Apparently everyone loves Chuck Norris...and more about Abram in Genesis

The last Chuck image, at least for a while.

My last blog featured quite a few photos or links about Chuck Norris while I was discussing Abram and Genesis 12. I got twice as many views as I usually get on my blog with the Chuck Norris stuff included. My conclusion is that Chuck Norris is very popular, (and rightfully so), and I could therefore double my readership if I changed my blog to a Chuck Norris/Bible blog. However tempting that may be, I can't do the same gig over and over again, and other parts of the Bible may not be so relatable to the good Mr. Norris. There are also other sites devoted strictly to Chuck Norris and his greatness, (and rightfully so). Therefore you'll just have to continue reading my blog for the mind blowing Bible insights, my Cosby like wit, and the occasional photo of my shirtless body....

We'll now return to Abram. When we left him last, it was Genesis 12 and God had appeared to Abram and promised to 1) make him a great nation, 2) make his name great, 3) bless the world through Abram, and 4) curse those who cursed Abram. I'm skipping ahead a few chapters to Genesis 15. There's some good stuff in chapters 12-14, but like I said in the first blog about Genesis however long ago, I'm trying to give you, my devoted readers, an overall picture of the Scriptures and we're finally getting to the point where I will have to jump around a bit.

Genesis 15. God had made a covenant in chapter 12 with Abram and now he speaks to Abram again. In verses 1-6, God tells him again he is going to bless him, reminding of the promise to make from him a great nation. In verse two, there's a problem. Abram is old, his wife is barren, and the heir of his house is Eliezer, a servant in his household that is not his direct descendant. How is a great nation going to come through an old man and his barren wife? How is God going to fulfill his promise? God says, "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said, 'So shall your offspring be." (v4-5). God promises that Abram's own son, not his servant, not anyone else, would be his heir and the beginning of the great nation God mentioned previously. He told Abram that as many as the stars were in heaven would be the descendants of Abram.

Now think about this. When God initially spoke with Abram in chapter 12, he was 75 years old. We are now three chapters later and who knows how much time has passed. Abram is now a very old man. Very old men do not typically father children, especially from barren old women, (apologies to Abram's wife, Sarai). Stuff like that is not only physically impossible, but is also really gross to think about, (if we're being honest with each other. This is why no one likes watching Cialis commercials by the way).

Gross.

So God has just told Abram that he is going to do the impossible in his life. He is going to bring life from the lifeless, barren bodies of Abram and his wife. Not only that, but from their offspring he is going to make a great nation as numerous as the stars in heaven.

This is an incredible and unbelievable promise. Abram is probably thinking, "God may be great, but can he really do all that he has said? Can he really give me a child that will be come an innumerable nation?" God has promised the impossible and Abram is left with a dilemma. He can believe what God had said or not. The evidence, (from an earthly perspective), is that God can't do what he has said. After all, he doesn't have much to work with except two very senior citizens, (with apologies to my parents and in-laws, who are only slightly senior citizens).

Abram and Sarai already had one of these when God started dealing with them.

Here's Abram's response, "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." (v6)
Abram looked at the circumstances surrounding God's promise that he would bring life from the dead of Sarai's womb and make him a great nation. Then he looked at God who had made the heavens and the earth, who had created life out of nothing, and he trusted God's promise. Abram believed the Lord. He trusted God would be faithful to what he had said. God's response is TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT. God counts Abram's faith as righteousness. Here we have the first example of God counting a man as righteous before him. Enoch walked with God. Noah walked with God. They both were righteous men, but this is the first time God declares a man righteous. How did Abram get this righteousness? Was it because he was an obedient person? No. Was it because he had suffered for God? No. Was it because he had done good things? No. Abram is counted righteous before God because Abram believed what God had said.

This is very important because it sets the principle of righteousness before God by faith. Man throughout history is going to try to make himself right with God by obedience to religious rules, supposed "good deeds", and doing it his own way. God will only allow man be right with God one way, his way, and that is by faith. Remember Cain? He tried to come to God on his terms and God did not accept his offering. God will only accept those who come to him and they must come to him by faith in his promise, a la Abram, a la mode, (just kidding about the "a la mode" part).

