I had planed for today to be our final day focusing on the Flood, however it seem there is a bit more that we need to talk about. So today we are going to look at one last thread that ties Noah and the Flood to Jesus Christ, and tomorrow we will wrap up the Flood with a look at the future.
I am of the opinion that the Holy Spirit doesn't waste his breath. When specific details are written into Scripture (or even left out) I believe they are there on purpose. That doesn't necessarily mean they are theological, but I do believe there is always a point. It doesn't even necessarily mean that at this time we can know what the purpose is, but I believe the time will come, when Christ returns and all of the Scriptures are fulfilled and complete that every detail will have proven God to be Holy, Perfect and intentional. After all the Bible is clear:
"I make known the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10
In the Flood account there are 5 specific dates, where the Holy Spirit gives us the day and month. On the 7th day of the 2nd month the rains started (7:11). On the 17th day of th 7th month the ark came to rest on the mountains (8:4). The mountain tops became visible on the 1st day of the 10th month (8:5). On the 1st day of the 1st month of the year the water was dried up (8:13), and on the 27th day of the 2nd month the land was completely dry.
(There are actually several other dates that are inferred, such as 7 days before the rain they got on the ark.)
I believe (my opinion) that part of the reason that these dates are specific is to make clear that the Bible intends the reader to see the Flood as fact, not fiction. Whenever the Bible mentions Noah, it is as an historical figure, and the Flood as historical fact. When Jesus refers to Noah and the Flood, He speaks of them as matters of fact. It is unBiblical to believe that the Flood is just a moral story, that didn't actually happen.
In virtually every ancient culture around the world there are Flood stories. The cultures that are closer, geographically to the Middle East, have accounts that more closely resemble the one in the Bible. The Gilgamesh Epic, from Babylon, contains a flood account that is quite similar, yet it is clearly polluted with pagan themes. The prevalence of Flood stories in every part of the world, certainly would imply that the Flood was historical, not allegorical. That they differ so much only indicates that as time and distance separated people groups the story became polluted. Each culture began to interpret the account based on how they understood the world, instead of how and why the Flood actually happened. Similar to the children's game Telephone, over time the story only barley resembled the original. The true story, however was preserved in Scripture and authenticated by Jesus.**
One of the dates given in the Genesis account has additional significance, but we need a bit more background (well foreground from the Flood).
God created time. The calendar used to mark the days of the Flood was created by God. He set up the night and day as well as seasons, days and years within the first days of Creation. The Hebrew calendar has 12 months and is based on the lunar cycle. Each New Moon was the beginning of a new month. The 1st month of the year was Tishri, followed by; Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul.
Noah and his family would have gotten on the ark on the 10th of Heshvan, and the rain started on the 17th. The ark rested on the 17th on Nisan, the mountain tops appeared on the 1st of Tammuz, and the water was gone on the 1st of Tishri. Finally the land was completely dry on the 27th of Heshvan, a little over a year from when they boarded the ark.
In Exodus 12 God creates a new calendar. As the Israelites prepared to brush lambs blood over the doors of their homes in Egypt, so that the plague of death would "pass over" them, God told Moses that from then on that month would be considered the 1st month of the year.
"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Exodus 12:1
God wanted the Passover, to signify Israel's new beginning so He made Nisan the 1st month of the year.
Even today Jews around the world use two calendars the civic one beginning in Tishri and the religious one starting in Nisan. (This isn't really that strange, we have school calendars that start in August or September, fiscal ones that start in October, as well as our civic calendar starting in January).
In the Bible, all the dates after the 1st Passover in Exodus are based on the religious calendar. All the months are the same they are just shifted ahead, beginning with Nisan and ending with Adar. (its also important to know that the Jewish day starts at sunset and ends at the following sunset)
In Leviticus 23, God institutionalized 6 festivals as well as the weekly Sabbath. The 1st festival is the Passover which was to be celebrated on the 14th of Nisan. That would be the day that each household in Israel would sacrifice a perfect lamb, and share a meal to commemorate the 1st Passover in Exodus.
When Jesus was in the upper room the night before He was crucified, He was celebrating the Passover feast with His disciples. After dinner, they went to Gethsemane where Jesus was arrested. All night long He was abused and brought before the leaders of the area, until finally they nailed Him to cross. It was still the day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan when Jesus' blood poured out as the perfect Passover Lamb. Three days later, the Bible says, on the 1st of the week two women had the honor of discovering an empty tomb, and bumping into the risen Christ. Three days would make it the 17th of Nisan, the anniversary of the day the ark came to rest.
When Jesus died on the Cross He bore our sins, He took on our judgment. There was (and is) no other way to save mankind from the death our sins demand, so Jesus took it. His death paid the price. His resurrection, His victory over death, is what gives us life and rest. Not only is our sin debt paid but we are made new creations. We are no longer weary and burdened by our sins, we have been given rest. Noah's name meant rest, but it is Jesus who is our Ultimate Rest!
The LORD's fingerprints are all over the Scripture, pointing the way to Jesus, and confirming that only He could write a Love Letter that knows the End in the Beginning. Only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit could 40 authors over 2000 years create a work that is so thoroughly integrated that the first author could perfectly foreshadow what the last authors experienced.
