Genesis 6-9 How Long Can You Tread Water?

Bill Blurb: This post is longer than I intended, but again, like Genesis 3, there are many profitable avenues to explore, including one hilarious, and one amazing video. Come back and explore the links if you want to develop a reasonable faith.

Psalm 3:1-4 Believe What God Said, Not What Others Say

A Psalm by David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

Psalm 3:1 "YAHWEH, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me. 2 Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God." Selah. 3 But You, YAHWEH, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cry to YAHWEH with my voice, and He answers me out of His holy hill. Selah."

Observation: Yahweh is God's name in covenant relationship with Israel, frequently translated LORD (in capital letters). Selah means stop and think about it. When we focus on our problems things can look hopeless. When we focus on our God's power, provision, and protection, we become hopeful.

Application: Prayer is for answers. When you call to God, look for the answer. (See Jeremiah 33:3).

Prayer: God, I praise You for revealing Yourself to be my Helper, Protector, and Provider; help me to not lose sight of You when the alligators are nipping at my earlobes. Amen.

Proverbs 1:15-16 Don't Walk, Run

1:15 “My son, don’t walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path, 16 for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.“

Observations: 1:15-16 Wise parental advice helps children see the consequences of actions that the naive don't notice. The enticing sinners of the previous verses spoke of the gain of wickedness. The reality is that the sinners will suffer loss (next verses), particularly for shedding innocent blood (which ranks right up there with idolatry and arrogant pride as things that bring God's wrath upon humans). These verses warn against taking steps in the wrong direction, particularly with the wrong companions, because the destination is destruction.

Application: Before setting foot on an enticing path, find out what lies at the end of it; if it leads to evil, don't walk on it, run the other way.

Prayer: God, give me discernment to keep me from going down the wrong paths; send me warnings from others if I can't see that well myself. Thanks for protecting me. Amen.

Genesis 6-9

For a comedic account see the conversation between God and Noah,  (If the link doesn't work Google “Noah, how long can you tread water?”). Totally worth it!

Genesis 6 How Long Can You Tread Water?

6:3 "Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years.”... 5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 Yahweh was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. 7 Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.

9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make a ship... 17 I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.18 But I will establish my covenant with you...22 Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did."

Observations: Once again, a good guy (like Abel, who does what God wants) and bad guys (like you know who, who do whatever they want).

6:1-4 (Full text below) Did angels hookup with women? (Answer somewhere below.) Does knowing the answer make a difference in how you live today?

6:9 Noah, like Enoch faithfully strolled with God, and God took care of him.
Faith is believing that God is Who He said He is, and will do what He said He'll do.

Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7 By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

The righteous, blameless, fully obedient Noah, was a lot like Job. The book of Job was written during the time of the patriarchs, and gives a portrait of a person who makes God delighted rather than “depressed”.

Job 1:1 "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil." (Cf. Job 1:9)

6:12 “corrupt” is used twice, once in the passive (Niphal) and then in the causative (Hiphil) [Click on the Online Bible verb parsing for details.] Note the characteristics of the bad guys, who corrupted their way (which implies what?).

6:13 Why is there violence? Because folks want what they want, when they want it; rather than obeying and waiting on God to give what's best when it's best.

6:18 Note the significance to the Exodus generation (only Joshua and Caleb paid attention.)

Application: Have you purposed to trust, fully follow, and do all that God has commanded you, even though no one else in your generation does? How will you follow through on that purpose? May God be with you (Matthew 28:18-20).

Prayer: God of Sky and Storms, though none go with me, still I will follow. Help your servant float on top of the waves today. Amen.

Genesis 7 How Do You Catch a Blue Woolly Mammoth?

7:1 "Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before Me in this generation...5 Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

11...all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky’s windows were opened. 12 The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in...19 The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered...23...Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship. 24 The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.

Observations: Truth is that which best explains ALL the facts. Why are marine fossils found on the top of Mount Everest? How does a glacier catch and flash freeze a healthy tropical woolly mammoth in the middle of lunch? How can a ten foot high jumble of perfectly preserved predators playing Twister with their intact prey be uncovered in the fossil record? How did the Matterhorn take a 50 mile hike without leaving a footprint? How did a 135 mile by 15 mile section of Glacier National Park do a headstand without breaking apart? Why does Noah's Ark win first place design award among Ancient Civilization Flood Accounts?

