Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+15

 

Genesis 15 English Standard Version (ESV)

God’s Covenant with Abram

¹ After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” ² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” ⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” ⁵ And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

⁷ And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”⁸ But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” ⁹ He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. ¹¹ And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give  this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

 

REFLECTION

A childless Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. He believed God’s promise that he would have a son, but asked how he could know. He requested a sign, a supernatural verification that God would indeed fulfill the distant promise. His request shows that he was taking God seriously. God responded by making a covenant with Abram (vv. 9-12, 17).

God instructed Abram to split animals into halves, laying the parts against each other. As the blood of the animals (evidence of life) poured into the pathway, the signs of God’s presence moved between the pieces. God was mingling His life with the life of His creation. By participating in the ritual, God was putting His signature to seal the agreement. The covenant is a guarantee that God is working for us, in us, and often in spite of us, to fulfill His promises.

Review Abram’s life so far (Ch 12-15), what evidence do you find of Abram’s growing confidence in God? What do you think really makes your faith grow? Write down any specific events in your life that God has used to increase your faith. And thank God for them.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+14

 

Genesis 14 English Standard Version (ESV)

Abram Rescues Lot

¹ In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,² these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king ofZeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).⁴ Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.

⁸ Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. ¹¹ So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. ¹² They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

¹³ Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.¹⁴ When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶ Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

¹⁷ After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. ²¹ And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” ²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ²⁴ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

 

REFLECTION

Sometime later a powerful coalition of kings from Mesopotamia invaded Canaan and, in the process, took Lot captive. Abram retaliated with a surprise attack at night and recovered Lot and the possessions those kings had taken.

Upon his return to his home Abram received a blessing from Melchizedek, king of Salem, and he received an offer of reward by the king of Sodom, Bera (v. 2).

Abram declined to accept the reward because he did not want to tarnish God’s promised blessing of him. His realization that victory and possessions come from God alone enabled Abram to refuse gifts from the wicked but to wait for God to provide what He had promised.

If we believe that God will preserve and provide for His own as He has promised, we will be encouraged and empowered to decline worldly benefits and wait patiently and confidently for God’s blessings.

 

PRAYER

Father God, help me to know you and trust you with your promises. I pray that as a person and as a family, we can come together and be faithful and be committed to what you have taught us to do.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+13

 

Genesis 13 English Standard Version (ESV)

Abram and Lot Separate

¹ So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. ³ And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.⁵ And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, ⁶ so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, ⁷ and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

⁸ Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. ¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, ¹⁵ for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

 

REFLECTION

Though 12:10-20 displayed Abram’s weaknesses, Ch 13 and 14 illustrated Abram’s great character strengths

This chapter shows one of his strengths in his relationship with his nephew Lot. When the herds of each man increased so much that they had to part company, Abram gave Lot his choice of land. Abram, as the older man, has the right to choose the best land. He did not demand his rights, and it showed a non-contentious spirit and a confidence in God’s promise to take care of him.

God rewarded Abram with a reminder. All he could see in every direction from his position atop the hills was given to him and to his offspring forever. Lot’s momentary possession of the richest land paled to insignificance when compared to the covenant promise made by Abram’s God.

Thank God for His faithfulness in keeping promises, and ask Him to increase your faith while you wait to see your requests come to fruition.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+12

 

Genesis 12 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Call of Abram

¹ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

 

REFLECTION

The focus in Genesis now shifts from the race as a whole to a single man, Abram. The rest of the Old Testament is about Abram and his descendants.

God calls Abram into relationship and a new life with God begins.  The promise that follows assures Abram that when God makes such a radical command, his journey is not alone, but with God, who is leading him.  The text reminds us that these blessings are not acquired by our own effort, but are gifts from God – grace and blessing.

Abram had demonstrated his faith by obeying God’s command to leave his homeland (v1). As a result, we see the beginning of God’s great commitments to Abram. From the Bible, we learn that just as God is faithful to Abram, He is also faithful to all who exhibit Abram’s trust in the Lord.

What happens is that faith establishes a relationship with God.  Faith maintains that relationship.  It is an active trust in God and His promises that causes us to obey.  It’s clear in Abram’s life.  He believed God’s promises that he abandoned Ur and its wealth to live a nomadic life in a new land.  It was the promise, and faith in the promise, that freed Abram not only to obey God, but started him on a journey to become the unselfish, loyal, courageous, humble, and straightforward kind of person we can admire.