"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." Isaiah 46:10a
* Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg. 48, 49
** Matthew 24:36-41
*** Missler, Chuck. Learn the Bible in 24 Hours. Nashville, TN. 2002
Showing posts with label Noah's Ark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noah's Ark. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Flood Day 4
It is always a happy day for me when I get to talk about Jesus. If you do these lessons with me you'll find that every time the lesson focuses on Jesus I can't help but say I'm excited. What can I say I love Jesus and I love seeing Him all over the Old Testament. Luke 24:27 is one (of many) of my favorite verses. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." On the 7 mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus Jesus appeared to 2 of His disciples (there were many more then the 12) who were brokenhearted and confused. They had seen Jesus crucified and heard the story of the empty tomb but they didn't understand what it all meant and they didn't recognize Jesus as He walked with them. So Jesus started telling them a story, a Love Story. Starting with Genesis (the 1st of Moses' 5 books) and ending in Malachi (the last book of the Prophets) Jesus showed the 2 men that it was all about Him.
Oh to have been on that road and hear Jesus reveal Himself through the Old Testament! I'm not sure I could bear to hear Him recite the words of Isaiah 53, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (53:5) I can't help but wonder if His nail scarred hands reached out to one of His disciples as He spoke the words. Or if the disciples noticed a certain twinkle in His eye when Jesus spoke the words of Zechariah 14, proclaiming a yet future time when he will return in triumph, "The LORD will be king over the whole earth [and] there will be one LORD, and his name the only name." (14:9)
I wonder how much time he devoted to Noah and the Flood? Seven miles would probably only take about 2 hours, so maybe He just hit the highlights, but I have no doubt that by the time the 2 men got to Emmaus they were awed at what they had been taught. No wonder they begged Him to stay with them a little longer.
Jesus is all over the Flood account. Some things point to Him very obviously, others require a bit of study, some are just hints or common themes. As much as the Flood is about a Holy God judging a sinful world, it is equally (or maybe more so) about a Merciful God providing Salvation to the faithful. Nothing screams Jesus louder then that.
God told Noah, "Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out." Genesis 6:14
The ark was made of wood, which is pretty much common sence yet hroughout the Old Testament wood is symbolic of humanity. The Hebrew word for ark is tebah, which actually implies more of a box then a boat. Some scholars believe that the word is derived from the Egyptian word for sarcophagus.* Though it was gigantic is size, the shape of the ark definitely resembled a coffin. The means of Noah's salvation was symbolically through the death of a man, Jesus.
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death- even death on the cross." Philippians 2:5-8
"Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:3 & 4
The ark was covered inside and out with pitch, a tar like substance that was probably common for waterproofing, however usually only applied to the outside of a boat. Whats interesting is that the Author used the Hebrew word, koper (which means pitch), instead of zepet (which also means pitch).** When Hebrew is written the vowels are left out, so koper in Genesis 6:14 would read, kpr. To the Hebrew reader this was a play on words. You see the word for atonement is kapar and would be written kpr also. The distinction would be the context. Since kapar (atonement) meant to cover over (most often in reference to the covering over of sin with the blood of sacrifice) it was actually interchangeable with koper. The implication is that it was more then a tar like substance that covered the ark and kept Noah and his family safe. The pitch represented the blood of Atonement that would cover the sins of humanity and provide salvation. When Jesus yelled at the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23-36, He called them "whitewashed tombs" and chastised them for appearing righteous on the outside, while on the inside they were sinful and dead. They needed their hearts covered with the atoning blood of Salvation. The atonement of Jesus begins on the inside and works it's way out into our lives making us new creations. That is why the ark was covered inside and out.
The ark had only one door. Jesus is the door to salvation. In John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to the Father to prepare a place for them. They were concerned that they wouldn't know the way to follow Him, so He told them that He was the way.
"I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (14:6)
There was also only one ark, and God had made the blueprints. No raft made by human design would be able to provide salvation through the raging waters. No religion apart from Salvatin provided by God through Jesus Christ can save anyone from God's judgment.
Throughout the Bible water is symbolic of cleansing. God's judgment came in the form of torrents of rain and springs bursting out of the ground. The water washed away all the wickedness that had corrupted the earth. The planet was literally baptized. In a way Noah and his family died to the old world and were reborn to a new creation, through the waters of baptisim.
"...God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 20-21
Sometimes in Scripture it's the details the Holy Spirit leaves out that creates the parallel. The Bible is clear that Noah was found righteous in the eyes of the LORD, but no where does it mention that his wife, sons or their wives were righteous as well. My opinion is that it would be a safe assumption. Each of the fathers and sons of Genesis 5 passed their faith down to the next generation. It makes sense that Noah, a preacher of righteousness would preach to his sons, if they didn't believe that God was going to bring judgment I doubt Noah could force them onto the ark (but this is just my opinion). The Bible, however only says that Noah's whole family got on along with all the animals. Because the Bible omits the families righteousness but highlights Noah's it's possible that the Holy Spirit was drawing a parallel between Noah and Jesus. The Bible draws the picture that through Noah's righteousness his family was saved, just as through Christ's righteousness we are saved.
