Let me start with an observation from yesterday's reading.
As I lay in bed this morning, pondering yesterday's reading on the story of Noah, I was once again reminded of the fact that God always protects His people, those who walk with Him. Though our entire world may crumble and fall, it may be totally and utterly destroyed (look at the situation of our nation and economy today), God WILL keep and protect His people. One more quick thought... He will even tell us what is to come, if we walk with him and listen.
Now, on to today's reading...
Genesis 7:1 - 10:32
Water, Water, Everywhere... (I hope the boards don't shrink)
The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
Here I saw something that I have never thought of before... God told Noah to take 2 of every kind of unclean animal, 7 of the clean animals, and 7 of every kind of bird. There is a footnote that states that God was telling him to take 2 "PAIR", male and female and 7 "PAIR", male and female. I have always just thought that it was 2, 1 male and 1 female.
Interesting to think about!
I wonder...
Noah, his family, and the animals were on the ark for between 1 year 10 days and 1 year 17 days. I am really not sure if went into the ark on the day that God gave the command, or if it took Noah the 7 days to get all of the animals, etc., on the ark. Nevertheless, it is a long time to be shut up in a boat with a bunch of animals! Can you imagine the stench?
The Heart of a Father, Father God...
Genesis 8:20-21
The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
When all was said and done, I can immagine Noah's heart to be swollen with thankfulness to God for his hand of protection and provision. To thank God, Noah built an altar and offered burnt sacrifices to God. This touched God's heart deeply. He was so pleased with both the offering and the Noah's heart that He made a promise to never destroy the earth again. Even though man may be evil, God promised never to do it again.
Oh, the heart of a Father!
God is a good God!
Have you ever thought about this?
Genesis 9:12-16
And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
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| Picture of a rainbow taken from an airplane |
God placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant to never destroy the earth again. If you have ever seen a rainbow from the sky, what you likely saw was a rainbow in a "full circle". I like to think of it this way... the top of the rainbow, the part that we see from the earth, is OUR reminder of God's covenant. The bottom of the rainbow, the part that God would see (visible from the sky), is a reminder to God of His covenent to us.
My heart was truly touched when I read verse 16 when God said, "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures...".
God put a reminder in the heavens for HIMSELF!!!!
Love covers a multitude of sins...
Genesis 9:20-23
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.
When Ham found his father in a drunken sleep, naked and uncovered in his tent, he went to his brothers, Shem and Japheth, and told them. Instead of covering the nakedness of his father Ham revealed it to his brothers. Now, when Shem and Japheth learned of their father’s nakedness they backed into the tent, so they would not see his nakedness, and covered him. (Ham uncovered, revealed, his father's nakedness while Shem and Japheth covered his nakedness.)
In looking at this on a deeper level what I see is that if we find someone in error ("naked" in their humanity, their sin) we should not go around "spreading the news", in essence uncovering them. We should love them; we should not try to see them in their sin (back into the tent); we should respectfully cover them, and seek to help them turn from the error of their ways.
This principle is especially true when we deal with authority that God has put in place (ie: Noah, the spiritual head and priest of his family). If God is big enough and God enough to call that person to the place of authority, then He is big enough and God enough to correct that person in authority when they are in error. Please understand, I AM NOT giving authority the right to walk in sin. What I am saying is that we are all human and we all sin. Instead of trying to destroy that person we need to treat them with dignity and respect, helping them turn from their wickedness back to the ways of God. Instead of trying to tear them down and destroy them, love them, cover them, and help them find restoration!
Blessings and Curses...
Genesis 9:24-27
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."
He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave."
Yes, it is true!
There are blessings for doing right and there are curses for doing wrong.
When Noah found out what his sons had done he blessed Shem and Japheth, they covered him. Hold on, it doesn't stop there! There was a curse for Ham's uncovering of Noah's nakedness. However the curse was on Ham's son, Noah's grandson. There is something of note here... When we do wrong the consequences don't necessarily stop with us; They can go on to future generations!
What a mighty God we serve
Angels bow before Him
Heaven and earth adore Him
What a mighty God we serve
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