Genesis 9

This chapter introduces the very important Biblical principle of "covenant", which is an unbreakable contract you make with another person or group.   It is so binding, that if one person breaks it, the penalty is death.  I counted the word "covenant" 7 times in this chapter...very emphatic.  After God smelled "the soothing aroma" of Noah's sacrifice, he promised never again to wipe out life with a flood, even though "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."  (verse 8:21)  This is the first of 5 covenants that God made with man (we later call this the Noahic Covenant.)  And a covenant is usually accompanied by gift giving to commemorate the event and act as reminder.  So God gave us the gift of a rainbow which reminds us of His bargain, His contract, His promise.

I'm reminded how God must grieve when we chose to live apart from Him.  That He was soothed by Noah's sacrifice which represented obedience, repentance, honor, restored fellowship.

God needed soothing.

This is such a hard thing for me to grasp...that all powerful, sovereign, creator God has a soft side.  And yet I see it throughout scripture that He hurts when we don't want Him....when we turn away and walk defiantly with our own plan.  "The Lord said in His heart,  I will never again curse the ground for man's sake...." (8:21)  In His heart....God's heart....again, this soft side demonstrating regret, sadness, hurt, love.

One of the verses I pray for myself (really for y'all) is 3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."  But it just occurred to me that this is true of God as well.....how the Father has no greater joy than for his children to walk in the truth.

Living it today:  I will purpose today NOT to hurt God, but to bring Him joy.  I will focus on loving God with all MY heart, soul, mind and strength.

Living it yesterday:  Actually, I studied chapters 8 and 9 today so I'm still "living it today" from chapter 8.  I'll give you an update tomorrow on four chapters.

Genesis 8

Can you imagine being stuck on a large boat without a lot of light with thousands of stinky animals for over a year?   (From beginning to end, the Flood lasted one year and ten days.)  I'm guessing Noah and his family had no formal zoo keeper training before this event; I guess they had to settle for OJT....on the job training.  Of course, Noah was given a hundred year heads-up so maybe in between building the ark, he and his family began an observational zoology course.  But I can only imagine how ready they were to get off the ark.

Yet scripture lists a lot of "patient" words:  the waters receded "steadily"; the ark "rested"; "he waited yet another seven days".  How patient Noah had to be; he had to wait for the rains to stop, wait for the waters to recede, and wait for the ark to rest on dry ground.  He even waited for instructions to leave the ark.  Scripture is full of teaching on the importance of waiting on the Lord.

"The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness."  Psalm 147:11

Living it today:  I will wait on the Lord today.  I will not make hasty decisions.  I will remember that "when in doubt, don't".  God often makes us wait to show His greater glory (as in the Lazarus story).  He may have a much better solution if I will listen to the Spirit telling me to wait before I act on something.

Living it yesterday:  I had several opportunities yesterday to remember the bigness of God.  He truly does prevail and is in control.  It was especially comforting to be pondering those thoughts when MG called to say she was in a ditch on the mountain.  I know y'all don't get this, but a parent never wants to get a phone call from an emotional child saying she's run off the road (sorry MG...I know you were OK in 5 minutes...nothing shakes you up for long:)  The cool God thing was how I'm stuck without a car, Dad is on the other end of town, Madison, who could have used his car's wench, had just left going the opposite direction, and I can't get any guy to answer their phone who could get their quickly to help you, and it's 5:00 traffic going over Hugh Daniel...BUT.... God planned for a good Samaritan to drive by minutes later (apparently a cute one:) to pull you right out and the car was drivable.  God prevails; He's in control.  

Genesis 7

One more time, God tells Noah that he alone will be spared with his family because he alone is righteous....the only ONE on the planet.  And the animals "went into the ark to Noah".  It doesn't sound like Noah had to catch or trap them does it?  I've never noticed this before, but verse 10 says they and the animals were in the ark seven days before the flood started.  Why would God make them wait around with all those animals, ready to go, for a week?  Could He have been testing Noah?  Was Noah tempted to get off?  Did he feel foolish and wonder if he had misunderstood?  Were friends and family making fun of Noah like we've seen in children's books and videos?  The Bible doesn't answer that, but isn't it interesting that God closed the door later in verse 16?  Was God giving people one last week to repent?  One last chance?  We know Noah was preaching, and surely they noticed a parade of wild animals walking into the ark.  Scripture tells us that God so desires the salvation of men.  The ark was such a great picture of salvation.....the one way to escape God's judgement.....one door.