"For just as through the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous." Romans 6:19
The last parallel we are going to look at today is in Genesis 7:1. The King James Version reads, "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark." Many scholars believe that using Come in the KJV is a more correct translation than the word Go in the NIV. I do not read Hebrew so I rely completely on Hebrew- English dictionaries and lexical aids for my definitions, and I honestly cannot find a definitive answer as to which is better. However the if the KJV is correct, it creates another beautiful parallel.
God doesn't command us into His presence He invites us. Often in the Old Testament (specifically the Prophets) God is shown as a husband or lover, wooing His beloved, drawing her to Himself. If God indeed said to Noah, to come into the ark, it would be consistent with His invitation to us. Jesus said to the wear and burdened, "Come to me and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). To the hungry He said, "Come to me and never be hungry again" (John 6:35). God invites us to come to where He is.
I don't know if on the 7 mile walk to Emmaus, Jesus took the time to point out every detail of the Scriptures that hinted at Him or if He focused on the major points. I'd like to think that once He started talking that the pace slowed way down. Maybe the 2 hour trip took all day, as they listened more then they walked. When they got to Emmaus they begged Jesus (whom they still did not recognize) to come and eat with them. At the table Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks, and suddenly they saw that He was Jesus, and He vanished from sight. I love what they say to each other after He disappeared.
"Were not our hearts, burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32.
May our hearts always burn as the Holy Spirit opens the Scripture to us.
* Williams, William C. They Spoke from God: A Survey of the Old Testament. Springfield, MO. Gospel Publishing House. 2003. pg. 127
** Goodrick, Edward W. & John R. Kohlenberger III. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 1999. pg. 1400 & 1426
Oh to have been on that road and hear Jesus reveal Himself through the Old Testament! I'm not sure I could bear to hear Him recite the words of Isaiah 53, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (53:5) I can't help but wonder if His nail scarred hands reached out to one of His disciples as He spoke the words. Or if the disciples noticed a certain twinkle in His eye when Jesus spoke the words of Zechariah 14, proclaiming a yet future time when he will return in triumph, "The LORD will be king over the whole earth [and] there will be one LORD, and his name the only name." (14:9)
I wonder how much time he devoted to Noah and the Flood? Seven miles would probably only take about 2 hours, so maybe He just hit the highlights, but I have no doubt that by the time the 2 men got to Emmaus they were awed at what they had been taught. No wonder they begged Him to stay with them a little longer.
Jesus is all over the Flood account. Some things point to Him very obviously, others require a bit of study, some are just hints or common themes. As much as the Flood is about a Holy God judging a sinful world, it is equally (or maybe more so) about a Merciful God providing Salvation to the faithful. Nothing screams Jesus louder then that.
God told Noah, "Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out." Genesis 6:14
The ark was made of wood, which is pretty much common sence yet hroughout the Old Testament wood is symbolic of humanity. The Hebrew word for ark is tebah, which actually implies more of a box then a boat. Some scholars believe that the word is derived from the Egyptian word for sarcophagus.* Though it was gigantic is size, the shape of the ark definitely resembled a coffin. The means of Noah's salvation was symbolically through the death of a man, Jesus.
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death- even death on the cross." Philippians 2:5-8
"Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:3 & 4
The ark was covered inside and out with pitch, a tar like substance that was probably common for waterproofing, however usually only applied to the outside of a boat. Whats interesting is that the Author used the Hebrew word, koper (which means pitch), instead of zepet (which also means pitch).** When Hebrew is written the vowels are left out, so koper in Genesis 6:14 would read, kpr. To the Hebrew reader this was a play on words. You see the word for atonement is kapar and would be written kpr also. The distinction would be the context. Since kapar (atonement) meant to cover over (most often in reference to the covering over of sin with the blood of sacrifice) it was actually interchangeable with koper. The implication is that it was more then a tar like substance that covered the ark and kept Noah and his family safe. The pitch represented the blood of Atonement that would cover the sins of humanity and provide salvation. When Jesus yelled at the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23-36, He called them "whitewashed tombs" and chastised them for appearing righteous on the outside, while on the inside they were sinful and dead. They needed their hearts covered with the atoning blood of Salvation. The atonement of Jesus begins on the inside and works it's way out into our lives making us new creations. That is why the ark was covered inside and out.
The ark had only one door. Jesus is the door to salvation. In John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to the Father to prepare a place for them. They were concerned that they wouldn't know the way to follow Him, so He told them that He was the way.
"I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (14:6)
There was also only one ark, and God had made the blueprints. No raft made by human design would be able to provide salvation through the raging waters. No religion apart from Salvatin provided by God through Jesus Christ can save anyone from God's judgment.
Throughout the Bible water is symbolic of cleansing. God's judgment came in the form of torrents of rain and springs bursting out of the ground. The water washed away all the wickedness that had corrupted the earth. The planet was literally baptized. In a way Noah and his family died to the old world and were reborn to a new creation, through the waters of baptisim.