I want you all to know that I really intended to get through this whole chapter, but I try to keep these blogs reasonably short and readable and I'm over my limit. Therefore we're going to have to stop here for today, (that sounds like a psychiatrist). Next time we're going to talk about bad dreams and what burning stuff has to do with God's promises. All pyromaniacs are encouraged to attend. God bless.

- T

Chuck Norris and the second most important person in human history (Genesis 12)

The third most important person in history.

Who is the greatest person in history? It's not Chuck Norris, but good guess.

For the Christian, that person in Jesus Christ, though Chuck Norris is also in the top five. However, who is the second most important person in history? The answer would surprise you. It's a guy who lived in the Middle East some 4,000 years ago. His name was Abram, (later Abraham). He is the father of three of the most significant religions of all time. To the Jews, he is Father Abraham, (who had many sons as the song goes). Abraham was the first patriarch of the Jewish faith. Abraham had Isaac, who had Jacob, who had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. Abraham is also significant to the Islamic faith. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Muslims trace their faith back to Ishmael. Finally, Abraham is significant to Christians because from Abraham comes the promise of a "seed" who would bless the nations. Abraham is the primary example of saving faith that Paul refers to in Romans 4. Ultimately, he is the father of Jesus Christ. Paul refers to Abraham in Galatians in terms of the promise of salvation by faith over works. He is a cornerstone of three of the world's greatest religions. Therefore he is a very significant man in history who we should seek to understand from the Bible's perspective. That being said, we're looking today at Genesis 12.

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3. 

Remember how we got here? Humans up to this point have, for the most part, sought to do it their own way, not God's way. This has led to death, jealousy, murder, strife, immorality, and judgment. In the last chapter, men tried to make themselves a great name and unite everyone in one place with one language. God dispersed mankind by confusing their language. Man has failed, throughout the pages of the Bible, to walk with and honor God. Previously the Lord had worked throughout all mankind, now God comes to reveal himself to and work through one man. Through this one man God is going to bless the entire world.

So what does God tell Abram to do? He tells him to leave his country, leave his relatives, and leave his father's house and go to the land that God will show him. He has to leave all that is familiar and follow God.
So what does God promise to Abram? God promises to make Abram a great nation. God also promises to personally bless Abram, make his name great, and work in Abram's life so that he will be a blessing to others, (v2). He also promises to curse everyone who curses Abram. God promises to be Abram's provision and protector.

I would like you to see something here. God is the one who initiates this promise with Abram. This should remind us of the many times throughout Genesis so far where God has been the one to initiate blessing or reconciliation with man, (see also Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah). God is good. He is kind. He wants man to "make it", so to speak. He wants man to be restored to fellowship with him, so he initiates relationship with mankind.

It is also very important to see that God is the one who promises to bring this agreement with Abram to fulfillment. See what language God uses here. God says over and over again, "I will", "I will", "You shall", "I will", "will be blessed". This covenant with Abram is not based on Abram's actions, faithfulness, or unfaithfulness. God has promised that he will act. This is not a conditional agreement based upon Abram fulfilling a certain list of duties. This is a divine and one sided covenant. "I will".

I can hear you saying, "So what? Why does this matter, why should I care about a guy that lived a really long time ago? I get it. He was old, God promised him some stuff and it all worked out. So what? What does this have to do with me? You said this guy was more important than Chuck Norris and only second in importance to Jesus in terms of Christianity? I don't get it? WHO COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHUCK NORRIS?!"

First of all, your imaginary questions are very angry.
Second of all, I NEVER in any way disrespected Mr. Chuck Norris. I know what happens to those who disrespect him and I would never do that in any way.
Thirdly, I will now answer your questions.

