Noah and Me.
I'm reading through Genesis right now, and I started it with the conviction to read it like I'd never read it before or didn't know all the theology behind it, just to read it with FRESH eyes. What a great idea God gave me too because I'm gleaning a lot that I don't think I would glean if I read it with the theology I know in mind.
One thing that stands out so much is God's mercy on people giving them a 'second' chance and then people's sinfulness that they always muck it up. After Cain killed Abel, God gave Eve and Adam another son, and Eve recognized that God gave her a blessing of another child to continue the line. And the Scripture says that with the birth of Seth, that line began calling upon the name of the Lord. And tracing Seth's line, we see evidence of Godliness in Enoch and Methuselah and Lamech, and then we get Noah, and his name and the reasoning behind Lamech giving it to him foreshadow that he will bring peace to the earth. And with Noah, God does 'redeem' the earth, start over with the remnant that is dedicated to Him. Noah found favor with God before the flood, and we see his obedience during the flood and his humility afterward when he offers a pleasing aroma to the Lord by way of sacrifice and recognition of God and dedication to Him. Yet then, after the orders to fill and work the earth, we find Noah drunk and naked, and we find Ham acting sinfully. Of course, Shem and Japheth didn't, but I can't seem to make sense of Noah and Ham. God has just shown His power. They've just seen Him nearly face to face. He's just made this covenant with them and blessed them. Couldn't they withstand sin? Couldn't they follow God and not give in to the sin crouching at the door like it crouched for Cain?
But God holds fast to His promise, and He doesn't destroy man again....yet we just become more and more sinful, and then, although I didn't re-read it yet, we end up at the Tower of Babel, and once again God has to intervene to disperse the people lest their sinfulness and desire to be God continue to work and work.
And so I guess this is my answer to my prayer this morning. You see yesterday someone hurt my feelings and got me pretty angry. They did not do it intentionally at all, but I felt like this person was kind of arrogant and not understanding, and that's what made me upset. So I'm praying and praying this morning about how to forgive as Jesus does and not hold a grudge and asking God how He does it and why I care so much. And then I read this text and see His mercy to continue and forbear with Noah's generation...and with me....it just flabbergasts me.
And in the Georgia newspapers this past week was a story about a 20 year old guy who abducted a 7 year old girl from her neighborhood when she was walking a block back to her house to get a coke after being at a park. The article was so gruesome and explained how he lured her and raped her, and her asking if she could just go home afterward, and then how he killed her b/c he didn't want to get caught. It was too much to read. But they caught him and jailed him, and he showed little remorse but much mental sickness. And then just this morning it was reported that he committed suicide in jail. Two families destroyed forever....more countless lives destroyed if you consider all the people who probably cared for these two individuals. So much SIN! NEEDLESS SIN! What is the point to it all? God SHOULD wipe us all out again. It's ridiculous. The only innocent sufferer...truly innocent sufferer ever was Jesus. We all have sin in us, deeply at the core, even those who don't realize it. God must look on us all with pity and sadness that we are so far from what we COULD have been.
Noah and Ham fell SO SHORT of what they COULD have been. Only Jesus lived up to it. Why are we like this? I look forward to putting off this sinful body once and for all one day, and for a life where everyone has put off their sinful body and we can live with sin and it's power destroyed FOR.EV.ER.
Return God. Come again Jesus. What MERCY You must have to put up with this all and continue, long-suffering. It is beyond my comprehension.
One thing that stands out so much is God's mercy on people giving them a 'second' chance and then people's sinfulness that they always muck it up. After Cain killed Abel, God gave Eve and Adam another son, and Eve recognized that God gave her a blessing of another child to continue the line. And the Scripture says that with the birth of Seth, that line began calling upon the name of the Lord. And tracing Seth's line, we see evidence of Godliness in Enoch and Methuselah and Lamech, and then we get Noah, and his name and the reasoning behind Lamech giving it to him foreshadow that he will bring peace to the earth. And with Noah, God does 'redeem' the earth, start over with the remnant that is dedicated to Him. Noah found favor with God before the flood, and we see his obedience during the flood and his humility afterward when he offers a pleasing aroma to the Lord by way of sacrifice and recognition of God and dedication to Him. Yet then, after the orders to fill and work the earth, we find Noah drunk and naked, and we find Ham acting sinfully. Of course, Shem and Japheth didn't, but I can't seem to make sense of Noah and Ham. God has just shown His power. They've just seen Him nearly face to face. He's just made this covenant with them and blessed them. Couldn't they withstand sin? Couldn't they follow God and not give in to the sin crouching at the door like it crouched for Cain?
But God holds fast to His promise, and He doesn't destroy man again....yet we just become more and more sinful, and then, although I didn't re-read it yet, we end up at the Tower of Babel, and once again God has to intervene to disperse the people lest their sinfulness and desire to be God continue to work and work.
And so I guess this is my answer to my prayer this morning. You see yesterday someone hurt my feelings and got me pretty angry. They did not do it intentionally at all, but I felt like this person was kind of arrogant and not understanding, and that's what made me upset. So I'm praying and praying this morning about how to forgive as Jesus does and not hold a grudge and asking God how He does it and why I care so much. And then I read this text and see His mercy to continue and forbear with Noah's generation...and with me....it just flabbergasts me.
And in the Georgia newspapers this past week was a story about a 20 year old guy who abducted a 7 year old girl from her neighborhood when she was walking a block back to her house to get a coke after being at a park. The article was so gruesome and explained how he lured her and raped her, and her asking if she could just go home afterward, and then how he killed her b/c he didn't want to get caught. It was too much to read. But they caught him and jailed him, and he showed little remorse but much mental sickness. And then just this morning it was reported that he committed suicide in jail. Two families destroyed forever....more countless lives destroyed if you consider all the people who probably cared for these two individuals. So much SIN! NEEDLESS SIN! What is the point to it all? God SHOULD wipe us all out again. It's ridiculous. The only innocent sufferer...truly innocent sufferer ever was Jesus. We all have sin in us, deeply at the core, even those who don't realize it. God must look on us all with pity and sadness that we are so far from what we COULD have been.
Noah and Ham fell SO SHORT of what they COULD have been. Only Jesus lived up to it. Why are we like this? I look forward to putting off this sinful body once and for all one day, and for a life where everyone has put off their sinful body and we can live with sin and it's power destroyed FOR.EV.ER.
Return God. Come again Jesus. What MERCY You must have to put up with this all and continue, long-suffering. It is beyond my comprehension.
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