"Jesus said, 'I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved."  John 10:9

This reminds me that I will rewarded for my faithfulness if I stand alone in a crowd, but my reward may not be immediate.  But God's timing is perfect. And God is so loving and willing to give chance after chance to follow Him...but those chances eventually run out.

Living it today:  If given the opportunity today, I will be outspoken in my defense of the Gospel.

Living it yesterday:  It was interesting how many times during the day I had turn off the radio and watch what I said.  If you really think about filtering everything by a Philippians 4:8 standard, it's amazing how much more positively you speak to other people.  Since the Olympics are on, I did't really have to "filter" any TV.  It's interesting how much less stress my mind felt not listening to or thinking about negative news or non-Christian music.....wait, wait....I didn't say you had to do this!  But it did seem to be a more peaceful day; I had a lot of clarity of thought:)

Genesis 6

God is so "grieved" by the "wickedness of man", his "corruptness", and "the earth filled with violence" that He decides to wipe man out and start over.  I am struck by verse 5 which describes "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."  How important is my thought life?  Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh, so he is."  My thoughts and what I put in my mind will guide my actions.  If I fill my mind with ungodly things, I will be anxious, confused, discontent, maybe even "violent" and "corrupt".  If I fill my mind with godly thoughts, I will be peaceful, loving, content.  I remember Kay Arthur used to say, "shake down every thought with Philippians 4:8":

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."    This is quite a high standard isn't it?

In spite of the heaviness of this chapter, there is hope.  One man was "just", "perfect in his generations" and "walked with God":  Noah.  His faithfulness gained him favor and salvation, not just for himself but for his family.  I remember David preaching on personal purity a while back and how our personal sin affects those around us; conversely, our personal holiness affects those around us.  The scripture doesn't say Noah's wife, sons and daughters-in-law were "walking with God".  Yet, they were all saved because of his faithfulness.

That is convicting to me.  That my personal sin, unconfessed sin, sin that I don't deal with, detramentaly affects my friends and family.  But my "walk with God" affects them toward salvation.  What a powerful truth.

Everything in the Bible, all promises and truths, is based on the idea of "covenant."  An unbreakable promise of provision, protection and relationship with God.  This is the first mention of covenant in the Bible and it's given to the only faithful man on Earth.  God notices our actions....

"The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."  2 Chronicles 16:9

Will we be faithful men and women of God when everyone else is compromising??  God revealed His plans and promises to Noah because he feared God and walked in obedience.  Don't we want to be on God's plan?

"The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant."
Psalm 25:14      Very cool.

Living it today:  To live differently, to walk with God and be a positive influence on those around me, I will guard my mind today, and before I watch TV, read online articles, or speak, I will give it the Philippians 4:8 shake down:  Is it true? honorable? right? pure? lovely? of good repute? excellent?

Living it yesterday:  Thinking about the whole genealogy thing, I thought about how faithful Mom and Dad were to take me to an amazing church with Godly, wonderful teachers who loved me and trained me to follow God.  When Mom called, it prompted me to take them some tomatoes from the garden and visit a while.  What a blessing it was for me and them.  Thank you, Lord.  Your Word is soooo good to guide me day by day.

*****If you are interested in a fascinating ark article, read this....

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark

Genesis 5

"In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God."  (verse 1)  Once again, I am reminded that people are different from animals because we are made in God's "likeness."  In the original language, it means "resemblance, model, shape, manner"; like God, we have intellect, the ability to reason, a will and emotions.  Like God, we are spiritual beings. We have a soul, which allows us to have a relationship with God.  A soul allows us to live forever after our bodies are dead.  Animals do not have a soul; we couldn't have evolved from animals.

I also notice that God named us collectively:  "He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created." (verse 2)  Naming someone was a big deal because it showed your authority over the one named.  Adam was given the privilege of naming the animals, showing his "dominion" over the Earth (1:28).  God naming man was God's final stamp of authority over His creation.  I think it further established a universal hierarchy or chain of command.

