Jump Start # 1804

Genesis 9:3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”

We conclude our look at Noah and the flood. Genesis 9—the flood is over. Noah has left the ark. He builds an altar and sacrifices to God. The Lord has preserved Noah and his family. They start over in a brand new world. Like Adam, there is no one on the planet but Noah and his family for a while. I wonder if Noah ever went back to the ark. He spent a year in there. Did he return and just look around, think and pray?

There are some changes to this new world.

1. Although Noah will live another 300 years, the longevity of mankind drops off dramatically. Read Genesis five and notice how many lived well past 800 years old. After the flood, it just doesn’t happen like that again. By the time Moses wrote Psalms 90, the lifespan was about 70-80 years. That hasn’t changed much in centuries.

2. The animals will have a fear of man. Genesis 9:2 states, “the fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky…” Take a walk around the neighborhood and notice how this is true. Birds fly away as you get near. Rabbits hop away as they hear you. This is a change. The impression before the flood is that the animals and mankind had a friendship. Maybe Noah used elephants and other animals to help build the ark. That has changed.

3. From our verse today, God, after the flood, allows Noah and all mankind to eat animals. This is a change. Before the flood, mankind and animals were all vegetarians. Don’t try to read into this a connection to how long Noah lived while eating greens and after man started eating meat, he died off more quickly. It is God who is allowing man to eat animals. There is nothing wrong with this. If it were “bad” for us, God would not have authorized it. Our God is good. The only restriction was placed upon blood. Man is not to eat blood.

4. God instituted the death penalty for taking human life. In Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.” God was emphasizing the preciousness of human life. There comes a penalty with taking life. Liberal thinkers through the generations have balked on the idea of capital punishment. They feel that it is not right. It is God who is putting a stake in the ground here. Life is precious. Man is made in the image of God. If one takes life, then his life is required.

Leaving the ark, Noah came into a new world and a different world. Things had changed since he was in the ark.

However, Genesis 9 also shows us that some things did not change.

It is in this chapter that Noah gets drunk, uncovers himself in his tent and his youngest son, Ham, “does something to him.” He reports the condition of Noah to his older brothers. They walk in backwards and cover Noah up. When Noah awakens, he realizes what Ham has done to him. Lots of ideas and theories here. The result is that Noah cursed the generations of Ham and proclaimed that his descendants would serve the descendants of his brothers.

After the flood, somethings never change—man continues to make wrong choices. Man sins. We wonder why these few verses are added to the Noah story. Did we really need to know about this? Doesn’t it taint how we now see Noah?

First, this is part of the story. God doesn’t hide things. Each of us have a story. There are things that we are proud about. There are things that we have done well. But each of us have our own “tent” story, of which we are ashamed. There are things that we have done that we do not want anyone to know about.

Second, what happened to Noah and the curse upon Canaan, helps us to understand the coming nations and how they work together. This is the beginning of world history. What happened in the tent and what came as a result, would shape generations and hundreds of years of history. This is the why.

Third, it reminds us that Noah wasn’t perfect. He’s not Jesus. He was blameless. He was righteous. Yet, he also sinned. Only Jesus walked this planet without sinning.

Fourth, it gives proof to the inspiration of the Bible. If we were writing the Noah story, we might either leave this page out about what happened in the tent, or we would so magnify it that it would overshadow everything else. Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future. The biographer doesn’t know enough. The autobiographer knows too much. God knows all.

Fifth, it shows that even among righteous people, problems arise in our families. The things that happened in the tent were not between Noah and neighbors or Noah and enemies, but his own son. Our own families can hurt us and disappoint us. Our own families can despise us for who we are. We can let our families down. Sometimes we forget to be righteous at home. It is just as important to be righteous out in the community as it is within our tents.

Sixth, it also shows the grace of God. Noah shouldn’t have been drunk. Getting drunk and getting naked have long been connected together. One leads to the other and the other leads to trouble. God didn’t toss Noah out for this. Outside of this page, this is not mentioned again in Scripture. Noah’s name is found in Hebrews 11 as those who walked by faith and gained approval by God. In Ezekiel 14, when God was remembering three righteous people, Daniel, Job and Noah’s names are listed. There they are called righteous. God doesn’t put an asterisk by Noah’s name stating, “remember the tent incident.” The sins of Noah were forgiven. God allows second chances.

