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Genesis 6-9
How Long Can You Tread Water?
Psalm 3:1-4 Believe What God Said, Not What Others Say
1."YAHWEH, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.2.Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God."Selah.3.But You, YAHWEH, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.4.I cry to YAHWEH with my voice, and He answers me out of His holy hill. Selah."Observation
3:1-4.Yahweh is God's name in covenant relationship with Israel, frequently translated LORD (in capital letters). Selah means stop and think about it. When we focus on our problems things can look hopeless. When we focus on our God's power, provision, and protection, we become hopeful.
Application
Prayer is for answers. When you call to God, look for the answer. (See Jeremiah 33:3).
Prayer
God, I praise You for revealing Yourself to be my Helper, Protector, and Provider; help me to not lose sight of You when the alligators are nipping at my earlobes. Amen.
Proverbs 1:15-16 Don't Walk, Run
15.“My son, don’t walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path,16.for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.“Observation
1:15-16.Wise parental advice helps children see the consequences of actions that the naive don't notice. The enticing sinners of the previous verses spoke of the gain of wickedness. The reality is that the sinners will suffer loss, particularly for shedding innocent blood (which ranks right up there with idolatry and arrogant pride as things that bring God's wrath upon humans). These verses warn against taking steps in the wrong direction, particularly with the wrong companions, because the destination is destruction.
Application
Before setting foot on an enticing path, find out what lies at the end of it; if it leads to evil, don't walk on it, run the other way.
Prayer
God, give me discernment to keep me from going down the wrong paths; send me warnings from others if I can't see that well myself. Thanks for protecting me. Amen.
Genesis 6 How Long Can You Tread Water?
1."It happened, when men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,2.that God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.3."Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years.”...4.The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters. They bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.5.Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6.Yahweh was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart.7.Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”8.But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.9.This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.10.Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.11.The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.12.God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
13.God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.14.Make a ship...17.I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.18.But I will establish my covenant with you...22.Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did."
Observations
6:1-4.Did angels hookup with women? (Answer somewhere below.) Does knowing the answer make a difference in how you live today?
6:5-8.
Once again, a good guy (like Abel, who does what God wants) and bad guys (like you know who, who do whatever they want).
6:9.
Noah, like Enoch faithfully strolled with God, and God took care of him.
Faith is believing that God is Who He said He is, and will do what He said He'll do.
Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7 By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
The righteous, blameless, fully obedient Noah, was a lot like Job. The book of Job was written during the time of the patriarchs, and gives a portrait of a person who makes God delighted rather than “depressed”.
Job 1:1 "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil." (Cf. Job 1:9)
6:12.
“corrupt” is used twice, once in the passive (Niphal) and then in the causative (Hiphil) [Click on the Online Bible verb parsing for details.] Note the characteristics of the bad guys, who corrupted their way (which implies what?).
6:13.
Why is there violence? Because folks want what they want, when they want it; rather than obeying and waiting on God to give what's best when it's best.
6:18.
Note the significance to the Exodus generation (only Joshua and Caleb paid attention.)
Application
Have you purposed to trust, fully follow, and do all that God has commanded you, even though no one else in your generation does? How will you follow through on that purpose? May God be with you (Matthew 28:18-20).
Prayer
God of Sky and Storms, though none go with me, still I will follow. Help your servant float on top of the waves today. Amen.
Genesis 7 How Do You Catch a Blue Woolly Mammoth?
1."Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before Me in this generation...5.Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.11....all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky’s windows were opened.12.The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.16.Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in...19.The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered...23....Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.24.The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.
Observation
7:1-24. Truth is that which best explains ALL the facts. Why are marine fossils found on the top of Mount Everest? How does a glacier catch and flash freeze a healthy tropical woolly mammoth in the middle of lunch? How can a ten foot high jumble of perfectly preserved predators playing Twister with their intact prey be uncovered in the fossil record? How did the Matterhorn take a 50 mile hike without leaving a footprint? How did a 135 mile by 15 mile section of Glacier National Park do a headstand without breaking apart? Why does Noah's Ark win first place design award among Ancient Civilization Flood Accounts?Digging Deeper
First, the answer to catching a Blue Woolly Mammoth... use a blue woolly mammoth net. (*Groan*) “How do you catch a White Woolly Mammoth?” “Errrr, with a white woolly mammoth net????” “One would think so, but no. You grab his trunk and twist it so he can't breath, and then when he turns blue, you use your blue woolly mammoth net.” (*Double Groan*, then tell it to someone else.)
If you want a more scientific explanation of the facts, in six minutes Walter Brown, another MIT PhD (and a lot more) gives a compelling view of the facts.
For Digging Even Deeper
Find the sermon summarizing of lot of relevant findings, with supporting links on Truthbase.net. Check out the five flood links under Resources below.
Genesis 8 BBQ
1."God remembered Noah...3.The waters receded from the earth continually...15.God spoke to Noah, saying,16.“Go out of the ship...18.Noah went out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him...20.Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.21.Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in His heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done.22.While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”Observation
8:1-22.A whole burnt offering (WBO), burned up the entire animal. In most sacrifices, the worshiper burned the guts (symbol of the will being submitted to God), gave the priest his “cut,” and then had a BBQ with his family and friends, while he told them about how God had saved or blessed him. In the WBO, God got it all. It was total dedication
Genesis 9 Fruitfulness and Fruit of the Vine
1."God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.3.Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.4.But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.6.Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His own image.7.Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”8.God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,9.“As for Me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you...11.I will establish My covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.”12.God said, “This is the token of the covenant...13.I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth...20.Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.21.He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent...28.Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.29.All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died."Observations
9:1.Blessing like Adam's
9:3.
Burgers legit. Carnivores rejoice!
9:4.
Blood pudding is a no-no. Life is in the blood (note: a blood sacrifice is a reminder that rebellion is worthy of death).
9:6.
Beginning of Capital Punishment. (As a deterrent? Do the research; check source bias.)
9:8-13.
If God kept His covenant with Noah, He would also with the Exodus Generation.
9:20-27.
Righteous Noah's self indulgence gave others an opportunity to sin.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: He blesses the good guys; He's patient with sinners, giving them opportunity to repent (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 3:9-10), but there is a limit to His patience (2 Peter 2:5). He keeps His promises.
Us in a nutshell: When we follow our heart to please ourselves, we displease God and suffer the consequences. There are righteous folks who find favor with God and reap the blessings. Starting well is no substitute for finishing well.
Last Application: Some consider “sons of God” to be angels (cf Job 1:6). The Greek mythology has the “gods” seducing humans. But the judgment in Genesis 6 is on humans.
The mighty men of old, men of renown, were clearly humans. Some have suggested demonic possession as an explanation. Maybe. Regardless, despite having “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” they didn't do too well in the flood of judgment. Don't wait until we get Psalm 52 to take corrective action; by then it might be raining.
Psalm 52:7 "Behold, this is the man who didn't make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."
Where to go for more
Truthbase.net
Caleb A Wholehearted Believer
Flood Summary Sermon
The Hydroplate Theory - Walter Brown
Computerized Flood Model
Skipping Mountains
See www.icr.org for even more fact based evidence.