This chapter also gives us the genealogy of Adam to Noah (Adam had many lines of children, but this is the one godly line that we get in detail), and we see just how long people were living.  I have read many theories about why people lived such a long time, but how can we really know?  I accept the fact that somehow, pre-flood conditions on Earth were favorable for very long life. And because Adam's sons and daughters lived so long, the Earth would have been quickly populated.
The Bible doesn't tell us exactly how many children Adam and Eve had, but the famous Jewish historian Josephus (about the time of Christ) states that tradition attributes them with 33 sons and 23 daughters. And yes, originally, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews must have married.  It is not until the time of Moses, over two thousand years later, that such unions were forbidden.  This is a BIG issue today, and one that we need to be able to understand and articulate.  A great article for later reference is "Cain's Wife-Who Was She?" by Ken Ham (Do you remember the fascinating Australian guy we heard at one of our homeschool conventions years ago?)  This is the link...

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/who-was-cains-wife

One final thought:  I notice on one of my cool Bible charts that Adam's life would have overlapped slightly with Lamech's life (Noah's father.)  It appears that Lamech would have been in his 60s when Adam finally died; surely Lamech would have spent time with his great, great, great, great, great, great, great Grandfather Adam (7 greats/8 generations back).  And I can imagine that since ancient people had such rich oral histories (picture story telling around the camp fire), that Lamech would have heard some amazing accounts from Grandfather Adam.  The FIRST man telling about walking with God, living in a once perfect world.  I'm guessing that Adam must have had rock-star status in the minds of many.  I imagine Lamech and the other grandchildren asking him many questions over and over:  What was it like to live there?  To see the first woman and later, the first baby?  To name the animals and play with them?  To live differently because of the curse?  To see things being built and invented?

Would Lamech have told Noah about the family history?  I would think so since Lamech, "called his name Noah, saying, 'This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed." (verse 29)  Noah must have been very influenced by his rich heritage to live a godly life.  Noah's great grandfather Enoch was so godly that God "took him"; he didn't die.

Living it today:  Hmmm, lots to ponder.  There is a chain of command in the universe and I've been given the privilege of working under, serving alongside and communing with the Creator.  I am special.  You are special.  I must live today in light of that awesome truth.  Will my line be one that carries on a rich, godly heritage?  I purpose to teach on!

Living it yesterday:  Only an hour after finishing the mastering anger/sin post, I was given the opportunity to act on my resolve when Garrett waited until late Friday night to be sure he had the right uniform shorts that he needed for soccer camp the next morning.  And I had been told much earlier that everything had been located.  And we stayed up until 1:00 AM looking and they were never found. (Sorry Garrett, just keeping it real for the purpose of sharing my teachable moment:)  How did I do?  Did I master my anger or did I give in and sin?  Well, let's just say God was definitely at work and my demeanor was much calmer than it would have been.  Thank you, Lord for preparing me and keeping me from saying or doing things I would have really regretted later.  

Genesis 4

What was it like to have lived in an absolute paradise?  What was it like to be kicked out of paradise, now toiling and sweating to produce food from a now cursed Earth growing thorns and thistles?  The regret and despair must have been overwhelming at times.  I wonder what Adam and Eve told the children about their first home?  Their rebellion?  Their one act of disobedience that forever changed their lives and future generations?  The fall of man in chapter 3 was devastating, but things don't improve much in the beginning of chapter 4.

Cain's offering wasn't acceptable to God, but Abel's offering was accepted.  Apparently, Cain didn't follow God's instructions for making a proper offering, it was rejected, and he "became very angry and his countenance fell." (verse 5)  Now I recall the last time I noticed the word "very", it was used to really emphasize the incredible completion of creation:  "it was very good".  For Cain to be described as "very angry" with a fallen ("to be overcome with emotion" in the original language) countenance, he must have been a fuming, steaming, raging mess.

And God the loving Father counseled him and gave him another chance to present the right offering.  "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?"  "Do well" in the Hebrew means "to make pleasing" and "be lifted up" means "exaltation in rank or character; dignity; excellency." Isn't that just like the Lord to gently give us another chance to make things right and then totally restore our dignity and sense of well-being?

And God the loving Father also counsels him about the consequences of not doing "well" by giving him a vivid word picture:  "Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." Now I have always heard that "crouching" in this verse meant like a lion or predator, ready to devour.  (I'm sure I have actually given at least one of you this example, emphasizing the importance of controlling your anger.)  And it may mean that, which really makes the word picture intense.  But when I looked up the word "crouching", its "rabats" which means "to rest, sit, recline, lie down" and even "on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal".  Hmmm....that doesn't sound like an animal about to attack.

