23; 2 Chr 6:32-33). God also grants wisdom to Solomon so that all the nations would come to hear of the things God did for him (1 Ki 10:23-24).

The Psalms

The Psalmist continues in deep admiration for the intent of God by declaring, "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psa 46:10; cf. 9:20, 18:49, 22:27, 45:17, 57:9, 67, 72:11-19, 79:10, 86:8-10, 96, 98:2, 102:15-22, 106:47, 108:3, 117, 126:2, 138:4). Clearly one of the major themes of the Psalms is the exhortation of God's holy name among all the nations.

The Major and Minor Prophets

The prophet Isaiah continues to further his understanding of God's purpose, "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted" (Isa 12:4, cf. Isa 2:2, 6:3, 11:9, 42:6-10; 60:3, 66:18-19). Jeremiah also boldly record the purpose of God, "This time I will make them know My power and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD" (Jer 16:21; cf. 1:5, 3:17).

In Ezekiel we are going to see one of the clearest statements of God's purpose of working with the Israel and ultimately all the nations, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went." (Eze 36:22-23; cf. 5:5-8). Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were saved from the fire to make God's name known as well (Dan 3:28-30). The story of Daniel being sentenced to go to in the lion's den is another great example of God giving a blessing so His name be known (Dan 6:25-26).

The prophet Habbakuk has a beautiful exhortation of God's global purpose: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea" (Hab 2:14; cf. Zep 2:11, 3:9-10; Hag 2:7; Zec 9:10, 2:11). Malachi records the following, "My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD of hosts" (Mal 1:11).