It must be this way with us that we must keep our eyes fixed on God and His promises to us.  Some of taught that God is like a vending machine; that when we push the right buttons, the power will flow.  This is wrong.

 

PRAYER

Lord, as I keep my heart fixed on you and your promises to me, help me trust in your mercy and faithfulness.  Let your overflowing grace enable me to obey and help me gladly obey your guidance all the way.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+11

 

Genesis 11 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

 

REFLECTION

Following the description of the dispersion of the people in chapter 10, we come to this story of “the Tower of Babel”.

The motivation for building a city was to make the builders a name. The object of this endeavor was to establish a center by which they might maintain their unity. God desired unity for humankind, but one that He created, not one founded on a social state. They wanted to “empower” themselves. Both motive and object were ungodly. God had instructed man to fill the earth (1:28), to spread over the whole planet.

The construction a tower by itself was not sinful. God chose Jerusalem for His people, and He will create the New Jerusalem for believers to inhabit. It is the pride and security that people place in their city that God disapproves. As a result, God confused their language so they can no longer understand each other. Can you imagine the scene on the construction site next morning when people couldn’t understand each other anymore? Likewise, there may be times God would change the directions of our lives.

Are you aware of God’s hand in the change of direction in your life?  What was it?  Was God’s hand gentle or heavy?  How did you take it?  Grateful or resistant?  Speak to Him through prayers and discuss these with those around you.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+10

 

Genesis 10 English Standard Version (ESV)

Nations Descended from Noah

10 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

² The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Javan: Elishah,Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. ⁵ From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.

⁶ The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. ⁷ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. ⁸ Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” ¹⁰ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and ¹² Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. ¹³ Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹⁴ Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), andCaphtorim.

¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, ¹⁶ and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁷ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. ¹⁹ And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

²¹ To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. ²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ²⁴ Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. ²⁵ To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁶ Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰ The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. ³¹ These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

³² These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

 

REFLECTION

This chapter contains one of the oldest, if not the oldest, ethnological table in the literature of the ancient world. It reveals a remarkable understanding of the ethnic and linguistic situation following the Flood. Almost all the names in this chapter have been found in archaeological discoveries in the last century and a half. Many of them appear in subsequent books of the Old Testament. It gives in some detail the distribution of Noah’s descendants over the earth after the Flood. Part of God’s plan to bring blessing to humankind involved dividing the human race by languages, territories, and nations.

In contrast to the genealogy in chapter 5, this one lists no ages. It contains place and group names as the ancestors, as well as names of individuals. God built nations from families. Thus it is quite clearly a selective list, not comprehensive.

Japheth’s descendants (vv. 2-5) settled north, east, and west of Ararat. Ham’s family (vv. 6-20) moved east, south, and southwest into Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Africa. Canaan’s descendants (vv. 15-21) did not migrate as far south but settled in Palestine. The length of these Hamite Canaanite lists indicates the importance of these people and places in Israel’s later history. Shem’s posterity (vv. 21-31) settled to the northeast and southeast of the Canaanites. This branch of the human family is also important in the Genesis record of Israel’s history.

In documenting the ancestry of the people, we see the importance of the family. 2 Timothy 1:5 tells us that: “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” We see that faith, in this case, was passed down from generation to generation intentionally. This is very important as a church that focuses on the family. How has God called you to continue this faith in your family?

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+9

 

Genesis 9 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ² The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. ⁴ But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. ⁵ And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

⁶ “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.

⁷ And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹ “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

 

REFLECTION

After the flood, at this new beginning of the human family, God again commanded Noah and his sons to fill the earth with their descendants (v. 1; cf. 1:28; 9:7). As with Adam, He also gave them dominion over the animals and permission to eat food with only one prohibition, not to eat animal blood. This is to instill in them respect for the sacredness of life, since blood is a symbol of life.

God also established a covenant with Noah and his descendants. “Covenant” is a vitally important Old Testament word which indicates a formal, legally binding commitment. In fact, this is a pure promise that God promised to bless humanity with faithfulness, and He prohibited murder. He also promised with a sign that He would never to destroy all flesh with a flood of water again. God appointed rainbow as the sign to remind and guarantee people of this promise.

