Monday: The Flood
Read Genesis 6:1-13. In what ways do we see the great controversy between good and evil expressed here, only now even more intensely than before?
In the Flood we see a partial reversal of the special acts of Creation; many of those things that God had separated are now brought back together.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
The waters above and the waters below, the sea and the dry land, the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all living creatures that moved on the earth, all coming together. The earth seems to move back toward being “formless and empty” (Gen. 1:2, NIV) .
Despite this apparent win by the forces of evil, God’s creative genius is still at work. He initiates a new creation, by again separating different elements. First, He separates Noah (a just and blameless man) from the people of the time whose wickedness is great and whose every thought is evil, corrupt, and violent (compare Gen. 6:8-9 and Gen. 6:5 and Gen. 6:11-13) . God then tasks Noah with building an enormous boat. He then separates out a small group of people, birds, and animals-and puts them in the safety of the boat so that they could survive what is coming. Based on the grace of God, life will go on, and a new world will arise out of the dregs of the old. There is a new creation.
But it’s hardly a perfect one. Some time after the Flood, as Noah and his family are getting themselves established again, we are reminded of the frailty of human goodness. Noah becomes drunk, and shameful things occur (Gen. 9:20-27) . Thus, even one of the heroes of faith (see Heb. 11:7) had his bad moments. The great controversy continues, not only on a massive scale but also in the hearts of individuals.
The Bible describes the Flood as blotting out all life (Gen. 7:4, ESV) . A similar expression is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe the actions of the Redeemer in forgiving sin (Isa. 25:8, Isa. 43:25, Ps. 51:1) . Either our life is blotted out, or our sins are. How does this stark reality show just how black and white the issues really are?
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Like Enoch of Noah it is said, “Noah walked with God.” He is also described as perfect (Genesis 6:9). Like Enoch apparently the prophet of the Flood was ready for translation to Heaven (Genesis 5:24). That he later committed a lapse of judgment is a lesson for those who think they are ready for translation (Genesis 9:20-24). Still Noah walked by faith (Hebrews 11:7)
The preacher of righteousness had to deliver a message concerning events which were not previously witnessed and did not seem likely based on science or experience (Hebrews 11:7). A similar challenge is placed on God’s people identified by the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 12:17; 19:10).
The remnant people are to declare the final consequential events and the way of escape as the inhabitants of the planet run out of time for repentance. They are tasked with preaching righteousness and inviting those who will into the ‘ark of safety’ (Revelation 14:6-7; 18:4).
However some do not believe there is a coming religious crisis and doubt that certain parties will act at the bidding of the dragon because it does not appear that way presently (Revelation 13:2-8). Some believers are planning to join the band of the faithful if and when they see for themselves the events unfold (2 Peter 3:3-8). They hope it will not be too late.
Others, perhaps as a result of impatience seek to force fit current events into prophecy though they may have to modify their message in the next major news cycle. Still the faithful preachers of righteousness exercise patience as did Noah, and by faith, not sight, share the sure word of prophecy (2 Corinthians 5:7). All the saved must exercise some faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6).
'Tis a terrible thing to fall under the judgment of God [pause for thought]. Praise God we have a redeemer that saves us from destruction, whose blood covers us with His own righteousness, the penalty paid, His life a ransom and whilst we were still sinners. Hallelujah, what a Saviour! And when I think of what He has done on my behalf, oh Lord 'tis my chief complaint that my love is weak and faint. Yet I love thee; oh for grace to love thee more!'
It's sad how generation after generation has sunk deeper into sin and its confusion. We no longer reflect on how far we've fallen. Many stil don't see the effects of sin...People have drowned in the flood of false teachings... May God help us seek His righteousness in these last days.
(Gen 6:5,6)"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart"
Note that God took responsibility for the conditions of the world as if to say it was His fault to have created man. The same way He took final responsibility for sin by sending His Son to die for man.
God can only save us from our sins, he cannot and will not save us in our sins because God and sin cannot coexist we can see this at Calvary.
Oh what a Saviour is Jesus my Lord!
Oh to know how much he loves us.the joy in our hearts
Should keep us looking to Him for strength daily. AmenThank U Jesus for your tenderness. And so much more that y do.
I struggle to understand how the world would be like if our God decided not to eliminate the generation during Noah's time. If people then had sinned to an extent that God wouldn't stand it, What about our time? He is a loving God He wants as many to be saved and he has extended that chance to each and everyone of us. I don't want to perish when I know what is the right way to go. But the devil is not asleep, he is hunting us like never before because he know his time is actually out. "God help me to overcome"
surely the Lord has been more patient with this generation than any other.
I agree Shiella.
"... one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2Peter 3:8)
In light of God's character, I believe the second part of this verse points to His patience, while the first part of the verse points to the fact that He sees/understands every detail that goes into a day, and sees it to such an extent that He could speak about one day [of any of our lives] for 1000 years.
From the days of Jesus till our day, for Him it is like two days have passed. We should never think that the life-time of one person is ever enough to exhaust the patience of God. We live in a time now when it is for us to know and understand Him better than anyone else has done in the history of the world.
This is the fulfillment of what is written in His word. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the last days. The inhabitants of the antediluvian world turned from Jehova, refusing to do His will. They followed their ungodly imagination and perverted Ideas. So it is today. The tide of evil is on the upswing, drowning nearly everyone. But, we thank God for His love for humanity. Amidst such turmoil, there are those who have stood for the right just like Noah. The transgressors of God's law are filling the earth with wickedness-their betting, horse racing, dissipation,lustiful practises are fast filling the world.The great controversy is still raging, it becomes so intense as we near the end of time. This should be our washing and ironing time of our characters in the blood shed for the remission of sin.