"...God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 20-21
Sometimes in Scripture it's the details the Holy Spirit leaves out that creates the parallel. The Bible is clear that Noah was found righteous in the eyes of the LORD, but no where does it mention that his wife, sons or their wives were righteous as well. My opinion is that it would be a safe assumption. Each of the fathers and sons of Genesis 5 passed their faith down to the next generation. It makes sense that Noah, a preacher of righteousness would preach to his sons, if they didn't believe that God was going to bring judgment I doubt Noah could force them onto the ark (but this is just my opinion). The Bible, however only says that Noah's whole family got on along with all the animals. Because the Bible omits the families righteousness but highlights Noah's it's possible that the Holy Spirit was drawing a parallel between Noah and Jesus. The Bible draws the picture that through Noah's righteousness his family was saved, just as through Christ's righteousness we are saved.
"For just as through the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous." Romans 6:19
The last parallel we are going to look at today is in Genesis 7:1. The King James Version reads, "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark." Many scholars believe that using Come in the KJV is a more correct translation than the word Go in the NIV. I do not read Hebrew so I rely completely on Hebrew- English dictionaries and lexical aids for my definitions, and I honestly cannot find a definitive answer as to which is better. However the if the KJV is correct, it creates another beautiful parallel.
God doesn't command us into His presence He invites us. Often in the Old Testament (specifically the Prophets) God is shown as a husband or lover, wooing His beloved, drawing her to Himself. If God indeed said to Noah, to come into the ark, it would be consistent with His invitation to us. Jesus said to the wear and burdened, "Come to me and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). To the hungry He said, "Come to me and never be hungry again" (John 6:35). God invites us to come to where He is.
I don't know if on the 7 mile walk to Emmaus, Jesus took the time to point out every detail of the Scriptures that hinted at Him or if He focused on the major points. I'd like to think that once He started talking that the pace slowed way down. Maybe the 2 hour trip took all day, as they listened more then they walked. When they got to Emmaus they begged Jesus (whom they still did not recognize) to come and eat with them. At the table Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks, and suddenly they saw that He was Jesus, and He vanished from sight. I love what they say to each other after He disappeared.
"Were not our hearts, burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32.
May our hearts always burn as the Holy Spirit opens the Scripture to us.
* Williams, William C. They Spoke from God: A Survey of the Old Testament. Springfield, MO. Gospel Publishing House. 2003. pg. 127
** Goodrick, Edward W. & John R. Kohlenberger III. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 1999. pg. 1400 & 1426
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Flood Day 3
The Bible tells us that God is holy.
We may understand the idea of pure and innocent but the reality is we've never experienced it. Everything on our planet has been contaminated and corrupted by sin and death. The second law of Thermodynamics (entropy) says that everything around us, including us, is decaying. Even a baby, which is possibly the most innocent thing we are familiar with, is fighting for survival. Rightfully so, since they cannot meet their own needs, yet if this were a holy world, there would be no need for survival instincts, there would be no death. There can be no death or decay in perfection or it is not perfect. Our human minds cannot fathom true holiness, therefore we often struggle to understand God.
One of the biggest challenges to studying the Old Testament, and in particular stories like the Flood, is that we have a hard time wrapping our brains around God's wrath poured out in judgement. We tend to focus on His Love poured out in the person of Jesus Christ, and His marvelous grace that gives us salvation. As we bask in the wonder of His grace we sometimes overlook the fact that it is that grace that provides us freedom from His wrath. The Lord God does not change, He is the same today, as He deals with us, as He was in the days of Noah. A Holy God cannot tolerate sin, He couldn't then and He cannot today. The Bible is clear that another judgement is coming. God will once again pour out His wrath on the corrupt and sinful, yet 1 Peter 3:9 reminds us that He waits patiently, withholding judgement so that more might come to repentance.
God told Noah to build the ark possibly 100 years before the Flood came. Enoch had been warning the people of the coming judgment over 400 years before Noah was even born. The LORD was patient even then. He allowed plenty of time for those who would repent to do so. Sadly only 8 people stepped onto the ark, but to those 8 people God showed His ridiculous love and grace.
"The LORD then said to Noah, 'Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation." Genesis 7:1
This is truly a remarkable verse! Was Noah without sin? Not at all, he was sinner just like everyone else, yet according to Genesis 6:8, he found favor in the eyes of God. A better word for favor in this verse is grace! God gave grace to Noah. Why was Noah the recipient of such unmerited favor? I think the clues point to something amazing.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that by faith Noah built the ark. He couldn't possibly understand the magnitude of what was going to happen, nor did anyone else around him believe that a flood was coming. His faith was completely counter-cultural. But it wasn't just his faith. Twice in scripture, before the rains came, God made a point to let us know that, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."**** Noah didn't just believe God, he acted on his faith.
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?..faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14 & 17
We can say we believe something, but our actions always show our true colors. Noah didn't just tell people the flood was coming, he acted on his faith and in obedience built the ark.
Now I might be going out on a limb here, but please bear with me for a moment.
Genesis 15:6 is the first time the concept of salvation through faith is explicit in Scripture.
"Abram [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
In Galatians 3:8, Paul tells us that, "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'"
Abraham's salvation was his faith in a future Cross! He might not have understood that it would be an actual cross, but he had faith that God would someday provide the Sacrifice that would remove his sins and reconcile him to God. Just as our faith looks back on the Cross, his looked forward to the Cross. What was the means of Abraham's salvation? Faith. Faith that played out in the actions of his life.
I suggest that, though it is not explicit in the text, Noah was saved by that same faith. He believed God was the only one who could and would provide him Salvation. He not only believed God, he acted on his faith. It was Noah's faith in action that allowed a Holy God to see him through the lens of a yet future Cross and call him righteous.