Seventh, this event didn’t destroy Noah. He didn’t run off. He didn’t quit on God. He didn’t commit suicide. He made a serious mistake. Other things happened. He recovered. Just as David did after his sin with Bathsheba. Just as Peter did after he denied the Lord. Just as you and I do after we have sought the forgiveness of God. The Lord wasn’t finished with Noah. There was another 300 years still to go for Noah. He had to continue to walk by faith. He had to continue being righteous, faithful and dependent upon God. The same goes for us. Just getting to the church house is hard for some. God’s not done with you yet. You may be retired and tired, but God’s not finished with you yet. There are always more to teach, encourage, help and show the way we need to go. You may not be able to do what you once did, but there are still things for you to do. Don’t quit on God.

Good ole’ Noah—great man of faith. A great example. A terrible time to live in. One who made right choices with God. One who gained approval with God.

Roger

Jump Start # 1803

Genesis 7:16 “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.”

This week we have been looking at Noah and the flood. Skeptics are unable to believe in the flood account. They either dismiss this as a localized flood or more so, myths and fables that have been shared among different cultures that eventually made it’s way into the Bible record. Both theories are easily dismissed. Both lack faith in what God can do. Both are attempts to discredit the Bible.

There are literally dozens and dozens of flood stories from around the world. Although most differ in detail, there is a common thread found in all of them. A family, with some animals, are saved in a boat. Instead of believing that someone edited these stories and put them in the Bible, the opposite may be more true. The Bible story really happened and as cultures spread, so did the story and in time, each place added their own little twist to the original. Fossil evidence, inverted rock strata, formation of coal beds throughout the world, and the internal proofs for the word of God all point to the truthfulness of what happened. Jesus believed in the flood story. He referred to it in His teachings. If the flood didn’t really happen, then what other pages of the Bible didn’t really happen? That’s where the skeptics want us to go. They want us to rip apart the pages about a judgment, an eternal Hell and just live carefree however we please.

In the section of Genesis seven, where our verse today comes from, twice a reference is made to an exact day.

• In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, ON THE SAME DAY all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the sky were opened (7:11)
• ON THE VERY SAME DAY Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark (7:13)

Our verse shortly after says that God closed the door. It was God who closed it, not Noah.

The impression I get is that Noah and his family entered the ark. The door was closed. Then the skies let loose. Sometimes, through artwork, we may get the idea that it was sprinkling and Noah and the animals were making their way into the ark and some people were gathered around chit-chatting. That thought isn’t supported by the text. Noah got in. The door was shut. Then it rained.

Two important thoughts here:

First, God closing the door. Did Noah stand just inside the door to get one final look? What went through Noah’s mind? As far as we can tell, God didn’t tell Noah how long he would be in the ark. Every single person Noah saw, aside from his family, would die. He would never see them again. Noah was a good man. I expect he had friends. The door was closed.

That expression takes us to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew. The foolish ran out of oil. The groom came, the wedding celebration began. The door was shut. The foolish showed up and couldn’t get in. The banged on the door wanting entrance, but it wasn’t granted.

I expect when the waters came forth, that people made it to the ark and pounded on the door. Did Noah hear that? What feelings that must have raced through his mind. Noah had preached as he built the ark. No one believed. No one changed. No one listened. I expect he was laughed at and ridiculed. People probably poked fun of the ark. But what a difference, once the door was shut and the waters came. Will it be any different when Jesus comes? People laugh, mock and ridicule what Jesus stood for. People have no time for Jesus. But a day will come, much like the flood, and then it will be too late.

Second, this section of Genesis tells us that “all the fountains of the great deep burst open.” Water came from above and below. The “bursting open” is what amazes me. From the ocean floors, from within the land, water didn’t trickle out, it burst out. Thinking this out, it sounds like massive earthquakes took place. Looking at a globe, the continents look like puzzle pieces that are so shaped that it appears that they fit together. In the creation account, in Genesis 1, we read, “Then God said, ’Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear” (9). The waters below the heavens are not in ONE PLACE today. We have the seven seas. There are massive lakes all around the world. There are islands. Could the bursting open imply the moving of land? If so, the landscape after the flood looked different than the land before the flood. Peter says the first world was destroyed by water. He then refers to the present world. If all this is true, Noah’s ride in the ark may not have been a smooth luxury ride. Violent earthquakes would cause large tsunamis, rapid death and a display of God’s judgment upon a sinful world.

