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Home » Genesis » Page 3

Posts that reference the book of Genesis

A Study in Contrasts: Noah

By Paula

Study in Contrasts Noah title graphic

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8

Writing, editing, and teaching I work with words all the time. One of the smallest words we encounter regularly is the conjunction “but.” You may remember from beginning grammar that conjunctions are words that connect words or ideas. “But” is the conjunction that joins contrasting ideas. When “but” appears in Scripture, it highlights something God wants us to notice, to learn from. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some of these contrasts.

First up is Noah.

You’ve, no doubt, heard the story many times. Man, although created perfect, by Noah’s time had descended into utter depravity. The culture was godless. In verse 5, the account says that everything people thought, their every imagination was “totally and consistently evil.” (NLT) For a people heaping judgment upon themselves, God decided it was time to cut things off, to destroy the people He had made. Everyone was facing judgment.

Everyone, but Noah.

In contrast:
Noah found grace. Some versions use the word favor. It is the same Hebrew word used when Esther petitions the king of Persia. “If I have found favor in your sight…” Esther 8:5.

Was it a random choice that God made? Not at all. Noah was different. What set him apart?

Noah was righteous. He was blameless, and he “walked in close fellowship with God.” (6:9 NLT)

Stop and think about the magnitude of the choice that Noah made. He was the only righteous man on earth in his day. The only one.

Now the lesson, the application, is plain. We have a choice to make similar to Noah. While our times and our society are growing more hostile to God and to His morals, we aren’t quite as far gone as in Noah’s day. People still rescue puppies and kittens, they give blood, they donate when there’s a disaster. But godliness is quickly losing ground. We may not be the last righteous person on earth, but we may be the only believer in the office where we work, or on our block, or in a college class, or on our team. We can choose to follow the culture, or we can choose to follow God.

We can choose righteousness. We can actively choose to act in a way that imitates God, that follows the standards He set out in His word. We can imitate Christ in every facet of our lives.

We can be blameless. This has to do with our relationships with others. We can interact with others with kindness and compassion. We can choose to be positive. We can see the good. We can be diligent and herd-working.

We can have close fellowship with God. We pray, study and worship daily, multiple times each day.

Paul may have had Noah in mind when he encouraged his friends in Philippi “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:14-15

Be a light. Be a Noah.

Next week: The Canaanites.

Filed Under: Thursday in the Word Tagged With: Genesis, Philippians

Christmas, Conflict, and Crushing

By Paula

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. Genesis 3:15

Christmas.
Peace on earth, right?

Christmas is actually the beginning of the slow climax to the ultimate conflict.
Enmity.
Hostility.

The forces of darkness and evil.
The force of light and righteousness.

It began in a Garden.
The turning point was in a Garden.
The end will be on a mountain.

This is how…

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:20)

The God who brings peace will destroy our greatest enemy.
Soon.
And that will bring the end of the Christmas conflict.

In the meantime, grace be with you.

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Christmas, Genesis

Ararat: A New Beginning

By Paula

Ararat A New Beginning title graphic

Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. Genesis 8:4

Over the next several posts, we’re going to climb some mountains, figuratively anyway. It takes some time, some preparation, and some effort to climb a mountain. Once you’re there, though, the payoff is a view like no other, a perspective you just can’t get anywhere else.

Ararat stands near the point where Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran meet. The seventh highest peak in the world, it stands nearly 17000 feet (over 5000 m) and is, in fact, a dormant volcano. Little Ararat, over 12000 feet itself (nearly 4000 m) is its companion.

It is the first named mountain mentioned in Scripture. Granted, the account doesn’t specify THAT particular mountain, but rather the mountains in that region. Not having the geographical or archaeological pinpoint won’t take away from our consideration, however.

So what happened at Ararat?

Rest – Noah and his family (and the animals) had come through a season of unimaginable upheaval, a literal tempest. But at last, there was rest. The ark is a picture of the deliverance from judgment we have through Christ. Christ will bring us through, not just escaping the wrath of God, but the trials we face. You may be in a season of tossing, of uncertainty, of storms and floods … There will be rest.

A New Beginning – Noah faced a new beginning rivaled only by Adam’s. New civilization. New race of mankind. New covenant with God. With a new beginning, a range of emotions is stirred up from anticipation to trepidation to regret to resolve. We can identify. After God brings us through a tempest, there is a new beginning. Sometimes that’s a welcome relief. Sometimes it comes with a fear that the new is just the old wearing a different outfit. The God who brought us THROUGH the tempest and flood has also brought us TO the new beginning. He’s not leaving now.