Because of Noah's faith, God provided him an immediate salvation from the coming judgement. When Noah finished building the ark God brought the animals to him. A pair each of all the unclean animals and 7 males and 7 females of clean animals. (as a quick aside the idea of clean and unclean animals does not become explicit until Moses is given the Law in Leviticus. The fact that Noah knew the difference demonstrates that God had made clear to Adam and Eve what was an acceptable offering. They would have taught their children, who taught their children, and this knowledge eventually passed down to Noah.) Once everyone was on board, God himself shut the door, and then the rains came. Well not just the rain.
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the flood gates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights." Genesis 11 & 12
God's judgement didn't just fall in a torrent of rain from the sky, the whole earth ruptured with it.
Many scholars believe that prior to the Flood there was a thick layer of water in the earth's atmosphere (this idea is consistent with Genesis 1:6,7). This layer of water could account for the extremely long lives recorded in Genesis 5, as well as the amount of water that it would take to submerge the earth. But the Bible also says that the water from under the earth burst forth. God's Holy wrath didn't just drown all of the living creatures, according to 1 Peter 3:6 it destroyed the known world. When Noah and his family finally, after over a year on the ark, stepped out onto dry land, they were not only alone but they looked out at a vastly different landscape. The earth itself bore the scars of God's judgment.
Today we don't really notice the scars of God's judgment anymore. It could be that we aren't actually looking, His wrath is definitely not pretty. However, everywhere we look, we can see the destructive effects of sin. It didn't take long after the Flood for sin to once again corrupt the hearts and lives of men. You and I live in a world where sin and decay have reigned for thousands of years. There is nothing that is untouched by sin's corrupting influence. As majestic as the mountains are, wind and rain have eroded them from their original glory. Water and air are polluted, all living creatures must fight for survival, and humanity -- still the image-bearers of a Holy and Loving God -- are filled with violence and selfish desires.
God called Noah in a time of utter sin and corruption to be set apart, and He calls us to nothing less.
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44
* holy. The American Standard Dictionary. Boston, MA. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1991. pg 617
** holiness. (n.d.). Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. Retrieved May 05, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holiness
*** Goodrick, Edward W. and Kohlenberger, John R. III. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 1999. pg. 1481
**** Genesis 6:22 & Genesis 7:5
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:3
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8
Holiness is a difficult concept for most people. If you look in a standard dictionary the definitions are most often vague, such as; "Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred. Living according to a strict or high moral religious or spiritual system."* Even in some Bible dictionaries the definition is not explicit; "in the highest sense belongs to God and to Christians as consecrated to God's service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God."** The definition of the Hebrew word translated holy in the Old Testament is a bit better; "sacred, consecrated, set apart, as dedicated to God; by extension: pure, innocent, free from impurity."***
We may understand the idea of pure and innocent but the reality is we've never experienced it. Everything on our planet has been contaminated and corrupted by sin and death. The second law of Thermodynamics (entropy) says that everything around us, including us, is decaying. Even a baby, which is possibly the most innocent thing we are familiar with, is fighting for survival. Rightfully so, since they cannot meet their own needs, yet if this were a holy world, there would be no need for survival instincts, there would be no death. There can be no death or decay in perfection or it is not perfect. Our human minds cannot fathom true holiness, therefore we often struggle to understand God.
One of the biggest challenges to studying the Old Testament, and in particular stories like the Flood, is that we have a hard time wrapping our brains around God's wrath poured out in judgement. We tend to focus on His Love poured out in the person of Jesus Christ, and His marvelous grace that gives us salvation. As we bask in the wonder of His grace we sometimes overlook the fact that it is that grace that provides us freedom from His wrath. The Lord God does not change, He is the same today, as He deals with us, as He was in the days of Noah. A Holy God cannot tolerate sin, He couldn't then and He cannot today. The Bible is clear that another judgement is coming. God will once again pour out His wrath on the corrupt and sinful, yet 1 Peter 3:9 reminds us that He waits patiently, withholding judgement so that more might come to repentance.
God told Noah to build the ark possibly 100 years before the Flood came. Enoch had been warning the people of the coming judgment over 400 years before Noah was even born. The LORD was patient even then. He allowed plenty of time for those who would repent to do so. Sadly only 8 people stepped onto the ark, but to those 8 people God showed His ridiculous love and grace.
"The LORD then said to Noah, 'Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation." Genesis 7:1
This is truly a remarkable verse! Was Noah without sin? Not at all, he was sinner just like everyone else, yet according to Genesis 6:8, he found favor in the eyes of God. A better word for favor in this verse is grace! God gave grace to Noah. Why was Noah the recipient of such unmerited favor? I think the clues point to something amazing.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that by faith Noah built the ark. He couldn't possibly understand the magnitude of what was going to happen, nor did anyone else around him believe that a flood was coming. His faith was completely counter-cultural. But it wasn't just his faith. Twice in scripture, before the rains came, God made a point to let us know that, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."**** Noah didn't just believe God, he acted on his faith.
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?..faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14 & 17
We can say we believe something, but our actions always show our true colors. Noah didn't just tell people the flood was coming, he acted on his faith and in obedience built the ark.
