Genesis 8:21 (MSG) “GOD smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done.”
When I heard the story of Noah for the first time, I remember being afraid. Up until that time, all the Bible stories read to me were filled with love as portrayed in the beautiful pictures of the Baby Jesus and his parents. I must have been very young because I only remember those pictures, and feeling happy. But at some point I grew older and the Bible stories read took on a more somber note. The story of Noah placed a new kind of fear in my heart.
“God saved Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
I realize now that it is important to read the entire story. To understand and learn of the heart of God we cannot simply read a paragraph or two from any given chapter and know what is going on. To get the full effect of the story of Noah and the Ark we need to know what happened first. Why was God angry with His people? What was the nature of the people of the land? What prompted the flood?
It is equally important to understand the rest of the story. We cannot just pick and choose what we will read and expect to understand. We need to know the context in which a story takes place. As Paul Harvey would say, “Wait til you hear the rest of the story.” The flood water receded and the land dried and Noah and his family were able to exit the ark and begin again.
The rest of the story starts here. Our lives often find a parallel to this story. How often have we felt as though trouble was following? Remember, God’s promises apply to us too. He is calling us to emerge from the ark of agony we have been dwelling in and soak up the sunshine of a bright new day; a day filled with the promises of God.
Read Genesis 8 here
Listen to Genesis 8 here
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