OK....pause....since I am not a language scholar and you are not language scholars, sometimes word meaning is just plain tricky and not clearly understood for the text.  OK...I confess...it is often unclear.  BUT....I can still glean a lot of insight from thinking about possible meanings and applications as long as I don't stray far from the original intent.  What can I say?  You know I love words.  So.....

If crouching means "to recline", maybe the point is that sin is waiting "at the door" but isn't through the door yet.  It's right there, ready to walk on in, but I can "master it."  I just have to "do well"....take a deep breath, calm down and make it right...."make it pleasing."

Living it today:  Being angry is just a glorified form of discontentment with God.  I am not happy because I am not getting my way.  I will master my anger today and look for God's plan in that moment.

Living it yesterday:  Not five minutes after I finished writing the Genesis 3 post, your dad called and told me we had to pay for a very expensive, unexpected car repair....thank you, Lord for preparing me to be thankful.  Thank you that I can trust in Your provision for ALL things.

Genesis 3

Once again, I notice "Lord God" used a lot - 9 times.  But notice in verse 1 that satan does not use that title; as he questions God's instructions, he says to Eve, "Has God indeed said..." Obviously, satan refuses to acknowledge the Lord God's authority.  And as satan plants doubt in Eve's mind, she gets confused or doesn't have the courage to voice what she knows is true.  She actually adds to God's words when she claims not only can we not eat of the tree, but we can't touch it either.  God didn't say "no touching". I can almost hear the indignation in her voice....like how we get when someone mentions we didn't get something that we deserved.  I know how easily I can get bent out of shape thinking I'm owed something.  Like Eve, I might even add some extra detail to the "offense" to justify my complaining....and justify my actions.  I wonder if Eve had already been pondering why she couldn't have that fruit?  I think satan knows our areas of weakness, and will try to make us doubt God's goodness and provision....he wants us to think God is the bad guy......the mean, stingy father.  Verse 6 says Eve discovered 3 things about the tree:  1. It was good for food.  2. It was pleasant to the eyes.  3. It would give wisdom/all knowledge.

So from the beginning, like Adam and Eve (wimpy Adam ate too by the way), it is clear that I will be tempted to be dissatisfied with God by things (or people) that look good, feel good, and/or make me look important.

Thousands of years later, John writes in 1 John 2:15 and 16, "Do not love (delight in more than God) the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (feels good), the lust of the eyes (looks good) and the boastful pride of life (makes me look important) is not from the Father, but is from the world."

Sounds like the same list, doesn't it?  And this is convicting to me as I realize how often my mind ponders the things that would make my life more comfortable and pleasant.  Like Eve, I can be deceived (1 Timothy 2:14)/tricked into thinking that I can't be content with what God has given me.
And if I dwell on those things too long, it can lead to a seriously bad attitude or even sin if I disobey God to satisfy my desires.

So how do I battle discontentment?  Years ago, I remember my Bible teacher, Mrs. Yancy, used to say the Christian life is lived between the ears.  In other words, we live out what we think.  So if we think thankful thoughts, we tend to live in thankfulness which is how we combat discontent.  That Bible study group practiced living in thankfulness.  I remember they were always "thankin' the Lord" for not just good things but bad, difficult things and the lessons God was teaching them.  They lived with an attitude of gratitude which really amazed me.  But when we look at scripture, it is full of "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, even the Father." (Ephesians 5:20)

Even my life verses from Philippians 4 say that when I make requests, that I am to be thankful first.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (verse 6)  If I do this, God promises his peace will guard my mind and heart. (verse 7)  So actively practicing thankfulness initiates a God "guard" over my mind.  You know I can't resist looking that up.

"Guard" in Greek is "phroureo" which means to keep watch like a military sentinel or actively display whatever defensive or offensive means are necessary to guard.

Living it today:  OK...I think that is a really awesome application.  Whenever I am actively thankful, even as I'm giving God my requests, I activate the God Guard on my mind.  Even if I'm NOT particularly thankful, if I speak and think thankfulness today, God...specifically the Holy Spirit in me....will swoop into action like a Navy seal or Auburn's awesome lineman to guard and protect my mind.  (Quite a word picture, right?)  I will practice thankfulness today and ask God to show me all His blessings in my life.