Now I might be going out on a limb here, but please bear with me for a moment.
Genesis 15:6 is the first time the concept of salvation through faith is explicit in Scripture.
"Abram [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
In Galatians 3:8, Paul tells us that, "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'"
Abraham's salvation was his faith in a future Cross! He might not have understood that it would be an actual cross, but he had faith that God would someday provide the Sacrifice that would remove his sins and reconcile him to God. Just as our faith looks back on the Cross, his looked forward to the Cross. What was the means of Abraham's salvation? Faith. Faith that played out in the actions of his life.
I suggest that, though it is not explicit in the text, Noah was saved by that same faith. He believed God was the only one who could and would provide him Salvation. He not only believed God, he acted on his faith. It was Noah's faith in action that allowed a Holy God to see him through the lens of a yet future Cross and call him righteous.
Because of Noah's faith, God provided him an immediate salvation from the coming judgement. When Noah finished building the ark God brought the animals to him. A pair each of all the unclean animals and 7 males and 7 females of clean animals. (as a quick aside the idea of clean and unclean animals does not become explicit until Moses is given the Law in Leviticus. The fact that Noah knew the difference demonstrates that God had made clear to Adam and Eve what was an acceptable offering. They would have taught their children, who taught their children, and this knowledge eventually passed down to Noah.) Once everyone was on board, God himself shut the door, and then the rains came. Well not just the rain.
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the flood gates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights." Genesis 11 & 12
God's judgement didn't just fall in a torrent of rain from the sky, the whole earth ruptured with it.
Many scholars believe that prior to the Flood there was a thick layer of water in the earth's atmosphere (this idea is consistent with Genesis 1:6,7). This layer of water could account for the extremely long lives recorded in Genesis 5, as well as the amount of water that it would take to submerge the earth. But the Bible also says that the water from under the earth burst forth. God's Holy wrath didn't just drown all of the living creatures, according to 1 Peter 3:6 it destroyed the known world. When Noah and his family finally, after over a year on the ark, stepped out onto dry land, they were not only alone but they looked out at a vastly different landscape. The earth itself bore the scars of God's judgment.
Today we don't really notice the scars of God's judgment anymore. It could be that we aren't actually looking, His wrath is definitely not pretty. However, everywhere we look, we can see the destructive effects of sin. It didn't take long after the Flood for sin to once again corrupt the hearts and lives of men. You and I live in a world where sin and decay have reigned for thousands of years. There is nothing that is untouched by sin's corrupting influence. As majestic as the mountains are, wind and rain have eroded them from their original glory. Water and air are polluted, all living creatures must fight for survival, and humanity -- still the image-bearers of a Holy and Loving God -- are filled with violence and selfish desires.
God called Noah in a time of utter sin and corruption to be set apart, and He calls us to nothing less.
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44
* holy. The American Standard Dictionary. Boston, MA. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1991. pg 617
** holiness. (n.d.). Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. Retrieved May 05, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holiness
*** Goodrick, Edward W. and Kohlenberger, John R. III. The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 1999. pg. 1481
**** Genesis 6:22 & Genesis 7:5
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Flood Day 2
I promised myself that I would never make this blog about me, its about God and His awesome Word and nothing else. With that in mind though I must share something personal with you. Yesterday the Lord gave clear and wonderful answers to 2 direct prayers of mine. Both were answered in unexpected ways and blessed me ridiculously. I offer this to you as encouragement as we study His Word together, He is truly beyond measure.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:11-13
Now to the Flood!
Think for a moment about where you live. Imagine if your neighbor on the right was married and had a few children, and was having an affair with the neighbor on your left. Every night after the families went to sleep you could see the two sneak off into the darkness. Now imagine that the guy across the street loved to walk over and brag to you about how he swindled the life savings from elderly women, and bounced his mortgage check. He would wink at you as he explained how he would only pay enough on the house to keep from being evicted but had no intentions of paying what he owed. Through your kitchen window you could see into the house behind you. There the owner had turned the kitchen into a meth lab, and every night he was busy mixing, boiling and creating the tiny pills you'd sometimes see him selling down by the high school.
If this was your neighborhood you'd probably want to move. To be surrounded on all sides by sin would be painful and discouraging. How could you raise godly children in that environment? But what if there was nowhere to go? If every street in every city was like that. If you were the only one who loved the Lord, would you be able to be the light in such a dark community? What if the flagrant sin all around you was even worse then you could imagine?
The first 8 verses of Genesis 6 paint a very bleak picture.
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Genesis 6:5
Paul does a pretty good job of describing the lives of wicked men in Romans 2:28-32,
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
He goes on to say in Colossians, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." Colossians 3:5 & 6
From the moment that Adam and Eve left the Garden, sin spread like a plague though the hearts and lives of mankind. Every thought that every person had was self-serving and sinful, God could no longer watch while His beloved children continued to corrupt themselves.
"The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." Genesis 6:6
God is all-knowing and all-powerful, He is also perfectly emotional. He chose to give humanity the ability to either love Him or reject Him, knowing that when people chose to reject Him it would break His heart. When the LORD looked out over the earth and saw the horrible evil that was rampant everywhere, He was grieved! It hurt Him to see His children doing things that would hurt them, destroy their lives and kill them. What hurt Him worse was that He also saw into the hearts of the people and knew they would never repent. Our Righteous and Holy God could no longer withhold judgement, He would destroy the earth and everything on it, except Noah and his family.
