Genesis: Noah part 3 and Proper Decorations

Today we're going to be looking at Genesis 7-9, finishing up the Noah and the Ark story. Speaking of Noah and the Ark, can you, dear reader, tell me when you last saw Noah and the Ark represented? Not here on the blog, but in your own life? I'm guessing your answer is going to have something to do with baby showers, baby clothes, mobiles for cribs, or something like that. For some reason, Noah's Ark themed decorations are very popular for babies and moms and dads who decorate or accessorize their infant's room. Usually those decorations have a smiling and happy Noah along with smiling happy animals on a smiling and happy boat. The sun is shining, there is a rainbow in the sky, and everything is groovy. Well today I'm going to tell you why using such decorations is a horrible idea, (Biblically speaking, of course). I hate to be a downer, but baby room decor is one of my biggest passions. Technically that's a lie, baby decor is not a passion of mine, but Biblical accuracy IS.

Without further ado, let's dive in, (pun intended), to Genesis 7-9. Let's get ready to
RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Context: God tells Noah to get into the ark with his family because a flood is coming and the world is going to be destroyed. God is going to preserve Noah because he is a righteous man of faith, (see also Abel and Enoch, Genesis 4, 5, Hebrews 11 and prior blogs which addressed this subject). Noah takes the animals God told him to take and everyone gets on the boat. Then God shuts the door to the ark. No one can get in or out. After that a flood of waters covers the earth. It rains for forty days and forty nights. It is such a supernatural flood of rain and water that even the mountains on earth are covered by water. No one but those who were on God's boat survived the flood God had sent.

Lessons to Learn:
- Judgment will come for sin and evil. (See also prior blog). God is righteous and he will not tolerate sin and evil forever. Eventually he will judge the evil. Just this week the news reported that the government of Syria had used chemical weapons on its own citizens. There were pictures of women and children lying dead in the streets. In Egypt, the Muslim brotherhood destroyed and burned churches and killed men, women, and children because they did not support their political and religious viewpoints. In such evil times be comforted that God's judgment is coming. The wicked will not escape, even if they die while still in control and seemingly untouched by justice. One day God will judge eternally the wicked deeds of men. God's righteous fury will come upon the evildoers who have lived on this world. No one will escape. This does not only apply to evil dictators and murderers, but also those who have not loved, honored, and trusted God according to the revelation he has given in the Bible and in nature. You and I will have no excuse.
- There is no means of escaping the judgment of God for sin except by the way he has provided. Man's own means of escape will not work. Good deeds, niceness, philosophy, giving money, being tolerant or being educated are not God's means of salvation. Men have to trust God's one and only way. There was one way on and off the boat. The men of that day could see the boat and the promise of God's coming judgment, (even if they didn't believe it). In Noah's day God had provided a means of escape from judgment. In our day God has provided a means of escape as well. We can't do it our way, we have to do it God's way, (See also Cain and Abel and that blog).
- God's way of salvation may seem stupid to everyone else, but God doesn't care and neither should you. God knows what he is doing. It is not our job to justify or make sense of God's means of salvation. Our job is to trust God and follow him. In Noah's day it probably seemed stupid for a man to build a boat in the middle of a field, not on the shore of the sea, (you know, where the water would be), and wait for rain that no one had ever seen before. In our day it is considered stupid by many to trust in a man who supposedly died and rose again. God will save men by his foolishness, not by the "wisdom" of the world.
- Once judgment comes for sin, there will be no escape. Once the flood started, God shut the door to the ark. There was no way to get on or off at that point. The people on earth at that time were not able to get aboard the ark. They had plenty of time while on earth to come to their senses, turn from their evil, and follow God. Now that the end had come, there was no escape.

P.S. I really do hate to be such a downer in these blogs. I really rather enjoy laughing, being silly, posting dumb pictures, and making readers smile, (when I say readers, I mean my mom, dad, and wife :). However, sometimes the Bible talks about stuff that is hard to hear and hard to write/talk about. Sometimes the Bible addresses tough subjects like sin, justice, death, etc. I could skip over that stuff and just be lighthearted and smile a lot, (see also prosperity preachers), but if I did I would not be faithful to the truth of what God has said, nor would I be honoring you, my reader(s). And you know what? Life is hard. Life is difficult. People get sick, die, get hurt, are mistreated, children are murdered by government leaders, politicians are corrupt, and bad things happen. We live in an evil, broken world. The good thing about God and the Bible is that he addresses these tough subjects and doesn't gloss over them. In the Bible God talks about evil, sin, divorce, pain, death, and injustice. Even more than that, he talks about the resolution to such tough issues. God doesn't ignore these things, he addresses and ultimately, solves them. Therefore we can confidently, if not necessarily comfortably, come to the Bible knowing God has an answer for the hard things we face in the world, even if it's not always pleasant to read.

Rib-eye, a result of the Noahic covenant

After the flood and the waters go down, Noah, his family, and all the animals came out of the ark. (By the way, can you imagine how bad it smelled in there? There was no plumbing system in that boat. I'm just saying). But Noah is thankful to God for saving him and offers a sacrifice to God. (Again for sacrifices God requires the death of a clean animal - very important. See also Abel, and Adam and Eve). Then God makes a covenant or an agreement with Noah. God promises never again to destroy the earth via a cataclysmic event like a flood. He also institutes capital punishment for murderers, (9:4), and allows men to now eat animals, (9:3). So we have the invention of the death penalty and the Rib-eye. Good news if you like steaks, bad news if you are a murderer. In order to confirm his covenant with man God puts a rainbow in the clouds as a sign. That way man will not have a panic attack any time it rained in the future.

Capital Punishment: Also a result. 

Let's review the relationship God has made with men so far, shall we:
God had made a covenant with Adam and Eve. They failed. God judged their sin. God made a covenant after the Fall, and Cain failed. God judged his sin. Now God makes a covenant with Noah and those with him. How is that going to work out? I'll let you figure it out. Is anyone sensing a pattern here?

We should also ask the question: What is the recurring problem here? Man keeps failing. Man continues to fail, (for the most part), to walk with God by faith and love him. Man continues to live in evil ways, destroying himself and others around him. Man has a sin problem and a heart problem. How will this problem be addressed?

Okay, I hear you asking: What does this have to do with baby decorations? I'm glad you asked. It's common for babies to have cute Noah's Ark decorations where the animals and Noah are all smiling and riding together in the Ark. I'm sure they were smiling. People and animals generally like when they aren't drowned by a supernatural flood. The problem is the story of Noah's Ark is about divine judgment of sin. EVERY person and animal that wasn't on the earth at that time DIED. It is not necessarily a happy story. It is not a story that should make use smile, but rather humble us about the mercy of God and the danger that awaits ever sinner who rejects God. So from now on, keep the animals and skip the ark in the decoration process. Thanks.

Thus ends the story of Noah, (at least the main points). I hope you all have a groovy weekend. We'll see you  back here next time. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-place.