Prayer: Father, oh that I would be as obedient as Noah. May I learn new insights into the source of Noah’s obedience. Amen.
Reading: Genesis 6 key vs. 8 & 22
8 But Noah found favor in Adonai’s eyes.
22 So Noah did according to all that God commanded him; he did so exactly.
Attention: This chapter addresses a very dark time in the history of humanity. Moses tells us that the “inclination of the thoughts of (mankind or humanity) was only evil all the time.” We have been through a very dark and evil time in the history of humanity as well. Most of us are oblivious to the current evil forces operating in our world. My pray for the past few years is that Adonai will expose the evil and open our eyes.
Moses tells us that Noah was a man who “found favor in Adonai’s eyes.” In talking to Noah, Adonai outlined His plan of a do over, beginning to multiply and populate the earth through Noah’s family. To assure Noah of His plan, Adonai declares a covenant with Noah.
What is a covenant? The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines a covenant this way. A covenant is an “oath bound promise whereby one party solemnly pledges to bless or serve another party in some specified way.”
Adonai’s promise, “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood. You shall make the ark with compartments and smear pitch on it, both inside and out. …. I will establish My covenant with you. So you shall come into the ark—you and your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Also, of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of everything male and female, into the ark to keep alive with you. Of the flying creatures according to their kind, of the livestock according to their kind, of all the crawling creatures of the ground according to their kind—two of everything will come to you to keep them alive. As for you; take for yourself every kind of edible food and gather it to yourself. It will be food for you and for them.”
Now, I do not know about you, but the Bible stories we have been told, have not always been accurate. So, I want to give you a heads up about a few details. Here are a few questions you might ask yourself during the reading today and the next couple of days.
- Did Noah only bring two of every kind of animal on the ark?
- Did Noah have to go out and gather the animals or did Adonai cause the animals to come to him?
- Did the ark have levels or stories?
- Who shut the door to the ark?
- Did the earth flood by the action of rain only?
Obedience is really the key to the Noah account. Imagine if Noah had not been obedient and built the ark to the specifications Adonai gave him? Remember, Noah had never seen an ark. Neither had the people who lived around Noah.
Is there something today which Adonai has spoken to you about and tasked you with? Are you being obedient? Are you running? It is an incredible experience to be tasked by the living God to do something for His kingdom. Moses tells us, “So Noah did according to all that God commanded him; he did so exactly.” May the same be said for each of us.
Action: I will be obedient to the call of Adonai.
Yield: I desire to surrender my will to Adonai.
Engage: When I am obedient, I am squarely in the will of God.
Relationship: Listening to God’s voice and being obedient is the key to relationship with God.
Memory Verse: Genesis 6:22
22 So Noah did according to all that God commanded him; he did so exactly.
Music Video: David & Nicole Binion—Yes (Obedience) https://youtu.be/lbLqWfyl2QQ
Remember: “Abide, in Jesus, today!”