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD...Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Genesis 6:8 & 9
Out of all the people in the world (possibly several billion*) only one man loved and obeyed God. Only Noah walked with the LORD, and because of his relationship with God his family was saved from the coming judgement.
Noah was over 500 years old the day that God told him to build the ark!** Boats may have been common in his day. Its possible that hollowed out logs or even crude wooden plank boats would have been used for traveling up and down the river.*** God did not ask Noah to build a little boat though, He told him to build an ark, and He gave Noah the blueprints. Made from cypress (maybe gopher) wood, the ark would be roughly the size of the Titanic, have 3 floors and many rooms. It would have 1 door, a roof, separated by 18 inches from the walls to provide fresh air, and it would be covered inside and out with pitch (tar).
God told Noah that He would bring 2 of every animal to him, and that he, his family and all the animals would be kept alive through the coming flood.
"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Genesis 6:22
Every single person around him wallowed in sin and indulged every selfish, lustful desire, yet Noah, obeyed God! He didn't just build the ark and wait for some animals, according to 2 Peter 2:5, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He was actually trying to save the people around him. Some scholars believe that it had never rained on the earth before the Flood.**** Can you imagine telling your neighbors that a flood was coming, that water was going to fall from the sky and kill everyone if they didn't change their ways? They probably thought he was crazy anyway, what with gigantic boat being built in the front yard, but if they had never seen rain before I bet the mocking Noah endured was cruel and relentless. Yet Noah was faithful to the LORD.
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Hebrews 11:7
Noah did his best to be light in a very dark world, and God blessed him for it. When the rains came it was only Noah and his family that were on the ark, they were the only people that had faith, and the only ones to survive. God's grace was available to everyone, but 8 out of possibly billions received it.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13 & 14
Yet for those who do enter the narrow gate,
"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Ephesians 3:17b & 18
* Genesis 5:32
** Courson, Jon. Application Commentary: Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis- Job. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005. pg. 29
*** Walter, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary: Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan . 2009. pg. 47
**** Stewart, Don. Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/stewart.cfm?id=738 (accessed 5-4-10)
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:11-13
Now to the Flood!
Think for a moment about where you live. Imagine if your neighbor on the right was married and had a few children, and was having an affair with the neighbor on your left. Every night after the families went to sleep you could see the two sneak off into the darkness. Now imagine that the guy across the street loved to walk over and brag to you about how he swindled the life savings from elderly women, and bounced his mortgage check. He would wink at you as he explained how he would only pay enough on the house to keep from being evicted but had no intentions of paying what he owed. Through your kitchen window you could see into the house behind you. There the owner had turned the kitchen into a meth lab, and every night he was busy mixing, boiling and creating the tiny pills you'd sometimes see him selling down by the high school.
If this was your neighborhood you'd probably want to move. To be surrounded on all sides by sin would be painful and discouraging. How could you raise godly children in that environment? But what if there was nowhere to go? If every street in every city was like that. If you were the only one who loved the Lord, would you be able to be the light in such a dark community? What if the flagrant sin all around you was even worse then you could imagine?
The first 8 verses of Genesis 6 paint a very bleak picture.
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." Genesis 6:5
Paul does a pretty good job of describing the lives of wicked men in Romans 2:28-32,
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
He goes on to say in Colossians, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." Colossians 3:5 & 6
From the moment that Adam and Eve left the Garden, sin spread like a plague though the hearts and lives of mankind. Every thought that every person had was self-serving and sinful, God could no longer watch while His beloved children continued to corrupt themselves.
"The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." Genesis 6:6
God is all-knowing and all-powerful, He is also perfectly emotional. He chose to give humanity the ability to either love Him or reject Him, knowing that when people chose to reject Him it would break His heart. When the LORD looked out over the earth and saw the horrible evil that was rampant everywhere, He was grieved! It hurt Him to see His children doing things that would hurt them, destroy their lives and kill them. What hurt Him worse was that He also saw into the hearts of the people and knew they would never repent. Our Righteous and Holy God could no longer withhold judgement, He would destroy the earth and everything on it, except Noah and his family.
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD...Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Genesis 6:8 & 9
Out of all the people in the world (possibly several billion*) only one man loved and obeyed God. Only Noah walked with the LORD, and because of his relationship with God his family was saved from the coming judgement.
Noah was over 500 years old the day that God told him to build the ark!** Boats may have been common in his day. Its possible that hollowed out logs or even crude wooden plank boats would have been used for traveling up and down the river.*** God did not ask Noah to build a little boat though, He told him to build an ark, and He gave Noah the blueprints. Made from cypress (maybe gopher) wood, the ark would be roughly the size of the Titanic, have 3 floors and many rooms. It would have 1 door, a roof, separated by 18 inches from the walls to provide fresh air, and it would be covered inside and out with pitch (tar).
God told Noah that He would bring 2 of every animal to him, and that he, his family and all the animals would be kept alive through the coming flood.
