In the Beginning - Pt.9

"But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark." (Gen.8:1). Those opening words of chap.8 are wonderful. While disorder, and chaos, raged all around them, Almighty God "remembered" Noah, and all of the other inmates of the ark. That word "remembered" is important. When you, or I, "remember" it means that something that we have forgotten has suddenly come to the forefront of our minds. 

In this particular context, that would imply that Father God had "forgotten" Noah and the other occupants of the ark, and then suddenly thought "Oh! I've just remembered! Noah, his family, all those creatures. I should do something about them." However, the Hebrew word used has the additional sense of  "to mark (so as to be recognised)". So God had not "forgotten" Noah. He had, in fact, taken special; note of him, and the others. He kept them safe and healthy; He gave them resilience not to give up hope. He encouraged them with signs of new life beyond the disaster. The first of these was that "... God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually." (Gen 8:1-3). Then, we read, "... in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat." (v.4). Note, by the way, that in spite of several claims to have found the remains of the ark on the modern Mt Ararat, there is no definitive proof that the modern peak is the same one on which the ark rested. Indeed, the text does not even claim that it rested "on Mt Ararat", but "... upon the mountains of Ararat." - a different scenario! The two other Biblical references to "Ararat" support this - they are found in Isaiah 37:238, and Jeremiah 51:27 where Ararat is described as a "land" and a "kingdom" respectively.

The third encouraging sign that was given to Noah was when "... in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen." (v.5); and the next sign was when a dove that he had sent out for the second time "... came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth." (v.7). It was when he sent the dove out on a third occasion, that "... she did not return to him any more." (v.12).

So, Noah was now free to open the ark, and allow all of its passengers to disembark! Well, that is what many of us would have done. Having been confined in the ark for more than a year, we would be desperate to get back on to dry land. In my youth, I spent a couple of years in the British Merchant Navy. As I recall, the longest stretch at sea was about five days - and we were delighted to be able to be on "terra firma" once again! Noah was not like that! Even after that length of time, he waited - about eight more weeks - until God said: "Go forth from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.” So Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. And every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves upon the earth, went forth by families out of the ark." (vs.16-19).

The circumstances, as seen from the window in the ark, looked encouraging. However, Noah knew that that was no guarantee that Almighty God wanted them to leave immediately - and so he waited for a clear direction. Obedience to Father God means doing the right thing, in the right way, and for the right motive. But it also means doing it at the right time! How often I have "run ahead" of my Heavenly Father - and I suspect that many of those reading this will have done the same!

This 8th chapter ends with a glorious promise, that Eternal God "... will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." (vs.21-22). A promise never again to curse and destroy that enables us to look forward, even in our own time, to renewed order out of the chaos in which we currently live; and a guarantee that, as long as the earth endures, the basic rhythms of His creation will continue.

Perhaps you, or someone you love, or know, have/has been going through a period of personal difficulty - even disaster! May I encourage you to look to Almighty God? If He could guide Noah and his family through the Flood, He can guide you, and me, through the worst that the enemy would throw at us. That doesn't mean that He will make the difficulties disappear - but He will "remember" us. 

There was a chorus that was popular in my younger day:

"God is still on the throne,
And He will remember His own;
Tho’ trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone;
God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His own;
His promise is true, He will not forget you,
God is still on the throne."

Of course, it is "His own" for whom He cares. Are you His? If not, why not? As I have often stated, the offer is there. You only have to accept. If I can be of any help in a more personal way,. please do not hesitate to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the blog.

In the Beginning - Pt.8

The purpose of the flood was not simply to destroy sinful man - it was to destroy sinful man, but to destroy sinful man, and all of the land animals, and the birds, and the earth itself! (Gen.6:7, 13). Only a global flood would achieve that! 

The purpose of the Ark was not to save a few animals and birds, so that Noah could start a farm afterwards. (7:1-3). If the flood was local, the Ark was unnecessary. 

Consider, too, the volume of the Ark. Forget the pictures of the Ark in most (secular!) children's books. They are as different from the reality as day is from night. Check the dimensions! In modern terms it was 450' x 75' x 45' - giving a volumetric capacity of more than 1.5 million cubic feet! That is a lot of space!