- This is called the Abrahamic covenant. God is going to elaborate on this covenant later, but this is the first glimpse of it in the Bible. It is a very important covenant in the Bible, therefore we should pay close attention. So there.
- Remember a few blogs ago where I talked about how God has been tracing a line throughout the pages of the Bible of the future Savior of mankind? If not, go back and read it. We looked at the genealogies, not as unimportant parts of the Bible, but as a road map pointing to the line of the Savior of men. So now, in Abram, we see another road sign which points us ahead to God's chosen Savior.
- We should also care about Abram because he is going to show us a model of how God saves men. Will it be by works, by Abram's good deeds, by Abram's faithfulness, by a magic crystal, by suffering, or will it be by faith and the grace of God? We're not there yet, but the way in which God spoke with Abram in these verses provides a clue. God initiates the relationship with Abram and God promises, unilaterally and without condition, to accomplish his will in and through Abram. It will be by God's work for God's glory. Therefore Abram's descendants, (Isaac, Jacob, the tribes of Israel), had a firm promise to rest on. They could rest on the promise of God to bless Abram, to give them the land, and to make them a blessing to the world. They could also rest in God's promise to curse those who cursed them. Pretty significant stuff.

So we have the introduction of a very important Biblical agreement between God and man, (Abram). We have the unconditional promise by God to bless and work in this man's life. We have the hope of another man walking with God in a world of men who do not walk with Him. We have the hope of a Savior coming through this man to bless the world. Stay tuned. Good stuff.

You know who else is good. This guy.

Genesis 11 and Jeopardy, (Jeopardy really having nothing to do with anything).

How did we get here? Throughout the first 10 chapters of Genesis, man has continually blown it in his relationship with God. He has failed, over and over again, to walk with God, to honor him, and to obey his ways. In chapters 6-9, God wiped out the earth except for a faithful man named Noah, and his family. God instituted capital punishment for men who murdered one another. Surely, considering all that has transpired, including a worldwide flood, man will now faithfully walk with and love his Creator God, right?

I'll take "NO" for $500 Alex. Oh well. Let's watch what happens.

In Genesis 11:1-9, people are going to build a big tower, spite the Almighty, and learn Spanish. Let's watch.

A bit of background here:
Genesis 1:28, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..."
Genesis 9:1, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth".
Genesis 9:7, "Be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it."

Man was commanded by God, from the beginning, and then again after the flood, to fill the earth and subdue it. In Genesis 11, the people all come together as one and park themselves in one place.

"And they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (3-5)

Man is building himself a big tower to make a name for himself and to keep men from being scattered over the earth. Man is not taking action in order to make a name for God or relate to his creator. His is doing this for himself. Is this in line with what God had previously commanded about being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth? I'll take "NO" for $800 Alex. Make a note here that the name of this place is going to be called  Babel, (v9), which means confusion. Throughout the Bible Babylon is going to be symbolic for man living apart from God's will and ways. Make a note: Man living apart from God leads only to confusion, destruction, and trouble. See also any atheistic governments like Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia, China under Mao, etc.

"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another' speech." (5-7)

God sees what man is doing and sees the people of earth working together with one language. He sees that whatever man proposes to do they will be able to complete. In verses 7-9 God is going to fluster the plans of men so they cannot complete what they are attempting. At this point you have to ask why. Why would God do this? Why would he intervene and disrupt what is going on? Is he mean? Is he selfish? Is he like a little kid standing over an ant hill with a microscope trying to torment humankind? Why would he do this? Why would he interrupt what appears to be a healthy endeavor, which is building a city?

I would submit to you that God is acting in kindness towards men made in his image. From Genesis 1 onward, man was made to walk in fellowship with God. Whenever man got himself in trouble it was because he was not walking with God. Whenever man was blessed it was because he was in relationship with God. So here, in Babel, man is seeking to live independently of God. Is that going to have positive results? Maybe you think so. Let's look at man so far when he has lived independently of God:

Adam and Eve - listened to a talking snake, doubted the goodness of their Creator. Acted in blame shifting and shame. (Genesis 3)
Cain - Got mad at God, was jealous of his brother, killed his brother, and hid the body, (Genesis 4)
Lamech - Kills a man for striking him, promises reprisals on anyone who messes with him, (Genesis 4).
Man experiences the curse of sin and dies, and dies, and dies, (Genesis 5).
Man increases in violence, corruption, and some sort of weird sexual immorality, (Genesis 6).

Mankind has shown himself to be corrupt, broken, violent, lustful, jealous, selfish, and evil apart from God. What would happen if a bunch of people like this all get together in one place? I'm sure the results would be wonderful, right? No. That is why, as Tommy Nelson stated in his sermon on Genesis 11, when people retire they don't move to Manhattan. That is why God intervenes to separate man from himself. He is acting in mercy to keep man from utterly destroying himself. Sinful man, gathered unto himself, united in mind, will only bring about his own self destruction. (I have nothing against New York by the way).