Digging Deeper: First, the answer to catching a Blue Woolly Mammoth... use a blue woolly mammoth net. (*Groan*) “How do you catch a White Woolly Mammoth?” “Errrr, with a white woolly mammoth net????” “One would think so, but no. You grab his trunk and twist it so he can't breath, and then when he turns blue, you use your blue woolly mammoth net.” (*Double Groan*, then tell it to someone else.)

If you want a more scientific explanation of the facts, in six minutes Walter Brown, another MIT PhD (and a lot more) gives a compelling view of the facts. It's better than Bill Cosby, though it starts a little slow.

For Digging Even Deeper. Find the sermon summarizing of lot of relevant findings, with supporting links on Truthbase.net. Check out the five flood links under Resources below.

Genesis 8 BBQ

8:1 "God remembered Noah... 3 The waters receded from the earth continually... 15 God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ship... 18 Noah went out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him... 20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in His heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Observations: A whole burnt offering (WBO), burned up the entire animal. In most sacrifices, the worshiper burned the guts (symbol of the will being submitted to God), gave the priest his “cut,” and then had a BBQ with his family and friends, while he told them about how God had saved or blessed him. In the WBO, God got it all. It was total dedication.

Genesis 9 Fruitfulness and Fruit of the Vine

9:1 "God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you. 4 But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His own image. 7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”

8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “As for Me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you...11 I will establish My covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant...13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth...

20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent...28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood. 29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died."

Observations: 9:1 Blessing like Adam's.

9:3 Burgers legit. Carnivores rejoice!

9:4 Blood pudding is a no-no. Life is in the blood (note: a blood sacrifice is a reminder that rebellion is worthy of death).

9:6 Beginning of Capital Punishment. (As a deterrent? Do the research; check source bias.)

9:8-13 If God kept His covenant with Noah, He would also with the Exodus Generation.

9:20-27 Righteous Noah's self indulgence gave others an opportunity to sin.

Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: He blesses the good guys; He's patient with sinners, giving them opportunity to repent (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 3:9-10), but there is a limit to His patience (2 Peter 2:5). He keeps His promises.

Us in a nutshell: When we follow our heart to please ourselves, we displease God and suffer the consequences. There are righteous folks who find favor with God and reap the blessings. Starting well is no substitute for finishing well.

Last Application: Some consider “sons of God” to be angels (cf Job 1:6). The Greek mythology has the “gods” seducing humans. But the judgment in Genesis 6 is on humans.

The mighty men of old, men of renown, were clearly humans. Some have suggested demonic possession as an explanation. Maybe. Regardless, despite having “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” they didn't do too well in the flood of judgment. Don't wait until we get Psalm 52 to take corrective action; by then it might be raining.

Psalm 52:7 "Behold, this is the man who didn't make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."

Where to Go for More:

Genesis 4-5 Do You Give God What He Likes?

Psalm 2:1-12 The Wise Kiss The Son

2:1 “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let’s break Their bonds apart, and cast Their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger, and terrify them in His wrath: 6 "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."

7 I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, "You are My son. Today I have become Your father. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel."

10 Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him."

Observations: 2:1-12 After God finishes laughing at the kings of the earth seeking to rebel against Him, He will level them with His judgment. God has a plan to submit them under His Son, the Davidic King, (and eventually the Messiah). Emperors (called Suzerains) would install a king over a territory (called a Vassal) to rule on their behalf. Ancient Near East archaeology has uncovered a number of Suzerain-Vassal treaties. The process of becoming a vassal was likened to becoming a son, who owed filial (son-like) fidelity and loyalty to the “father.” The “father had covenant obligations (hesed) to the “son” as well, such as protecting him. Part of hesed was looking out for each other's interests. When God made the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) with David, He portrayed Himself as the Suzerain and David (and his faithful descendants) as the vassal. An unfaithful vassal was deposed (deprived of power, and “put to death” sometimes literally, or metaphorically). When the Messiah is installed in Zion, He will rule rebels with a rod of iron, and destroy those who don't submit. Therefore the wise course of action is to serve Yahweh, and His Son with fear and trembling. Usually one kissed the feet of the ruler as an act of obeisance. On the flip side, those who sought humble refuge in Him would be blessed (see Psalm 1).

Application: It is wise to fear and submit to God's rule of our lives, otherwise the rod of iron will descend.