How many animals and birds were on the Ark? Well, we must take careful note of the text. « Then YHWH said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth. » (vs.1-3). « ... every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort. » (v. 14).

Now, I neither wish to, nor am I properly qualified to, go into even a brief lecture on zoological terminology (and you may be relieved to know that!), but a "kind" is a very large grouping. It is a "genus", not a species. For example, there are many species and breeds of dog. But the "kind" or "genus", is "canine". That is why one breed of canine is able to mate with another breed (size permitting!); but felines (cats) will not breed with canines!

This is very important! It means that Noah did not need to take a breeding pair of Border Collies, and Yorkshire Terriers, and Dachshunds, and King Charles Spaniels, etc., etc. He simply needed to take a pair of canines - and from even just one pair, the genetic information would be available to produce, over time, different breeds. And, of course, he would not have taken mature adults. He didn't want grandparent elephants! What was required was a couple of teenagers who would have many tears of breeding once they were released from the ark! 

However, even if we deal with species - a much wider group, with many more creatures than if Noah only took "kinds", the picture is little different. I shan't bore you with individual figures, but even taking the figures that would have made the situation the most difficult for Noah, there would have been less than 50,000 creatures. Now, when we note that the average size of mammals, especially those that have not yet fully grown, is about the same as an average sheep, we find that all of those creatures could be housed in little more than 35% of the Ark's capacity. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Ark was large enough to take all of the animals that Noah was required to take, as well as sufficient food for both them and the Noahic family.

But what about the building of the Ark? Well, in spite of what some modern reproductions show, it was not necessarily a ship-like construction. The Hebrew word (tebah) is derived from a word that means, simply, a box! In other words, building such a large vessels would not require great shipbuilding, or even carpentry, skills. If it was merely a very large box (and since it was required only to float (7:18), and did not have to be propelled or steered, that is all that was needed!), then there can be no doubt that Noah and his sons would be able for the task - and that is not even allowing for any divine intervention!

So, when all was prepared - and it didn't happen over a weekend! - « Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark, to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.  And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. … … … they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and YHWH shut him in. » (vs.7-10; 16). Now that is security! When the Creator, Himself is taking care of us, we need not fear. 

One final point. Does this not provide a picture of a God Who is cruel? Certainly not! It provides a picture of a God Who is righteous, and Who will punish sin. However, that does not mean that He watched the Flood, unmoved. The previous chapter drew attention to the pain and grief that Almighty God experiences at sin and its destructive effects. This chapter does not make any definitive statement about the deep sadness that He must feel at the death of those He had created, but His written Word reveals it elsewhere. « For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says Adonai YHWH; so turn, and live. » (Ezek.18:32; emphasis added). « The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. » (II Peter 3:9; emphasis added). Indeed, it was because of His love for you and for me that « … He (the Creator) gave His only Son (the Lord Jesus), that whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life. » (John 3:16; emphasis added). In the days when the death penalty was available in the UK, we did not consider the judge who delivered such a verdict on a convicted murderer to be cruel. He was merely acting justly. Surely, then, we may agree with the implied answer to Abraham's question: « Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? » (Gen.18:25)

Have you made that choice? The offer is there - and it is free, because He has already paid the price.

In the Beginning - Pt.7

The record of Genesis 6:5-22 is possibly one of the best-known, and most controversial, passages to be found in the whole of the Tanakh (the "Old Testament"). It is, of course, with the following chapter, the record of the Flood.

Verse 5 gives us the verdict of the Creator on the humanity that He had created, but that had quickly fallen into disobedience, and had been banished from His near presence. « YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. » As someone once put it, « The heart of man's problem is the problem of man's heart. » There was, however, one exception - the man named Noah who, we are told « … found favour in the eyes of YHWH. » (v.8).

What was YHWH to do? He could see that « … the earth was corrupt in [His] sight, and the earth was filled with violence. » (v.11 - and doesn't that sound just like the situation in which we live today?!). So, He shared His divine thoughts with that one « … righteous man … » ( v.9), Noah. « And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch." » (vs.13-14). The means of that destruction was, we later discover, a flood that covered the whole earth, so that the tops of the highest mountains were under 15 cubits (about 22'6", or just under 7 metres) of water! It was an historical, global, catastrophe. 