Modern picture books about the ark shows animals sticking their heads out of windows, everyone is smiling and it’s just a pleasant boat ride. Don’t think so. I’m sensing some scary moments, a lot of praying, and a lot of wondering what was on the other side of that door.

It’s hard to imagine that massive door. God closed it. On the inside, was faith, righteousness and life. On the outside, was terror, condemnation, and death. One door separated life from death. Which side of the door a person was on, made all the difference. It was not a matter of getting in the right line. The choices in life, determined which side of the door one was on. Noah chose God. The world didn’t. Noah chose to live righteously. The world didn’t. Noah walked with God. The world walked in their own ways. Then a door was shut. Inside, life. Outside, death.

That image is exactly what is taking place today. We are, by our choices, either on the inside with God or on the outside with the world. The world is having a blast. Partying, laughing, indifferent to a massive door that separates them from the righteous. The pleas to come to Christ are ignored. Too busy. Having too much of a good time. Dancing with Satan, the fun will someday stop when the Lord closes the door. Then it will be too late. It will be too late for sermons. It will be too late to go to church. It will be too late to “find God.” It will simply be too late. On one side of the door will be life. On the other side will be death. The story of Noah will be repeated. Instead of water, it will be the fires of judgment.

Which side of the door are you on?

Roger

Jump Start # 1802

Genesis 6:22 “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

This week we are taking a look at Noah and the flood. A recent trip to the Ark Exhibit in northern Kentucky displays a life size replica of the ark. It is amazing. Our verse today, proclaiming that Noah did all that God commanded, doesn’t surprise us. Similar statements are sprinkled throughout the flood account. Noah was a righteous man and righteous people do all that God commands. It’s hard to be “right” when you don’t do what God says. Those that built the replica of the ark knew the size and proportions of the ark, because Noah did what God said. There were three decks. There was a door. There were rooms inside. There were provisions for Noah and the animals.

Through the years, this example of Noah has been a standard to use to show people the importance of obeying God and Bible authority. The ark was to be made of gopher wood. The ark was to be so many cubits long, wide and high. The ark was God’s design. The ark was God’s idea. What was to go into the ark was determined by God.

There are some lessons:

God didn’t build the ark, Noah did. God provided the information, but Noah had to do it. It took Noah a long time. The ark is huge. There is a parallel to today’s church. God will give the increase and the church will grow but we have to do it. We have to teach. We have let our lights shine. We have to spread the word. We have to invite. God didn’t build the ark for Noah. God won’t grow the church without us.

Noah is praised for doing all that God commanded. Noah understood. Noah knew that when God said something, He wanted it done that way. Our verse states that Noah did ALL that God commanded. It’s that word “All” that gets folks today. Some get pretty close. So do a lot of what God says. But that’s not the same as “doing all.” I am amazed at how many mainline denominations are now flirting with the Catholic faith. There was a time historically when major lines were drawn and there remained huge distinctions. A large Christian church in our area had an ash Wednesday service. From the outside, it looks like the Christian church is dating the Catholic church. Why? Was this some new revelation from Heaven? Was this an attempt to attract and keep Catholic folks? Are we so interested in numbers and size and revenues that we forget to do all that God commanded?

We know the ark had three decks. How do you know that? God commanded that and Noah did all that God commanded. We know the ark had a window and a door? Where do you get that? God commanded and Noah did all that God commanded.

If we took Noah’s example and used that for a model for the church, then we could in modern times have a replica of the original church. We know that the early church had the Lord’s Supper on Sunday. We know the Lord’s Supper consisted of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. We know that the early church raised money by the members giving. We know that the early church sang hymns. They prayed. They had preaching. When we use that model and format, we can build a worship like God intended. We can do ALL that God commanded.

