Noah and the Father’s Love

Genesis 6:5-7:24


The reading for today is about Noah and the great flood --- a familiar story for many of us.  As I read this story I kept coming back to Genesis 6:5-8.  These verses describe mankind’s “wickedness on the earth” and God’s response.  Verse 6 especially got my attention, stating “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”  This is from the NIV translation.  Other translations say God was sorry or regretted that he had made man and that his heart was grieved and even broken.  My study bible has a note that says “Man’s sin is God’s sorrow” and directs you to Ephesians 4:30 where Paul directs us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”.  


It is amazing to me that Almighty God can be pained or sorrowful because of our sinful behavior and disobedience.  But that seems to be the case in this story.  And yet, when I consider God as a loving Father who sacrificed His Son for our redemption, why am I surprised?  Just as obedience shows our love for God, disobedience (sin) grieves his heart. 


Over the past several weeks we have been singing a song at church that seems to give a good summary to these thoughts.  I have included a link below.  Please take a moment to listen closely to the lyrics, especially the second verse, and give thanks that we have a Father that loves us “beyond all measure”.


“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us"

Noah endures forty days of rain

       March   7

Read Genesis 7:17-24; 9:8-15 and reflect on the passages.

The story of Noah's ark is one of the Most familiar Bible stories. Depictions of it grace everything from baby nursery bedding to decorative accents. And yet, if we focus only on the flood, it could be one of the most discouraging stories of the Bible.

However, within the narrative of Noah’s Ark, we have not only the story of the flood, but the rainbow as a promise to never flood the earth again. Also within this account, we have a display of one of the great tensions about our Lord: He is both a God of justice, sovereignty, and righteousness as well as a God of compassion, mercy, and love.

If we focus solely on the sinfulness that lead to the destruction of the flood, we can miss the rainbow and God’s covenant of hope.

And so it is with our own personal narrative and with this Lenten journey that we have a choice: we can fix our eyes on the catastrophe of sin or fix our eyes on the great promises of a risen King who has overcome and given us power and authority as we trust in Him.

Questions

1. How can you remember to fix your eyes on the Lord today?

2. What aspect of God’s creation reminds you of God’s faithfulness to us?

Prayer

Gracious God, thank You for giving us the choice of where to fix our eyes, hearts, and minds. Help us to choose wisely! Amen.

—Jessica Efird

More Powerful than Water

Water is powerful. A flood can destroy your house in a second. An unchecked drip can rot your house over a several year period. Besides being powerful, water also brings something powerful.

 

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

Peter spoke these words, from today’s reading, Acts 2:29-41, in Jerusalem during Pentecost.

 

What a blessing baptism is. Water and the Word of God: a common liquid coupled with profound wisdom that transcends human understanding. Baptism.  Simple, but effective.

 

The Lord saved the Jews from Pharaoh’s army about 3400 years ago. The Jews were slaves in Egypt, and Moses was God’s instrument to afflict the Egyptians with 10 plagues. Eventually Pharaoh relented and released the Jews. However, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to crush the Jews. God parted the waters of the Red Sea allowing the Jews to cross. With the Egyptians still on the sea bed, God released the water and the army drowned.

 

God used water to save the Jews from its enemy.

 

When we are baptized, Satan, can no longer touch us. Sure, he can wreak havoc in our lives, but our souls belong to God.

 

God uses water to save Christians from its enemy.

 

Joshua led the Jews through the Jordan River to Canaan. Out of water, the Jews came to their Promised Land.

 

Our baptism ensures us eternal life with God. Out of water, Christians come to their promised land, Heaven.

A theologian would say baptism Justifies us. That is, baptism makes us right with God.

 

Baptism is more than that. Peter tells us the Holy Spirit enters us on our baptism.

 

The Holy Spirit allows us to have faith and be aware of, if not fully understand, God’s Plan and Christ’s Mission. In addition, it equips us with the skills necessary to carry out that Mission, the Mission of the Church.

 

Baptism also Sanctifies us. It allows us to reach out to others.

 

Baptism: Justification and Sanctification!

 

Yes, water brings the Holy Spirit, more powerful than water itself!

Judgment of the Flood - Genesis 7-9

God waited for generations. Evil escalated out of control and became widespread. All people on earth, judged guilty of their sins, were destroyed by God. Hope remained with only one man. God protected Noah and his family from the judgment of the flood.

God told Noah and Noah’s offspring, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” (Gen 8:21) God recognized people would continue to do evil.

Through Noah and his descendants, God sets in motion a plan to help prevent people from reaching the depths of evil they reached before the flood. Judgment happened then hope shined through the darkness.

It is distressing to see evil and its consequences continue to worsen around us today. Murder is escalating in our communities. Marriage vows and commitments are easily set aside. Persecution of Christians is happening around the world. Attempts to explain or discuss increasing immorality are filled with doom and gloom.

I hang on to God's hope, not the doom and gloom of a sinful world. There is safety and deliverance in God’s promise. I am blessed when I witness God's patience and continued work through circumstances and people everyday. He is certainly patient with my shortcomings. I feel Him molding and making me a better person through my temptations, failures and difficulties!

When I catch sight of a rainbow I see the hope that God offers. I pray you see it, too.

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