Now, of course, there are those who would try to show that this was just a "local flood". I have seen "local floods", and none covered the tops of mountains - or even small hills! Certainly, other Biblical writers have no doubt as to its extent!  Peter, for example, writes of « … the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished." (II Peter 3:6). The issue has been the subject of many academic books and other studies, and is certainly much too big to deal with here, but I will simply state that the evidence for a worldwide flood is more than a little solid, and we shall look at this a little more closely next time, DV.

What, then, are the basic lessons that we may learn from this part of the record of the flood? It shows the reaction of Almighty God to the human sinfulness that had become so prevalent. It shows, first of all, 

1. God's grief

Notice the sharpness of the language in vs.5-7, and 11-13. We know how much sin hurts, and sickens, us - but how much more must it pain our Creator? It's little wonder that He decided to wipe out humanity! Indeed, the amazing thing is that He has not done so again - totally and permanently. Of course, that is partly because He keeps His promises (spoiler: 8:21-22). However, this Flood record also shows

2. God's grace.

In His love, Almighty God rescued the one family that honoured Him and, through them, gave humanity a fresh start. Notice how orderly righteousness is. Sin destroys, but the description of Noah: « Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. … … he did all that God commanded him. » (vs 9,22) provides a model of health and growth. 

God's rescue act - prepared, remember, since before the beginning of time! - is planned to perfection. It is practical and precise in every detail. And it is an advance model of a still greater rescue act, from which each of us may benefit.

Peter writes: « For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him. » (I Peter 3:18-22).

The death, and resurrection, of the Lord Jesus were just as perfectly planned and executed - and, you may recall, they too were no "afterthought"! In Gen.3:15 we read these words, spoken by YHWH to the serpent: « I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. » At Calvary, the Lord Jesus bruised the head of the satan, even although « He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed. » (Is.53:5).

Praise God for His love, and grace, and mercy - and for the wonderful salvation that is the lot of all who trust, wholly, and solely, in the Son. May that be your personal experience. It will be for your good, and to His glory.

In the Beginning - Pt.6

A play; a horror movie; and as we move forward, it's almost as if we are reading some modern newspaper headlines! Typing this as the war in Ukraine continues, it is not unreasonable to say that now, as then, we stand on the brink of plunging ourselves into total chaos.

As we read Genesis 4, we are introduced to the first family, as Adam and Eve produce two sons. However, these two children, as they grew to adulthood, were very different. Cain, the elder, became a farmer while his younger brother, Abel, became a shepherd. The record reads: "In the course of time Cain brought to YHWH an offering of the fruit of the ground,and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And YHWH had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard." (vs 3-4). Now we are not told, specifically, why YHWH rejected Cain's offering, but the general consensus is that it was because it was not a "blood sacrifice" (he could, after all, asked his brother to give, or trade, him for a lamb and, doubtless, his parents had told him about the sacrifice that was made in order to provide them with suitable clothing). 

However, as we read on, there is the suggestion that Cain was not rejected because of his offering, but that his offering was rejected because of himself! "YHWH said to Cain, 'Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.'” (vs.6-7). This is confirmed by John in his first letter: "... be not like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous." (I John 3:12).  The inspired writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus states that it was "By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts;" (11:4). 

We see more of Cain's heart as we move on to the following verses. He both murdered his brother, and lied to God, doing so in blatant resistance to the clear warning that YHWH gave him (vs.6-7 above).

Passing over the genealogy of chapter 5, we find that Genesis 6 shows a general decline. The first four verses are, to say the least, cryptic! However, what may be safely said is that a new depth has been reached in the progress of evil. One possible interpretation of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men" (v.2), is that the 'godly' line of the descendants of Seth, mixed with the 'ungodly' line of the descendants of Cain. Whatever the truth, there is a deterioration in human relationships. There is also the reference to the Nephilim - or "mighty men" (v.4). This may have been the opinion of other people, but God sees them as fallen people - and it is His verdict that stands!