It begins with a choice at the tree, then a killing is done keeping in mind that the wages of sin is death a lamb is slain in place of man,. Cain kills and and God shields him, years go and people fill the earth, with that single choice at the tree sin deeply roots in mankind. Homosexuality sets in, drunkenness, Idol worship,. God is angry yet he is willing to safe mankind through Noah. What a wonderful God he is slow to anger. Today we've gone back to the days of Noah, legalizing infidelity we have some kind of godliness in us, we've become lovers of self and money, it's impossible to tell a Christian through looks and dress. Yet still the Mercury seat is still open for us. The sinless man died for the sinful world yet still the world has rejected him. That is my redeemer.
Many are often led to wonder just how wicked they were before the flood and in the cities on the plain. We then express the thought of "how much worse can it get today before God gets upset again?" It's not the extremity of the sinful actions as much as it's the lack of any goodness or truth being found. The great sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is described in Ezekiel 16: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good."
Self-serving is the great wickedness that can lead to abominations, or not. There are many decent and even "religious" rebels against God's government.
The fact that God must remove the wicked from the earth, though having allowed them to exist, indicates the severity of their wickedness which they are described to hold in their thoughts “continually”. This would indicate that any desire for truth or the power of conviction is gone. In order to keep the Promise to man, God must provide a safer environment for the faithful. God's love, even for the sinful, has been demonstrated always from the beginning of the fall, being highlighted in the cross of Jesus (John 3:16,17) and continues today in the work of the Gospel.
If not for God's intervention by a flood, the faithful remnant would have perished through whom the Redeemer would come. This is why God brought judgment against wicked nations or people before the time of judgment at the end where all will receive their final reward of Life or Death.
The reality is that all sin will be blotted out, whether through our faith and repentance or while we continue our persistence in clinging to rebellion. The sinless state that once existed will be restored again for eternity. To the repentant, Jesus is the Fountain of Life.
I read Chapter 6 in PP on The Flood. I have read it before but in the context of this lesson it gave me a deeper understanding of how powerful Satans persuasions are, how man has fallen for those persuasions, that God does intervene, and He continually has a plan for our best interest.
When Noah began to warn the people about the coming catastrophe, it was 120 years out from the event. I find it interesting that Genesis 6 opens with the thought that "the sons of God" (Seth's line, the people of God,) were inter-marrying with the daughters of Cain's descendants. The church of the day was rapidly losing its peculiar, holy character; and this seems to have been the thing that marked the beginning of the end. (Gen 6:1-3.)
Methuselah, Noah, and quite a few others remained true to the faith, but by the time the 120 years expired, Noah and his immediate family were the only ones left. Noah was effectively "the last leaf on the tree". (Methuselah and all the other faithful souls died before the flood came.) Everyone else thought Noah was a fanatic and an alarmist, a "crank". How back-to-front popular perception can be!
....... we are reminded of the frailty of human goodness. Noah becomes drunk, and shameful things occur (Gen. 9:20-27). We tend to interpret Noah 'fall' in light of what we know. I don't think Noah deliberately got drunk ... I am sure that the skills of the wine trade were not included in the ark! The logical explanation is that the grape juice had naturally fermented and that Noah, in his ignorance / innocence didn't know the difference. His reaction to Ham's disrespect - anger instead of shame which he would have had if he had intentionally gotten drunk leads me to conclude that the grape juice had begun fermenting and Noah innocently drank too much of it. It reminds me of a story I heard once of missionaries on board ship to the mission field. In those days the chefs didn't cater for vegetarians so the missionaries asked for the fish dish. They enjoyed the 'fish' and asked for a second helping of the 'fish' (the menu must have been in French!). The steward was a bit confused and explained that what they had just eaten was pork! It's the intention of the heart that the Lord sees. I may be a bit off the mark as far as the lesson is concerned, but let's always give a person the benefit of the doubt. Praise God who knows the intentions of our hearts and forgives when we fall in this sinful world --- and helps us up!
Maureen, I like the spirit you have represented in the thought about Noah not deliberately fermenting the grapes, and not deliberately getting drunk. It reminds me of a comment from the Spirit of Prophecy -- "Love is unsuspecting [i.e. it is not suspicious], ever placing THE MOST FAVORABLE CONSTRUCTION UPON THE MOTIVES AND ACTS OF OTHERS." (5Testimonies p.169)
Love is "always eager to believe the best". (1Cor 13:7 Moffatt).
I would just like to look at a couple of texts regarding fermented wine. The first has to be part of what is under discussion about Noah. Genesis 9:20,21 leave no misunderstanding. Noah became drunk on purpose. The second is Genesis 19:31-35. Fermented wine was not evaluated the same as it is today.
What I like and appreciate about this lesson is that it reveals to us the true destruction and chaos that sin causes. Many time , more than often we look upon the world and identify all the things that sin has touched eg the earth, the vegetation, the animals, the weather etc . At the same time we sometimes neglect to see how far from God our hearts are. I bow my head in shame for I am no different from my forefathers. We claim to love God but the sin is deeply rooted in our hearts. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The actions of Noah, David, Jacob et all the early leaders who God speaks about ever so often had sin in their heart. Yes they were able to return to God and herein lies our hope. A hope that is built on grace, grace that was provided freely by God who took the blame for us being in sin. Thinking about God and His word allows us to see how far removed we re from who He wants us to be. May we fall at His feet daily and seek restoration!
With God all things are possible, sins separate me and you from the God who wants to save us. When this becomes so real in our lives then God will change our hearts,we play with Sin and in return we become so stupid with it that it doesn't seem to be bad just unpleasant. When we look at sin the way that Christ see sin them and only then will be on one accord with Christ.