It is right here that we start to have issues. Some will say, “God didn’t say you can’t bring in a banjo.” That’s correct. He didn’t say that. Why can’t we have a banjo to go along with our hymns? Why couldn’t Noah have brought along a few extra dogs or put in one more window? There’s no harm in a few extra dogs? God didn’t say “You can’t bring your favorite pet.” Noah did all that God commanded. It’s that simple. Did God command it? If He did, Noah did it. If God didn’t command it, Noah didn’t do it. So, why can’t the kids at church have a car wash and raise some extra money for the church? They’d have fun and it would help the church out and we’d be serving the community. This is how we moderns think. We reason too much. We try and try to force a square peg into that round hole. Give us enough time and we’ll get it in there. We work this angle and that angle. We try and try. What’s wrong with having a place for the teens to play ball on a Friday night? Why can’t the church build something for them? It would be great for them and it would serve the community. Why can’t we have a soup kitchen in the building to feed poor people? It would do us good and it would serve the community. Why can’t we have a school connected to the church? We could offer classes through high school and our kids could get a Bible based conservative teaching. It would help our kids and we could serve the community.

Why can’t we do just what God said? Why can’t we do all that God commanded? We try to make things that God has not commanded right by saying, “it will do good and it will help the community.” What the community would like the most, is for a church to quit following God. Sing, dance, party, have a good time and never, ever demand obedience to God. That’s what the community wants. How about asking, instead of “we could serve the community,” we could serve God!

No one believes that Noah built a smaller boat that was attached to the ark. Why don’t we believe this? Because Noah did all that God commanded. God never commanded a second boat. No one believes that Noah snuck some friends on the ark. He hid them as stowaways. Why? Noah did all that God commanded.

The problem today is that we are not content with what God has said. We feel that God has left some things out, needs improving or at the worst, we think that we know a better way than God does. To worship as the early church did would be declared “boring” my most today. To grow a church by simply teaching and inviting won’t work, the experts tell us. You have to have this and that to survive today. Change this. Change that. Had Noah listened to moderns, the ark would have looked like a Disney Cruise ship. Cool, everyone would say. I’ll get that boat! Mickey, Donald and Noah. Party on the seas! Fun times. Someone to take our photo. Someone to make the cute animal features out of towels. Mickey waffles for breakfast. Movies at night. Fun. Fun. Fun.

Noah did all that God commanded. The ark wasn’t a cruise trip around the world. The flood was God’s wrath against a world that no longer listened or obeyed God. The flood was death. The flood was tears. The flood was starting all over with creation. Put away the Mickey ears. Noah was a righteous man who walked with God. Those are God’s words.

God said and Noah did. For that reason, Noah was allowed on the ark. When are we going to understand this? When are we going to listen to what God has said and be satisfied with that? When are we going to have enough faith to trust that God knows what He is doing?

When, if ever, are we going to be like Noah, and do all that God commands?

Roger

Jump Start # 1801

Genesis 6:6 “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

I went and saw the ark last Saturday. I can only imagine people saying this thousands of years ago as Noah was constructing the original ark. About an hour from where I live, a life sized replica of the ark has been built. It is amazing. I would recommend this as a must see. It’s expensive to go through, but so are amusement parks and the thoughts, faith and things you will learn is well worth the price. We read the words in Genesis, but it is hard to visualize how large the ark was. It took Noah 100 years to build it. When I saw the replica, I would have thought it took at least 500 years. It is massive. There are some liberties taken with the design and the interior. We are not told specifics. Modern engineers shaped the replica with a design that they thought made sense for floating and not spinning in circles. The interior has cages and storage and a system to feed the animals, collect fresh water and to deal with animal waste. Looking inside one thinks that God must have told Noah more details than just what Moses wrote centuries later. The ark exhibit deals with the kinds of animals, ice ages, flood legends and modern fairy tale concepts of the ark. It is impressive.

Our verse today, is the reason behind the flood. The flood wasn’t the result of weather systems or other unique and unusual conditions. The flood was the wrath of God against sinful man. The context tells us that the wickedness of man was great and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was evil continually. Always bad. Always wicked. Always wrong.

Noah was different. Noah is said to be righteous, blameless and walking with God. Noah didn’t fit in the world he lived in. Years later, Lot experienced this concerning the city of Sodom. Lot is called righteous. What he heard and saw “Vexed” his soul. Square pegs in a round world, that’s Noah. That’s Lot. And in many ways, that’s us. We don’t fit in.

