E5 Gen 11 - Uniting For Evil vs. Uniting For God

Just before the Flood;  God was grieving the inclination of man’s heart towards evil.  About six generations later God has to intervene against sin again.
 

Its one thing to rebel against God as an individual; but it is whole other matter when people gather together with purpose and unity in order to do reject God.   Even in our legal system, there is a difference between an individual committing a crime, and a group "conspiring" together to break the law.  Conspiracy even carries its own punishment.

In Gen 11 we have a conspiracy to rebel against God: “Lets build ourselves a city, and make a name for ourselves.”  Nothing leads to good results when we are self-centered.  In fact, some of the point was to build a stairway that reached to the heavens, or in essence be equal status with God.  Needless to say, the Trinity thwarted this rebellious scheme. 

However, in his judgment there is some wisdom to be extracted- for good.  God declares that people with a common language and purpose can achieve anything they plan.  This is the importance of the church having unity in values and purpose.  If in unity people can achieve any evil plan, how much more, can the people of God achieve with unity?

Dear Jesus, help to unite with others to achieve your purposes in earth.  Forgive me for any scheming and conspiring that I have done with others to rebel against you or even to slander and defame others.  Reveal to me the power of unity, and let me be part of Your Unity here on earth.

E4 Gen 8 & 9 God’s First Covenant With Humanity

I have always been intrigued by the fact that God makes Covenants with humans. Why does a God who incapable of lying (Heb. 6:18) make a Covenant or pact to keep his word? Obviously I don't know the answer but I can tell you how it affects my view of God. It reassures me that God is a good of humility- not too proud not to make a promise. It also comforts me that He will do all He can do to help me to trust Him.

The commissioning of building the ark began not with an order to build but with a reassurance of covenant (Gen. 6:18). God appeals to our sense of trust. What does that say to you about God?

What is cool about God's covenants is that He leaves with visible signs and reminders of his trustworthiness. In the case of Noah and his family it was a rainbow. The rainbow was also to the generations to follow (Gen 9:12), to you and me. A rainbow is a reminder; God is trustworthy, He keeps his word, he remembers his promises.

We are going to need reminders in our journey of faith. I wonder about Noah and his family; how difficult has it for them to trust not just on G God's word but also (and perhaps more importantly) His goodness.

It rained for 40 days, but they floated around for whole lot longer. When you added all up, it appears that they were in the ark for longer than a year, 371 days to be exact! During that time, we have no evidence of God communicating with them. All they had was promise of God to keep his covenant with them, a promise that was made many years ago. I don't know about you but my trust level would had been severely tested after a week!

Dear Jesus, thank you that even you can not lie, you still make promises. Thank you for your reassurance, help me to receive your guarantees, help me to worship you with trust. Thank you the "new covenant" in your blood. A covenant that I can remember and taste with my mouth during the Lords Supper. Thank you that you are good.

E3 - Gen 6 & 7 - Can A Person Comfort God?

Did you know that the Hebrew name Noah means comfort?   Can a person really bring comfort to God?

This passage of Scripture indicates that this is what Noah did.  Prior to the flood, we are given a descriptions of the heart of mankind and the heart of God.  Mankind's heart is wicked, with every inclination towards only evil all the time.  (Gen. 6:5)

In the other hand, God's heart was filled with with the pain of regret.  The "Lord was grieved that he made man on the earth."  Furthermore, his heart was filled with so much pain that God began to contemplate erasing humanity in the same way that we long to delete any source of grief.

I wonder if we would continue to sin, if we really could feel what God feels when we sin?  I hate the thought of bringing  grief and pain to God.  Maybe we should pray that God would allow us to feel what He feels when we sin, in order to learn not to harm God.

Interestingly, in the story, God's raw grief is interrupted by a man named "comfort," Noah.  Noah was able to comfort God's sorrow by living a righteous and blameless life and walking with God.  All of  which, was God's original intent for mankind.

God I want to comfort you with the same prescription that Noah dispensed. Because of your love for me I want to be a source of comfort and not grief.   I want to minister to you with a heart like Noah.  I want the honor of bringing comfort to you by doing "everything just as God commanded him."  Gen 6:22

E2 - Gen 3 - The Fall

What a contrast between the first two chapters and this one.  The Creation narrative in Chapters 1 & 2 has the cadence and beauty of poetry.  The same Mouth that spoke everything into existence, now exhales the breath of Life and speaks of the purpose and potential of the climax of Creation- a man and a woman.

A strange voice from an even stranger source- a serpent, now speaks.  The Father of Lies' first words of the Bible are a questioning of the Creator's Words; "did God really Say?"  The questioning leads to a changing of the words.  (Compare Eve's response with what God really said: Gen. 2:16-17)  And finally, a blatant contradiction of the Creators Words.

I wonder what heaven sounded like at the moment of the fall?

Adam the masterpiece of creation, is now reduced to the shameful act of trying to cover himself with fig leaves.  How in the world are you supposed to cover pride?  Do we look as silly as Adam trying to cover himself? 

Are you glad that God came to Adam?  God did not wait for Adam to come to him, but God went to Adam.  How does God repair pride?  Judgment.  We may not like that word, but man do we need Judgment.  The very hand that formed man also formed his covering. And the covering for sin was born out of sacrifice.

Judgment is the precursor to redemption.  The woman has judged but in the judgment was also the promise that her seed will both redeem humanity and destroy the serpent. (Gen. 3:15)  

God covers Adam and Eve with garments of skin- some animal had to die.  Sin always leads to death.  Sin always cost you more than you wanted to pay.  Sin always takes you further than you wanted to go. 

Lets let God take care of your coverings, we cant cover ourselves.  We look pretty silly reaching for fig leaves.

I say we drop the fig leaves.

Questions For Reflection: 

• Am I questioning, changing, or contradicting God's Words?
• What do my fig leaves look like? 

E1 Genesis 1 & 2 - God's Creating Voice

Genesis chapters 1 & 2 introduces us to the Creating-Power of God's voice. Poetically, yet systematically, we witness God creating day by day by simply speaking. The universe: light, stars, planets, earth, oceans, and the animal kingdom – all of these are, with all their majesty, are the simple result of His Voice. The Word of God begins with a statement of the Power of God's Words.

In the account of Creation, God seems more interested in us knowing that He is the Author of it, rather than explaining how he did it. Don't you wish that there were more details on the narrative? How exactly did God do this? Nonetheless, Creation is the best sermon given to mankind. Romans 1:20 says: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

More importantly to us, God's Creative Voice is still active in our hearts: 2 Corinthians 4:6
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

That same powerful Voice, that made light come out of dark nothingness, has spoken and continues to speak in our hearts to give us the intimate face of Jesus. There is another Creation Story; our creation story. It is a story of God's Voice creating intimacy between us and Him. That's Awesome!

    Questions For Reflection:

• Am I looking and hearing for God in His Creation? (Rom. 1:20)
• Does Creation move me to worship? (Rev. 4:11)
• Why was mankind not spoken into existence, but rather formed by the hand of God? (Gen 2:7)
  

 
 
Want To Go Even Deeper?

Check out this website with Answers To Common Questions About Creation:

http://www.theresurgence.com/mark_driscoll_2006-06_answers_to_common_questions_about_creation