"So the Lord dispersed them from over the face of all of the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth," (8-9)

Notes:
- Man makes plans, but God is ultimately in control.
- Man tries to act in rejection of God's will, (be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth), but God supersedes their rebellion to accomplish his will, "the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth."

What does passage tell you about man?
He continually seeks to live independently of God. Man continues to struggle with sin in his heart and a desire to do things his own way. Man has a problem. He is not inherently good. He does not seek God. He is naturally drawn away from God, rather than towards him. Man needs a Savior.

What does this tell you about God? 
God is again seen as the one acting with care and concern towards man. Even though mankind continues to rebel against the plan of God, try to make a name for himself, and reject God's will for his life, the Lord does not squash man like a bug. Man is continually given second chances with the Lord.

So man continues his action of living independently of God, with only a notable few, (Abel, Enoch, Noah), walking with God by faith. Now we have the scattering of all peoples, the introduction of numerous languages, and man's continual need of a Savior to change his heart and restore him to fellowship with God.

I know this has nothing to do with Genesis 11, but it just looks funny. 

Genesis, Orville Redenbacher, Girl Scout cookies, and the Savior

Orville Redenbacher likes popcorn and suspenders.

You know what I always thought was weird? Why Boy Scouts sell popcorn while the Girl Scouts sell cookies. That's a raw deal, right? The Boy Scouts got snookered on that one. I mean really, who wants to buy popcorn? Did you ever sit around the house and say to yourself, "I can't WAIT until the Boy Scouts sell popcorn again, because it's just miles better than anything Orville Redenbacher sells at the grocery store?" I don't remember saying that to myself either. I do recall thinking, "When are the Girl Scouts selling their delicious and many varied cookies?" You know why? Because cookies are better than popcorn any day of the week. I feel sorry for the Boy Scouts and can't figure out why they have to sell popcorn and can't sell candy or some other delicious treat...like cookies. It's just weird.

You know what else is weird? Genealogies in the Bible. It feels like one of those things that are just there because...um...they just are. It is one of those things that you get to in the Bible, skim over to see where it ends, and then keep reading. (Come on, admit it, you've done it too). For the longest time I thought it was God wasting ink and paper when he made the Bible. However, I was wrong. There's actually a secret message in the genealogies that will give you the lottery numbers for next Tuesday's...I'm kidding. But there is kind of a secret message there. I'll explain.

Do you remember in Genesis 3 where God promised to one day crush the serpent's head by the seed of woman? I mentioned it at the time as the first "gospel" or good news prophecy of a coming Savior of men. At the time there wasn't that much information disclosed about who the Savior would be and when he was going to get here, but there was a promise he would come one day. Throughout the first 10 chapters of the Bible we have seen, over and over again, the problem of man's sin, his corrupted heart, and his rejection of his God and creator. We have seen, in essence, man's need for a Savior to restore him to relationship with God. What does this have to do with boring genealogies? I'm glad you asked. In the genealogies in Genesis 4:25-5:32, 10:1-32, and throughout the rest of the Bible, we see the tracing line of God, throughout history, of the coming Savior of men. We see that it will not come through Cain, but through Seth. We saw it will come through Noah and his sons, but not through Ham, because he was cursed by his father for being a pervert, (see the end of chapter 9). So throughout the Bible we will see God tracing the line of the coming Savior through his people. It's actually pretty interesting when you think about it. God is giving notice to his people of the coming Savior, even in the beginning days of history. That's why the genealogies were so important to the people of God.

Cookies > Popcorn. I'm just saying.

All right. Hope everyone is well. Stay tuned for the tower of stupidity, I mean Babel.

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.

Noah, Part 2, the Stage is Set and a Boat is Built

Today we're looking at Genesis 6:9 - 6:22. As always you can go to Biblegateway.com, NetBible.com, or BlueletterBible.org for reading the Bible online. I would encourage you to read the section in the Bible before reading the blog. There's a lot there to digest and I'm going to try and do it in just a couple of blog entries, so I won't be able to cover all of the details.

I miss those. Delicious.

