October 23, 2007
Bible Study:
Genesis Chapter 6 and 7
The Portrait of the Grieving Judge
To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty, when I grieve Your spirit, forgive me and give me wisdom to repent. Thank You for the umbrella of Your faithfulness, mercy, and grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Introduction:
A tornado packing winds of 160 mph damaged over approximately 250 buildings in Nappanee, IN on Thursday, October 18, 2007. Although severely damaging or destroying about 150 of the buildings, it killed no one and only injured a few people with minor cuts and bruises. When interviewed the next day, the mayor of Nappanee contributed the report to everyone heeding the siren and the warning to take shelter. In preparation for any such emergency, the city sounded the alarm every Friday at noon. It was obviously worth the effort.
For 120 years, Noah sounded the warning that God would destroy the earth with a great flood. Unlike the citizens of Nappanee, the citizens in Noah’s day scoffed at the alarm and continued with life as usual.
The Lesson:
Genesis chapter 6:1-7 reveals the corruptness of humanity in Noah’s time. The phrase the sons of God chose the daughters of men” to marry is not clear. Some theologians think that the term “sons of God” refers to the Godly sons of Seth while others believe that it means angels. Certainly if it means angels, it would mean those who fell with Satan and not the heavenly angels who worship and obey the Most High God.
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3 NIV). God passes judgment on humanity by decreasing their lifespan. A longer lifespan meant more time for people to become more wicked. With sin and corruption, comes suffering and disease. Not desiring more evil in the world, God displays His grace and mercy upon His creation by shortening human longevity.
Verse five tells us that every inclination of the thoughts of people’s hearts was evil all the time. When we consider evil, we usually think of the vile deeds people do to one another. In God’s sight, self-centeredness ranks at the top of the list. People, who live only for themselves, are more apt to seek their pleasure at all cost.
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain (Genesis 6:6 NIV). The decision to “wipe mankind from the face of the earth” was not an act of an angry vengeful God. Verse six portrays a loving Father grieved by the actions of His children. Think of the times we have grieved over the mistakes our children have made. Or ponder the feelings of the mother of a serial killer. Then we may have a glimmer of our Lord’s pain as He made the decision to end the agony of His fallen creation.
However, God showed mercy to Noah, the only man on earth who remained faithful and obedient to the Lord. Within verse eight, we find the first mention of God’s grace. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9b). Even though the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, He placed Noah in the midst of the populace to witness and preach as he built the ark.
To put the size of the ark into perspective, it has been estimated that it would be the equivalent of 522 standard stock cars of a freight train.
Noah is a type or picture of Jesus in that Noah was righteous, blameless, walked with God, and “did all that the LORD commanded him” (see verses 6:9, 6:22, and 7:5).
The ark also symbolizes Jesus Christ. Only those who trust in the word of God and repent can enter the safety of the kingdom of God and escape the coming judgment and destruction of the world. Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9a NIV). Acceptance of God’s grace in Christ is a necessary human response to receive salvation.
Conclusion and Challenge:
It took a considerable amount of faith for Noah to build an ark in the middle of a desert. And it had never rained before, but that didn’t stop Noah from obeying God’s commandments. Although the Bible does not say so, we can assume that Noah suffered a great deal of ridicule and rejection for his decision to follow an invisible God. Yet, Noah continued to preach and witness to them until the day God closed the door of the ark. No one was save except Noah and his family.
This picture reflects the true believer’s circumstances in the world today. We have never seen the risen Savior; yet, we willing follow Him and trust His promise to save us from the coming wrath of God.
Like those in Noah’s day, people continue to mock God’s sovereign word and go about their daily routines as though they hadn’t hard the warnings. No matter how hopeless it may seem, we must faithfully witness at every opportunity before Jesus comes to claim His own.
Start a Ministry
Start a new ministry. Print some business cards like the one above. If you like, replace my website with yours or your church’s site. Hand them out—with your tip a restaurants, to passers-by, to cashiers, put them in all your outgoing mail. Pray earnestly for our nation’s revival.
If you don’t have a computer or time to make cards, but would like to invest in this ministry, write to me via e-mail or the address below. I’ll send you some-FREE.
My Address: Brenda K. Hendricks
P. O. Box 165
Freeburg, PA 17827