­­God makes this first covenant with man as unconditional as it is undeserved. It is pure promise! There is no “ifs”. Instead God simply said, “I now make a commitment to you and your descendants. Never again. Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Whatever humanity may do, God remains committed to this promise made to Noah.

The rainbow is a reminder to God of this specific covenant promise. But the rainbow reminds us of the character of God and the nature of our relationship with Him.

Each time we see a rainbow, we are reminded that God is the God of promise, the God of grace. The rainbow reminds us that God comes to us with promises, not demands; that God in grace makes commitments to us that do not depend on our performance. We may fail God, but God will never fail us.

 

 

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your promises that you have made through Jesus Christ. Even though I know that I continue to make mistakes and at times unfaithful, I pray that you will forgive me and that I will have strength through Jesus to live in a worthy manner to your calling.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+8

 

Genesis 8 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Flood Subsides

¹ But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. ² The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, ³ and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, ⁴ and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶ At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made ⁷ and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. ⁸ Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. ⁹ But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. ¹⁰ He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. ¹¹ And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. ¹² Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

¹³ In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. ¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶ “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

God’s Covenant with Noah

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.²² While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

 

REFLECTION

After a year in the ark, Noah emerged to offer a sacrifice to God and worship Him. At the time God made a solemn commitment never again to destroy all living creatures. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (v22)

The faithful response to God’s saving activity is always worship.  Worship is the focal point of this new relationship.  At the pleasing smell of sacrifices God promises never to destroy the earth again because of the sin of humankind.

How has God’s grace been evident throughout this passage? How has His grace been evident in your life lately?

What aspect of Noah’s example—his obedience, faith, courage, endurance—is most meaningful to you in a situation you are facing?

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+7

 

Genesis 7 English Standard Version (ESV)

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, ³ and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” ⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. ⁷ And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. ⁸ Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. ¹² And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³ On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. ¹⁵ They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. ¹⁶ And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

¹⁷ The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. ¹⁸ The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. ¹⁹ And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. ²⁰ The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. ²¹ And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. ²² Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. ²³ He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. ²⁴ And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

 

REFLECTION

Noah did everything just as God had commanded him. Note that this phrase is repeated 3 times in this chapter.  Noah may not be aware of the rationale and all the implications of God’s commands.

The author of Hebrews commended Noah as a man of faith: “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land.  He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told” (Heb 11:7).

Have you had the experience where you were commanded to do something that you do not fully comprehend? What was your attitude? Did you do as commanded? What was the consequence? Can you also think of an example such as this from God?

 

PRAYER

Lord, I am grateful for this account of your obedient servant Noah who trusted you enough to honor you and obey you even when your instructions didn’t seem to make sense.  Thank you for the way this great ark typifies the grace of Christ who delivered us from the flood of sin and death.  Grant me humility and obedience even when your will doesn’t make sense to me.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Genesis+6

 

Genesis 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Increasing Corruption on Earth

¹ When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. ²¹ Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” ²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

 

REFLECTION

In Chapter 5, we read that “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (5:24) Here, in this chapter, is another person who “walked with God.”

Noah lived in a totally corrupt society. Yet he himself was committed to a blameless life. Even more impressive is the fact when told by God to build a giant ark, Noah immediately set out to do so.

How long did Noah and his sons labor? When God made His decision to judge, mankind was given 120 years (v3). It was during that time Noah and his sons accomplished their tasks. And during all that time, Noah bore the ridicules made at him. He ignored them and kept on working, surrounded by the jeering laughter of his neighbours. Despite it all, Noah remained faithful. He had heard God speak. And “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him” (v22).

1 Peter 3:19-20 suggests that by the Holy Spirit, Christ Himself spoke through Noah in the long period that “God waited patiently” for Noah to finish his assigned task.

How important our faithfulness is. As we like Noah bear up under the pressure brought on us, Christ by His Holy Spirit speaks through us to the very persons who laugh and doubt. And this time, they may respond. Therefore, our faithfulness, when others jeer, speaks more powerfully than the words of the most gifted preacher the world has ever known.

The New Testament compares the severe judgment in the days of Noah with the judgment that will be poured out at the return of Christ (cf. Luke 17:26-30). How can you urge those around you to seek refuge in Christ?

PRAYER

Father, in this generation where people are becoming more and more distant from you and your laws, I pray that they will repent and come to know you. I pray that as a believer, that you would give me the strength to do the right things and preach the gospel of truth to those around me.