This past Sunday everyone at Compass received a bookmark with certain questions to guide them as they read. This post is an example of how to take today's reading and apply those questions. Hope it helps!
Is there a promise to claim? Claim it.
Genesis 8:1- "But God remembered Noah & all the wild animals & livestock with him in the boat."
Genesis 8:21- "And the LORD was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though people's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood."
Genesis 9:8-17- "Then God told Noah and his sons, "I am making a covenant with you and your descendants, and with the animals you brought with you—all these birds and livestock and wild animals. I solemnly promise never to send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth." And God said, "I am giving you a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this is the sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth."
Is there a sin to confess? Confess it.
Genesis 8:21- "I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though people's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood."
Genesis 9:5-6- "And murder is forbidden. Animals that kill people must die, and any person who murders must be killed. Yes, you must execute anyone who murders another person, for to kill a person is to kill a living being made in God's image." (See Matthew 5 about murder)
Is there something to thank or praise God for? Thank or praise him.
Genesis 7:5- "So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him."
Genesis 7:16- "Then the Lord closed the door behind them."
Genesis 8:1- "But God remembered Noah & all the wild animals & livestock with him in the boat."
Genesis 8:19- "So Noah, his wife, & his sons & their wives left the boat."
Genesis 8:21- "And the LORD was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things."
Genesis 9:11- "I solemnly promise never to send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth."
Is there a command to obey? Ask for the grace to obey it.
Genesis 7:1- "When everything was read, the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous."
Genesis 7:5- "So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him."
Genesis 9:1- "Then God blessed Noah & his sons & told them, "Be fruitful & multiply. Fill the earth."
What does it say?
This passage is the account of the flood. Noah is the only righteous man on the earth. The whole earth. The ark is done & God commands him & his family to enter the ark. They enter & God closes the door. They are preserved in the ark even though the water rises above even the highest peaks. God commands Noah's family to leave the ark & repopulate the earth. "Be fruitful & multiply" God says. The animals too are included in this command. God makes a promise & covenant with Noah & his family that he will never again destroy the world or it's contents again.
Noah develops a vineyard & uses the grapes to get drunk. His son walks in on him while he is naked & he curses his grandson because of it.
Why is it here?
In the big picture, it's clear that God preserves his people in the midst of a crooked generation. God's redemptive plan is not derailed by the sinfulness of man. It's astonishing that Noah is the only righteous man on the planet. Noah was obedient to everything the Lord commanded him to do. This too is amazing. Noah's unwavering obedience in the midst of a continually wicked generation. Noah could have done what everyone else was doing. He could have refused to follow the Lord like everyone else. Instead, he stands alone. He & his family alone are saved. They are preserved in the ark from the flood. God's wrath has been poured out on the earth & the ark is Noah's salvation. Without the ark they would have perished in the wrath of God. Christ, in this way, is pictured in the ark. Without him, we are destined to be crushed by the wrath of a holy God. We are continually unrighteous all the time & without Christ we are destined to perish for eternity. We see God's covenant preserved with Noah. No matter where God's people find themselves, God's covenant is everlasting. He preserves, he saves.
The real passage that puzzles us as to why it's here is the one following the flood. Noah plants a vineyard & gets drunk, laying naked in his tent. One of his sons sees his father naked, while the other cover him up. The other two cover their father so as to avoid seeing their father. This is strange to us and our culture, especially seeing that Noah pronounces a curse because of it.
The real shame to me here is the fact that he is just experienced God's deliverance & salvation only to get drunk & hurt his family. Experiencing God's favor & successes does not guarantee that we no longer need him or will live in perfection. Being righteous & being perfect are not the same. Even though we are his, we still need him every day. We are still fallen & in need of a Savior everyday, not just the day we come to know him for the first time.
How do I need to adjust my life to it?
I need to have more of an unwavering heart like Noah. He obeyed God fully, consistently, & immediately. He obeyed every command God gave him to do. How quick am I to obey him? How easy is it for me to delay obedience to him? Delayed obedience is camouflage disobedience.
Also, I need to be reminded of how God preserved my life from his wrath, which I fully deserve, because of being hidden in his Son. I need to be reminded that his covenant with his people is everlasting & if we are his, we are preserved in him.
I need to be reminded to be fruitful & multiply, to spread God's image & glory around the world. Not just in having offspring, but taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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