These two 'scenes' may remind us of the abuses that are so obvious in the 21st century world around us. Earlier, I was reading about the demonstrations, in the USA, regarding the possible overturning of the "Roe v Wade" verdict regarding abortion. The report also had many photographs. One interesting placard, amongst many interesting placards read - "Abortion access saves lives"! How does one define "life"? Surely it is defined by spontaneous growth. I have never seen a car behave like that, nor a house, nor an aeroplane, etc., etc. However, from the precise moment of conception there is growth. From that instant, the DNA of the potential human being is fixed. That embryonic clump of cells is a living being. Within a very short time, it is a sentient being. Abortion ends that life - at whatever stage it takes place. If more people would take the time to check out the stages of a pregnancy they would discover, among other things, that by the time the mother has decided to take a pregnancy test, the heart is already beating. "Abortion access saves lives"!? Not the baby's! Abortion is more accurately spelled "murder"!

Of course, even in modern "democratic" nations, the majority is not always right - and I actually doubt that the majority are pro-abortion, even if they are the more vociferous! 

Those opening verses of Genesis 6 are not very encouraging - but God is still on the throne, and we will discover, next time, something about what He does next!

In the Beginning - Pt.5

For the past few posts, I have suggested that we could imagine ourselves in a theatre, watching a play. Perhaps for some, that suggestion was even useful! However, this is no longer a play - it has turned into a horror film!

We are still in the third chapter of Genesis, but we now move into the second half of that chapter, (Remember, of course, that no part of the Bible was originally written in chapters and verses! These are a relatively recent 'invention' designed to make it easier to find a particular verse, or passage!).

The final action of the Creator, in this situation, is justice - but justice blended with mercy. I'm reminded of some words, written by Graham Kendrick for the "Make Way for the Cross" Easter March, 'way back in 1989: « We worship at your feet where wrath and mercy meet, and a guilty world is washed by love's pure stream » (Come and See). In Genesis 3:22-24 we read: "Then YHWH Elohim said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever' - therefore YHWH Elohim sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." 

Our first parents had violated the one commandment that they had been given, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so they could not complain about being deprived of the tree of life. But that very expulsion was as much a protection as a punishment. Almighty God saves us from living in a state of constant rebellion against Him and total banishment from Him. You see, He has in His eternal mind a way of restoring the damage we have done. I was reading, a few days ago, this comment in The Life Application Bible, on Isaiah 27:12: "God's purpose in judging the earth is not vengeance, but purging. He wants to correct us, and bring us back to Him. God does not punish us for our sin, just to make us suffer, but to make the faithful better equipped for fruitful service."

If we look carefully we can see, clearly, this blend of what we deserve, and of hope based on love, in the forward look to life outwith Eden. "The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And YHWH Elohim made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them." (3:20-21). There is a future, and Father God even provides garments that would protect them from physical harm caused by the thorns and thistles already predicted. (v.18).

In what theologians refer to as the "protoevangelium" (the first gospel message), YHWH curses the serpent/devil, and prophecies: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (v.15). The uppercase letters should be sufficient explanation! But both woman and man are also sentenced. The woman is told that childbearing will be painful (but note the implicit promise of children!), and that she will want to please her husband, and that he will have a position of seniority in the relationship. Check back to Pt.3! Already sin has made a difference even in the relationship between husband and wife! Of course, both are still equal - but the man now has his position confirmed - and it is actually one of responsibility!

And, it is because of man that the ground, itself, is cursed. Working it will not be the pleasure it was at the beginning - not that there are not those who enjoy working in the fields, but that they now have to work much harder; greater effort will be needed to provide what the ground can produce; and man will return to the ground when physical death overtakes him, as will all of humanity.

So mankind is banished from the earthly paradise into which it was placed, and the way barred to ensure that they do not re-enter. (vs.22-24; above). Thankfully, that is only the end of an act - although there is still some horror stuff with which to deal!

God willing, we shall look at the next scene, next time.

For a wee touch of nostalgia, click on the link (or copy and paste!).

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gizXMaQ7Y5o