I wonder how our times compares to Noah’s. Are we to the point that every thought is evil continually? We have nothing other than a few statements centuries after the flood to show how wicked the world was. The daily news reminds us of how wicked out times are. Men want to marry men. Men want to go into women’s bathrooms. Drugs. Violence. Hatred. Prejudice. Lying. Abortion. Selfishness. Fewer and fewer are satisfied with God’s word and God’s ways. As one of our hymns begins, “Troublesome times are here…”

This week, we are going to send some time with Noah. There are many lessons for us.

Notice three things today:

1. Sin hurts God. God was grieved and God was sorry that He had made man. This was not turning out the way God wanted it to. He was hoping for a close, dependent and loving relationship with mankind. Instead, man turned his back on God. Man ignored God. Man did the very thing that God did not want. It’s easy to see what sin does to a person or even a family. We see the carnage left behind because of sin. Divorce. Empty lives. Innocent hurt. Addictions. Fear and worry. What we don’t see is what sin does to God. It breaks His heart. A person cannot say, “It’s my life, I can do what I want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Wrong. Doing what you want, hurts God. It mars, tarnishes and destroys your relationship with God. Fellowship with God is broken because of sinful choices. To say my choices do not hurt anyone, is foolish and lacking Biblical understanding. Look what the sins in Noah’s day did to God. It upset Him so much that He was through with them. He had run out of patience with them.

God not only punished the sinners, but He wiped the creation clean. He started all over. Noah became the second Adam. When Noah left the ark, it was like Adam in the garden. God’s wrath not only killed the sinful world, it destroyed families. Don’t you think that there were babies around when Noah built the ark. There are always babies around. The ark exhibit estimates what the population may have been in Noah’s day. These estimates are based upon population growth rates. There are conservative estimates as well as very generous estimates. The number is staggering. Millions and millions of people. Children. Babies. Innocent animals. All wiped off the face of the earth. All mankind, except Noah, cast into eternity. The children were spared growing up and becoming sinful like their parents. The children would rest in the safety of the Savior. God was stopping the continuation of sin and the spread of sin through generations.

2. Noah remained blameless and righteous for a long time. The world didn’t change Noah. The world got worse, but Noah remained righteous. This wasn’t for a week or even a month. Noah was 500 years old when God revealed His plans for the ark and the flood. Plenty of time for Noah to blend in with the world, but he didn’t. Plenty of time for Noah to justify the wrongs of the world, but he didn’t. Toleration wasn’t the spirit of Noah. He was blameless. This is what God’s shepherds are to be today in the church. Noah was righteous. He was right with God. Noah walked with God. I expect Noah had family that didn’t make it on the ark. Did he have brothers, cousins, uncles, in-laws? None of them were on the ark. Noah was different than the world he lived in. He was probably viewed as the old fuddy-duddy who was against all fun. Noah wouldn’t party with his neighbors. Noah wouldn’t go to “church” with his friends. Noah stuck to God’s ways and he wouldn’t take a step away.

That’s amazing. It makes us wonder, would God have seen me that way? Am I living blamelessly and righteously today? Would God spare me or would He see that I am not that much different than the world around me? It’s a serious thought. Maybe it’s time we started living and walking with God. Don’t go along with all the junk that the world is engaged in today. Don’t laugh at things that are wrong. Don’t excuse sin. Don’t build bridges to tolerate sin. Live righteously. You’ll be different. Noah was. You may be mocked, laughed at and told that you are out of touch. But consider this, all these centuries later, we are writing about righteous Noah. We can’t name one of his neighbors. Noah is remembered in eternity. The rest, had a good time, they thought, but now are abandoned by God forever.

3. Noah didn’t give up on the world. Peter tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. While Noah built, he preached. To be a preacher implies there is an audience to hear you. People probably stopped by to see what this massive thing Noah was building. Noah used the opportunity to warn them about God and to seek God. Today, Noah’s preaching would be considered a failure. He didn’t fit the mode of church growth experts. Many churches wouldn’t hire Noah to be their preacher. He preached how long and only his kids listened? God saw Noah differently. He didn’t fail. He wasn’t out of touch. He was a man of God.

Hundreds of years later, when God was recalling righteous people, found in Ezekiel, three names come up. Daniel, Job and Noah. Righteous. Blameless. Walking with God.

We can’t give up on the world either. We must preach. We must warn. We must tell. No one will listen, some say. Think about Noah. No one will come, think about Noah. We must not give up.

Noah’s ark—what a great and powerful lesson for us.

Roger