For today's blog we're going to play the question game: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why. (The question game, by the way, is not a bad tool for studying the Bible. Observe, ask questions, make notes, etc). The winner of the game gets a Pudding Pop.
Who? Noah, who was a righteous man. Noah walked with God. Who else walked with God? Enoch. What happened to him? He didn't experience the judgment of sin in his day. Hmmmm, maybe walking with God is something we should all aspire to.
What? God tells Noah he is going to destroy the world but will preserve Noah from destruction. He then tells him to make an ark, an enormous boat. God also tells Noah to bring in a pair of every living animal with him, male and female, and also enough food to feed the animals, himself, and all of his family that goes with him.
Where? Not sure exactly. It happened at a place that didn't have Pudding Pops.
When was this going to happen? Noah didn't know for sure, but it was coming soon.
Why was God doing this? Because man had increased in evil, sin, and corruption. The earth was full of violence. Man was thoroughly evil. God is holy and he judges sin.
How would God do this? God told Noah there was going to be a flood of waters that would cover the earth. Keep in mind there was no rain yet on earth at this time. People, Noah included, didn't know what rain was. Before that time God watered the earth with a mist, (Genesis 2:5-6). Noah didn't know exactly how judgement was going to happen or when, but he knew that judgment was coming. Noah listened to God and obeyed. He trusted what God had said and so "being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes through faith", (Hebrews 11:7). Noah was a man who walked with God and who had faith.

So God tells Noah what he is going to do and how to escape the coming judgment. Mental note: It's always good to be buddies with God. It helps you escape worldwide divine judgment, which is always a plus. Ergo, be on the Almighty's good side. You should also note that God's judgment is not willy-nilly. It is not without just cause. The world at this time is evil. Man has rejected God and is not walking in his ways. (Good thing that hasn't happened in our day, huh?). Lesson: God will always judge evil, his judgment is just, and there is no way to escape judgment except by walking with God by faith.

We see here some important things yet again.
- God hates sin and evil.
By the way, what is good and evil, right and wrong, has its definition and basis in God, the Lord, the Creator. Right and wrong are not defined by culture, the majority population, or man's reason. Righteousness finds its definition in God. We don't get to make our own standard. The standard is set by the Creator.
- God will judge evil.
In the movie Tombstone, there's a dramatic scene where Wyatt Earp, played by Kurt Russell, tells one of the bad guys, "YOU TELL 'EM I'M COMING AND HELL'S COMING WITH ME, YOU HEAR?! HELL'S COMING WITH ME!" He dramatically illustrates the point of coming judgment for the bad guys. We who live on earth have no cowboy promising coming judgment. Instead we have an Almighty God who has declared to us what is right and wrong, who has created, loved and provided for men and who has reached out to mankind to have fellowship with him. He has given him life and breath, but has only been rejected and scorned. He has given us the Bible to show us the way to him. In every circumstance man has lived in, (see also Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and now Noah), man has rejected or disobeyed what God has revealed. God is righteous and he will judge sin. Judgment is coming. It's going to be bad for all those who have not walked with God by faith. Hell will one day come to earth and the Lord of heaven and earth will be leading the charge. It's best we all get right with Him before that time comes. This may sound unpleasant, but it is Biblical. When we read the Bible, our job is not to choose which parts which we like and ignore the rest, but it is to understand what the Bible says as a whole, pleasant and even unpleasant.
- Man has a means of escaping judgment by walking with God by faith. Enoch walked with God and did not die. Abel obeyed God by faith, (see also Hebrews 11), and is commended by God. Now Noah walks with God by faith and will escape destruction. There seems to be a theme here. Faith = walking with God = escaping judgment and the curse of sin.

As a side and possibly humorous note, check out Cosby + Noah. That link actually illustrates an interesting thought. Noah is out building this enormous boat for the salvation of his family and animals. At some point the neighbors are going to start to wonder what he's doing. Can you imagine the conversations that he had with folks?

Noah and his neighbors.

Neighbor: So Noah, what are you doing?
Noah: I'm building an ark.
Neighbor: What's an ark?
Noah: It's a big boat.
Neighbor: Why do you need a boat?
Noah: Because God's about to judge the world, flood the earth, and kill every living thing on it.
Neighbor (to himself): ....No wonder we don't invite this guy to our parties.