Going Out – In verse 16, God gives Noah the green light – go out of the ark. The storm is over. The flood has receded. The rest is accomplished. The beginning awaits. Time to embrace it. Just as God commissioned Noah to go, bring his family and the varmints with him, and replenish the earth, Jesus commissioned us to carry out the gospel and to make disciples. Resting is great. Reflecting on God’s care is great, but we cannot stay there. We have to go.

Next up: Sinai

Read all of the Mountains series

Filed Under: Thursday in the Word Tagged With: Genesis, Mountains series

Three Mistakes Abraham Made in Dealing with an Unbelieving King

By Paula

Three mistakes Abraham made in dealing with an unbelieving king title graphic

Then Abimelech called for Abraham and asked him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you that you would bring such a serious sin on me and my kingdom? You shouldn’t have done this to me.” Genesis 20:9 (GW)

For the last few weeks, we have looked at some of the words of unbelievers and what lessons they teach us. Genesis 20 records one of Abraham’s not-so-great moments in his encounter with Abimelech, the king of Gerar. Abraham had already received the promises from God, including the assurance that he would have a son and that his innumerable descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. This episode falls between the promise and its fulfillment. Incidentally, it’s not far from Kadesh, a place where the entire nation would fail to embrace the promise of land God made to Abraham.

In this account, Sarah has been taken from Abraham and added to Abimelech’s harem. (It’s worth remembering that she was likely in her eighties. She must have been amazingly beautiful.) But God reveals Sarah’s true relationship to Abraham. So where did Abraham go wrong in his dealings with the king of Gerar?

Abraham assumed the worst about Abimelech. In verse 11, he explains, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.” The people in Gerar did not worship Yahweh, but Abimelech immediately acted on the things God revealed to him and displayed some degree of honor. He was deeply offended by the lies and made good, generous overtures to Abraham to ensure things were settled between them.

Granted, there is real evil in the world, and there are truly wicked people out there. However, most of the unbelievers we encounter are a lot like us. They have jobs and families. They worry about paying their bills and what the future may be like. They have hopes and dreams. However, they don’t have Jesus. When we assume we know them, and in turn, assume the worst, we make it difficult to connect with them and reach the place where we can share our faith with them.

Abraham told a wishy-washy half-truth out of fear. In verse 2, he introduced Sarah as his sister. She was his half-sister. But she was his wife. That was a very significant detail to leave out. This is a man who had spoken with God. But when fear overshadowed faith, Abraham said and did a stupid thing. And we are the same way.

When unbelievers ask questions, don’t waver or waffle. Give true, honest answers. That credibility will be crucial to building a foundation of faith.

Abraham led Sarah to be wishy-washy too. In verse 13, Abraham reveals that he had arranged with Sarah to keep the full truth about their relationship a secret. The legal term there is conspiracy, and it is not to be overlooked. We have an awesome responsibility to lead, to be examples, to disciple other believers. What a serious failure it is when instead we lead them to dishonor God and damage their witness before unbelievers.

Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. There is no question Abraham learned from his mistakes. By Genesis 22, he proves he has an amazing faith in God. But I love the fact that God includes stories like this one in His word. It reminds me that Abraham was human. If he can learn and grow and be a man of unshakeable faith … so can we.

Filed Under: Thursday in the Word Tagged With: faith in real life, Genesis

Treasure or Just Money

By Paula

But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. Genesis 43:23

You remember the story. Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt buy food, and Joseph orders that Simeon be held to prove they aren’t lying about their identity. They discover the money they used to buy the food in their sacks. They hurry back to Egypt in a panic, afraid they’ll be blamed for the theft.

The steward says God has given you your treasure in your sacks, for I had your money.

The brothers kept talking about money.

The steward wanted them to rethink things.

 

Treasure is different than money.

Even in the Hebrew, the words are different.

A treasure is a secret storehouse. Money is silver.

A treasure is guarded and protected. Money is used.

 

The steward explained, God has given you your treasure…

Joseph. Forgiveness. Redemption. Reconciliation.

 

What treasures has God given you?

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Genesis

Creating the Star of Bethlehem

By Paula

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” Genesis 1:14

This was the day the stars were created.
The constellations help mark seasons.
Their positions are the key to navigation.
But that wasn’t all God had in mind.

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. … behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Matthew 2:2, 9-10

Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
It is not too much to imagine
the star that would mark His birth was chosen,
that’s its purpose was determined
on the day it was created.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Christmas, Genesis, Matthew

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