"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Genesis 6:22
Every single person around him wallowed in sin and indulged every selfish, lustful desire, yet Noah, obeyed God! He didn't just build the ark and wait for some animals, according to 2 Peter 2:5, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He was actually trying to save the people around him. Some scholars believe that it had never rained on the earth before the Flood.**** Can you imagine telling your neighbors that a flood was coming, that water was going to fall from the sky and kill everyone if they didn't change their ways? They probably thought he was crazy anyway, what with gigantic boat being built in the front yard, but if they had never seen rain before I bet the mocking Noah endured was cruel and relentless. Yet Noah was faithful to the LORD.
"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Hebrews 11:7
Noah did his best to be light in a very dark world, and God blessed him for it. When the rains came it was only Noah and his family that were on the ark, they were the only people that had faith, and the only ones to survive. God's grace was available to everyone, but 8 out of possibly billions received it.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13 & 14
Yet for those who do enter the narrow gate,
"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Ephesians 3:17b & 18
* Genesis 5:32
** Courson, Jon. Application Commentary: Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis- Job. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005. pg. 29
*** Walter, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary: Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan . 2009. pg. 47
**** Stewart, Don. Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/stewart.cfm?id=738 (accessed 5-4-10)
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Flood Day 1
You will need your Bible today
I think pretty much everyone has at least heard of Noah and the Ark. They may not have actually read it, they might not even know that it's in the Bible, but they've heard about it. Fisher Price makes the most adorable little play set for toddlers featuring a plastic ark that opens up so you can put Noah and all the sweet little creatures in it. Melissa and Doug (the children's toy company) have a wooden shape sorting toy in the shape of the ark. "Camels and kangaroos, monkeys and alligators are among the charming chunky animal pieces to sort into this wooden ark. The two-story ark features flip-open doors, twenty-six animal blocks, plus Noah and his wife!"* In 2007 Universal Studios released Evan Almighty, staring Steve Carell as a modern day Noah, learning to trust God in the face of persecution.** The story of Noah and the Flood is a great children's story.
Unfortunately it seem even many Christians think it is nothing more than a children's story. Once you are out of Sunday School you don't often hear the story anymore. Preachers and teachers might mention Noah or the Flood within a study, but rarely are they the focus.
As a student of the Bible one of my most favorite things is to go back over all the wonderful Sunday School stories with a fresh and grown up eye. The Bible is both utterly simple and incredibly complex at the same time, which make a story like Noah's perfect for Sunday School children and yet multifaceted and deep enough for mature Christians to not grow bored.
I am going to break my preferred pattern of completing a study in 3 lessons, I could never do justice to God's Word about Noah and the Flood that way. So this week we will read the complete story and focus on the plain text, then next week we will take an additional 2 days to look at many of the ways this story points to Jesus.
Please take the time to read the Genesis Chapters 6, 7 & 8 in one setting. Try to read it with fresh eyes and an open heart. No matter how familiar you maybe with parts of God's Word, there is always something new that God wants to reveal to you.
" I meditate on your precepts and consider you ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:15, 16
* description from: http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=426558&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-9-_-53-_-%7Bkeyword%7D&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D (accessed 5-2-10)
** IMDB.com (accessed 5-2-10) for a Christian movie review of the the film check out http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2007/Q2/EvanAlmighty.aspx
I think pretty much everyone has at least heard of Noah and the Ark. They may not have actually read it, they might not even know that it's in the Bible, but they've heard about it. Fisher Price makes the most adorable little play set for toddlers featuring a plastic ark that opens up so you can put Noah and all the sweet little creatures in it. Melissa and Doug (the children's toy company) have a wooden shape sorting toy in the shape of the ark. "Camels and kangaroos, monkeys and alligators are among the charming chunky animal pieces to sort into this wooden ark. The two-story ark features flip-open doors, twenty-six animal blocks, plus Noah and his wife!"* In 2007 Universal Studios released Evan Almighty, staring Steve Carell as a modern day Noah, learning to trust God in the face of persecution.** The story of Noah and the Flood is a great children's story.
Unfortunately it seem even many Christians think it is nothing more than a children's story. Once you are out of Sunday School you don't often hear the story anymore. Preachers and teachers might mention Noah or the Flood within a study, but rarely are they the focus.
As a student of the Bible one of my most favorite things is to go back over all the wonderful Sunday School stories with a fresh and grown up eye. The Bible is both utterly simple and incredibly complex at the same time, which make a story like Noah's perfect for Sunday School children and yet multifaceted and deep enough for mature Christians to not grow bored.
I am going to break my preferred pattern of completing a study in 3 lessons, I could never do justice to God's Word about Noah and the Flood that way. So this week we will read the complete story and focus on the plain text, then next week we will take an additional 2 days to look at many of the ways this story points to Jesus.
Please take the time to read the Genesis Chapters 6, 7 & 8 in one setting. Try to read it with fresh eyes and an open heart. No matter how familiar you maybe with parts of God's Word, there is always something new that God wants to reveal to you.
" I meditate on your precepts and consider you ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:15, 16
* description from: http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=426558&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-9-_-53-_-%7Bkeyword%7D&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D (accessed 5-2-10)
** IMDB.com (accessed 5-2-10) for a Christian movie review of the the film check out http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2007/Q2/EvanAlmighty.aspx
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