Category: Old Testament

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day seven) 

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  vs 5

How wicked must the world have been at this time for God to have to hit a reset button? I look at the world today and begin to ask myself, how much more wicked can it get? I find myself in moments of despair saying, “Lord Jesus come quickly!” However, if this was as wicked as things could get and there was no turning back, God would intervene. That means that God can redeem this world.  He is not ready to hit the reset button yet.

His answer to me when I say, “Lord Jesus come quickly!” is always, “If I came today, your neighbor would go to hell. What will you do to fix that?”

Even if this world may seem lost as it has ever been, our job is not to dwell on when Jesus will fix it, but to get out there and fix it ourselves with His power within us. We can hit the reset button!

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day six) 

“Then the Lord saw…”

The first time we read these words God looked and declared all of that he had made “good.” (Genesis 1:31) When we read it for the second time in Genesis 6:5, God is not so pleased by what he saw; he declared the deeds of men wicked and their thoughts “evil.” But “he saw” (there it is again) something different in Noah. Clearly, Noah stood apart from all others because he “walked with God.” (v. 9)

God used Noah to begin anew; kind of like a new Adam. It wouldn’t take long for Noah to fall just like Adam. That’s what happens when you walk in the wisdom of men.

Where Adam and Noah failed, Jesus succeeds. When God saw his son, he declared, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17, 17:5)

In other words, “This is my son and he is GOOD.” Be grateful for the eternal goodness of Jesus. In his goodness, he is recreating a brand new humanity that will forever walk with God.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day five) “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
Passages like these help shape our view of who God is.  The name given to God later in Genesis is “El Roi”- The God Who Sees. When we consider that God sees “everything”, it can be comforting (Psalm 139) and/or unsettling (Genesis 6:5). However God does not just wait and watch, He acts and engages the human heart. Presses toward repentance and mercy. He also judges and delivers consequences when hearts are hardened. My great hope is to feel and find God’s favor and friendship. But, it is also to ask El Roi (like the Psalmist), to help me see my heart and mind as He does because He sees and knows me best. And when there is wickedness, lead me to repentance and forgiveness. All possible because the “God Who Sees” is also the God who out of His kindness acts and provides repentance and forgiveness (boldly approach the throne of grace).

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day four)

Stories like this often make us think of the anger and wrath of God, and understandably so. But when we read the story of Noah in light of New Testament, it’s the compassion of God and the love he has for his people that really shines through. The people on earth were hurtling themselves towards destruction, and God intervened.

John 15 says this, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit…As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me…If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

God didn’t just trim a branch in this story of Noah, he uprooted the whole tree, so to speak. But we know that God is always dealing compassionately with his people, even when they’re hurting themselves through sin. Noah abided in the Lord, and he withstood the painful, difficult pruning. We, too, can abide in the Lord, knowing he’ll tend to us compassionately.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day three)

“The end of all flesh has come before me.”

God’s magnificent creature, the human being, was hurtling towards extinction. This was not clear to man, but it was clear to God. God allows evil; indeed, a sound philosophical argument can be made that if evil were not possible, the universe as we know it would not be possible. If the human creature is to have a will, evil is always an option. But God does not allow all evil; he has set a limit. Scripture reveals this limit in passages such as Matthew 24, where Jesus, speaking of Jerusalem’s destruction and last things, declares, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive.” God will not allow the destruction of the human race. He saw destruction coming in Noah’s day, and he acted to save.

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day two) The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Vs. 6

There are few verses of scripture that make me stop and think like this one. It isn’t the only time we hear of God’s disappointment in us, but this statement tells us so much about our creator. We affirm that God knows all things, and that he holds past, present, and future in his hands. Why, then, should he be disappointed. Didn’t he know this was going to happen. Sure, but that doesn’t stop a parent from grieving when they see their children go astray. You may well know how things will turn out, but that doesn’t stop your heart from breaking when they make poor choices. The ultimate take away from this story is one of compassion. God made a way. God always make a way. Ultimately, he will send Jesus as the definitive Way to bridge the gap between a sinful people, and their creator. Aren’t you grateful that God doesn’t give up on his people. Aren’t you glad he has made a way?

Re:Verse passage – Genesis 6:5-22 (day one)

“Unlocking The Old Testament”

Together, the Old and New Testaments are telling the story of God redeeming the whole world. From Genesis to Revelation the Spirit of God testifies to what God has done and is doing to complete his mission. Jesus, the Word, is the heart of that incredible story. In fact, Jesus helps us make sense of all God has revealed because he is the hero on every page; every story, every prophetic word, every letter, and every poem find their meaning in him, the glorious Son of God.

So as we explore the greatness of God in the stories of the Old Testament, Jesus will be our guide. He alone holds the key to unlocking not only understanding but also how we too can join God’s story of redemption.

For 13 weeks, the FBCSA family will be walking through, “Unlocking The Old Testament.”

Re:Vlog will be posted soon.