Prayer: God, may I be a faithful and loyal subject of Yours, and thus an object of Your blessing rather than wrath. Thanks for making such a relationship possible. Amen.

Proverbs 1:10-14 Just Say "No"

1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent. 11 If they say, "Come with us, Let’s lay in wait for blood; let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit. 13 We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with spoil. 14 You shall cast your lot among us. We’ll all have one purse."

Observations: 1:10 Just say “no” if sinners entice you. Abstinence works, if our value system and will have been trained to discern and choose good and eschew evil. The regular reader of Proverbs would immediately see that what's suggested in 1:10-14 is not good and brings God's punishment and pain (fear of God anyone?). This accurate world view keeps us from sin; when it get's foggy, we're likely to stumble.

1:11-13 Satan sells sin by appealing to our basic desires for power, pleasure, and possessions. Unless we have purposed and ingrained in our thinking that it is God who meets our needs, we are susceptible to Satan's enticements. Depriving people of life and property violates the rule of law, but evil folks get a kick out of being rebellious and exercising godlike power. What kind of evolved pond scum would think that killing innocent people for their purse is a good thing? Sinners think there is safety in numbers, and the naïve fool-in-training thinks that if everyone is doing it and profiting in the short term, it must be OK. Think again.

Application: Don't hang around people you don't want to be like, because you will become like them, and suffer their fate.

Prayer: God, help me unmask the deceptions of sin and embrace the value system You've revealed for me. Amen.

Genesis 4 What's the first thing God said to man after kicking him out of the Garden?

4:1 "The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.” 2 Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but He didn't look with favor on Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 6 Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 7 If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it." (HCS Bible)

Observations: Verse 7 is so important that we need to pause and soak it into every fiber of our being. Note the first thing God said (not the questions, which just clue Cain into the reality that his worth and value are compromised by his incorrect values and actions). Verse 7 sets the tone for human life outside the Garden. Acceptance by God, and consequently feeling good about ourselves is a function of doing the right thing; that would include mastering sin, thru transforming our desires. If we don't, sin will eat our lunch, and then us. See more under Digging Deeper below.

Application: If you're wallowing in the swill of sin and self-pity, do what's right and master sin. See "Sanctification: It Ain't Gonna Reign No More" on Truthbase.net. Memorize Romans 6.

Prayer: God, thank You that You spell out what we need to do and make available the grace to do it. Show me how to master sin and live the spiritually victorious life, which pleases You. Amen.

Genesis 4 Sibling Rivalry and Retribution

4:8 "Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. 9 Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 Yahweh said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.”

13 Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, You have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from Your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him. 16 Cain went out from Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden."

Observations: It's interesting that God didn't kill Cain, but let him live with the consequences of his sin, even mitigating them a bit in response to Cain's complaint (v15). It's also surprising that Cain was concerned about his separation from God (v14), even though God hadn't mentioned it. Sin results in severed relationships. Forgiveness restores them.

Questions: What's difficult about your life? Is it a consequence of your attitude or actions?

Genesis 4 Looking for Worth in the Wrong Places

4:23 "(The great, great, great grandson of Cain), Lamech said to his wives....”listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me. 24 If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times.”

Observation: There are two Lamechs in these chapters. This one is the bad guy descended from Cain. He gets his worth and value from having more and being more important than others, two wives, 10-fold vengeance, no mention of a relationship with God (probably didn't have one). There are lots of Lamechs around today.

4:25 "Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, “for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on Yahweh’s name."

Observations: The chapter has bookends (similar material at beginning and end). “Knew” is more than a euphemism for sex. It implies that intimacy is more than a physical act. The OLB lexicon will tell you that Seth means compensation; God made it up to her. There is an Enos(h) and an Enoch (5:24). Both have a “religious” comment about them (calling on God; walking with God; one leads to the other.)

Genesis 5 Adam Dies (finally) and Enoch Disappears

5:1 "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in God’s likeness. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name “Adam,” in the day when they were created. 3 Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of sons and daughters. 5 All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died.

24 (The great, great, great grandson of Seth) Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. 27 All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of a son, 29 and he named him Noah, saying, “This same will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh has cursed.” 32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth."

Observations: God's promise that men would die is being fulfilled. Note that there are ungodly and godly people. (Lamech and Enoch, same generation.) Noah's father would have known Adam.

Digging Deeper: What's up with the long lives? After the flood, people start living “normal” life spans.