I am nervous to speculate on what's not Biblically documented, but it blows one's imagination to think about how Noah would have interacted with the unrighteous around him as he built this enormous, (1 and a half football fields), size boat. That's a conversation I'd love to have with Noah in heaven. But I digress...

Coming next - bad news bears.

Genesis 6, Noah, (Part 1), and you get to meet Wanda and the Professor

If you're new here, please sign a name card and think of two truths and a lie that you can share with the rest of us later. Be advised that we're going through the basic stories of the Bible in hopes of laying a framework for understanding the Bible as a whole. I would encourage you to read the past blog entries to get caught up. Feel free to read them in the bathroom, but not while driving.

If you're not new the blog I know it feels like we've been in Genesis forever. I understand your frustration. Then again, we're reading the Bible and we're learning good stuff, (hopefully). Also, as I've said before, Genesis lays the groundwork for understanding the rest of the Bible as a whole, so it's crucial we understand Genesis before we move on to other things. So please be patient, hold on, and enjoy the ride as much as possible. Send all complaints to this lady (to the right). She works at the DMV and also handles complaints for my blog. Her name is Wanda.

So now we're going to talk about Noah. But first we need to set the groundwork for Noah. (I say 'we' like I have a staff). The account of Noah is from Genesis 6-9 and I'm going to try to cover that all in one blog, (but not this one). First we need to cover the Genesis 6:1-8, which is a very weird passage in some ways and not very weird in others. Let's look.

"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years'. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men of old, the men of renown." 

Now we reach our first really weird passage of the Bible. I have no idea what it means. Does it mean angels were possessing men and having sex? Does it mean the good guys were falling into immoral sin with women? Does it mean that the leaders of the people were getting involved inappropriately with women? I don't know. I asked Wanda what she thought, but she told me I first needed to fill out three forms and pay her a $15 processing fee before she'd answer, so I just left her alone. You and I could get into a big discussion about the different views on this, but since the point of my blog is to focus on the groundwork of the Bible and not the disputed details, we're going to just move on. Apparently volumes of commentaries have been written about what these verses could mean. It's an interesting discussion, but we're not going to have it here. If you have any other questions, ask that guy over there. He's the official professor of this blog.

Moving on to V5-8, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." 

Let's do a quick recap of man, his existence on earth, and his relationship to God during that time.
- Man was made and given a commandment before God. He failed to keep the commandment and was judged by God, (Adam and Eve).
- Man was kicked out of the garden and given instructions on how to live rightly with God. Man failed and was judged/cursed by God, (Cain and Abel).
- Man, for the most part (see Enoch), fails to walk with God and increases in wickedness and evil. There is some sort of weird immorality going on, (v1-4), and now the "thoughts of his heart was only evil continually", (v5). Man has failed again and now God promises to judge man for his wickedness.

So in each situation man has failed to walk with and honor God, with a few notable exceptions, (Abel, Enoch, and now Noah). Man failed to keep even the simplest commandment, (don't eat from that tree). Now sin has corrupted mankind's heart and mind that their thoughts and actions are only evil continually. Creation, which started out so good, has now become evil and corrupted by sin and by mankind. The SoWhat Lesson: Sin has corrupted man's heart. Man needs a new heart. Man needs God but will not honor or obey him. 

I want you to see how sin has completely corrupted man in only the first six chapters of the Bible. Man has failed to walk with and honor God as he should. Man has sought to do it his own way. Man has not trusted and walked with God, (see few exceptions). Now you have God, grieved and sorry that he has created man. God's heart is broken because his creation will not respond to him as he desired. God wants a relationship of love, trust, and obedience from his people, but they will not turn to him. As always, sin and failure to obey and listen to God leads to consequences and judgment, and it is about to get ugly, and wet. Lesson # 2: God will always judge sin and evil. 

Then there's Noah. He is one of the few men of faith who have walked with God and trusted him. He is about to get saved from destruction because of his faith, (see also Enoch and Abel).

Next time I'm going to try and condense the story of Noah from three Bible chapters into a readable blog. If I don't do it, then I have to pay Wanda a big fine. Look forward to seeing you then. - Me.