Monday, October 03, 2005
Genesis 9
Genesis 9
“Starting Over”
The flood that covered the Earth is over, and all is quiet now. Can you imagine a day without the sounds of others? How about no birds chirping? Only the animals that were with Noah are present, and they probably scattered after being cooped up in the ark for so long. Life is again at it’s starting point. Noah must start fresh with his family.
Vs. 1
“God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” Notice that God didn’t leave this family stranded with no purpose. God immediately gives the blessing and purpose to Noah and his family. God never calls us to a place where we do not have a purpose to fulfill.
Vs. 5-6
“And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Again, we are given identity; we are made in the image of our Creator. Even though humanity is born separated from God by each of our own sin, God still cares for us, and sees us as created in His image. We have a unique value to God, so different from all of other Creation.
Vs. 7
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." Now Noah and family are now given a mission. Go out and fill the world with people. You can see that God designed us to have families, and teach the next generations what we know.
So, now, humanity is given a purpose, an identity, and a mission. God brings us back to where we were in the beginning. The only difference between the people that God created and us is our fallen nature. We are born with a brokenness to us that only God can restore. Noah and his family will prove this very soon.
Vs. 8-17
God now covenants with Noah. He gives him the sign of the rainbow. I wonder what it was like for this one family to see the first rainbow ever. How impressive was it to have God make such a powerful promise, and give such a beautiful sign to remember it by.
Vs. 20-22
Well, back to the same thing. First Noah goes and gets drunk, then Ham does something perverted. It doesn’t take long to get us right back to where we were before in sin.
I remember when September 11th happened. Within hours, churches were holding prayer vigils in hopes of survivors, lost family members, and answers to questions that we all had. That Sunday, September 16th 2001, there was a surge in attendance in churches across the country. Churches experienced more attendees than on Easter and Christmas. People had a very traumatic experience, and they reached out to God. It wasn’t two or three months before the attendance in all the churches was back to where it had been on September 10th.
How quickly we forget that we have seen “life changing” things. We forget almost as quick as the dust settles. We forget that God created us with a purpose, an identity, and a mission. We forget the outcome of our disobedient ways.
“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Psalms 42:4
“Starting Over”
The flood that covered the Earth is over, and all is quiet now. Can you imagine a day without the sounds of others? How about no birds chirping? Only the animals that were with Noah are present, and they probably scattered after being cooped up in the ark for so long. Life is again at it’s starting point. Noah must start fresh with his family.
Vs. 1
“God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.’” Notice that God didn’t leave this family stranded with no purpose. God immediately gives the blessing and purpose to Noah and his family. God never calls us to a place where we do not have a purpose to fulfill.
Vs. 5-6
“And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Again, we are given identity; we are made in the image of our Creator. Even though humanity is born separated from God by each of our own sin, God still cares for us, and sees us as created in His image. We have a unique value to God, so different from all of other Creation.
Vs. 7
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." Now Noah and family are now given a mission. Go out and fill the world with people. You can see that God designed us to have families, and teach the next generations what we know.
So, now, humanity is given a purpose, an identity, and a mission. God brings us back to where we were in the beginning. The only difference between the people that God created and us is our fallen nature. We are born with a brokenness to us that only God can restore. Noah and his family will prove this very soon.
Vs. 8-17
God now covenants with Noah. He gives him the sign of the rainbow. I wonder what it was like for this one family to see the first rainbow ever. How impressive was it to have God make such a powerful promise, and give such a beautiful sign to remember it by.
Vs. 20-22
Well, back to the same thing. First Noah goes and gets drunk, then Ham does something perverted. It doesn’t take long to get us right back to where we were before in sin.
I remember when September 11th happened. Within hours, churches were holding prayer vigils in hopes of survivors, lost family members, and answers to questions that we all had. That Sunday, September 16th 2001, there was a surge in attendance in churches across the country. Churches experienced more attendees than on Easter and Christmas. People had a very traumatic experience, and they reached out to God. It wasn’t two or three months before the attendance in all the churches was back to where it had been on September 10th.
How quickly we forget that we have seen “life changing” things. We forget almost as quick as the dust settles. We forget that God created us with a purpose, an identity, and a mission. We forget the outcome of our disobedient ways.
“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Psalms 42:4
