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Scripture

Creation Era – Genesis 9

Genesis 9

9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.


  “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
    by man shall his blood be shed,
  for God made man in his own image.

And you,1 be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Noah’s Descendants

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.2

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.3 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,


  “Cursed be Canaan;
    a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,


  “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem;
    and let Canaan be his servant.
27   May God enlarge Japheth,4
    and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
    and let Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Footnotes

[1] 9:7 In Hebrew you is plural

[2] 9:19 Or from these the whole earth was populated

[3] 9:20 Or Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard

[4] 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for enlarge

(ESV)

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Scripture

Creation Era – Genesis 8

Genesis 8

The Flood Subsides

8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

God’s Covenant with Noah

20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse1 the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Footnotes

[1] 8:21 Or dishonor

(ESV)

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Scripture

Creation Era – Genesis 7

Genesis 7

7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals,1 the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, and seven pairs2 of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing3 that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.

17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits4 deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

Footnotes

[1] 7:2 Or seven of each kind of clean animal

[2] 7:3 Or seven of each kind

[3] 7:4 Hebrew all existence; also verse 23

[4] 7:20 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

(ESV)

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Scripture

Creation Era – Genesis 6

Genesis 6

Increasing Corruption on Earth

6:1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in1 man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim2 were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Noah and the Flood

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,3 for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.4 Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,5 its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof6 for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Footnotes

[1] 6:3 Or My Spirit shall not contend with

[2] 6:4 Or giants

[3] 6:13 Hebrew The end of all flesh has come before me

[4] 6:14 An unknown kind of tree; transliterated from Hebrew

[5] 6:15 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

[6] 6:16 Or skylight

(ESV)

Categories
Saturday Study Scripture

Saturday Study

Saturday Study

Genesis 1-5 (1-6-18)

The Trinity Creates

As we open our Bibles to begin our new Bible Reading Plan, we are immediately introduced to the Triune God and His unmatched power and will.

There is only one true God. God exists eternally as one God, three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. God is eternal, self-existent, and self-sufficient. He is the almighty Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of everything.

Look with me and see the Triune Godhead at work in the beginning of all that He ordained to create:

Genesis 1:1-3 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

The very first three verses of Genesis reveal something far greater to us than the simple fact that God created the heavens and the earth. They reveal to us that God is a community of three persons in one being!

Genesis 1:1 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Here we are introduced to God as the grand designer of all creation.

God’s creative hand swings out and drips all the integral parts of the universe into being. The backdrop is set, and creation has its stage. God is the Father of all creation, and all things find their origin and definition in Him.

Genesis 1:2 (NIV) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The Holy Spirit is also in play. Now, this is still God, but a distinction is made here that is different than the action of the Father in the previous verse. The Spirit does not imagine or construct the created world, but instead He is described as “hovering over it” after the universe hung in place. This is the first insight we have into the personality or role of the Holy Spirit as one of protector or overseer.

Genesis 1:3 (NIV) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

In verse 3, we see the Word of God. The Word is found in His verbal command of “Let there be,” and whatever He commands comes into existence through the power of that WORD. The active agent of God’s will, the Word, we know to be the Son of God, Jesus!

So, we only need to go three verses deep into the divine revelation of God to discover what is abundantly taught in the rest of the Scriptures:

God is one God as a Tri-Unity of divine persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). This is the eternal community from whom all other communities derive life and meaning and purpose for life!

We see this later in chapter 2 as God creates man:

Genesis 2:18-20 (NIV) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Adam was sharing and loving and enjoying God and His creation, but the animals, mountains, waves, and sky were not suitable for Adam to understand and experience what real deep community is.

We are not meant to do life alone!

See that God is communal in the eternal relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and He ordained that we would be communal, too. In that it was not good for man to be alone.

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The community that is the Godhead created the community of mankind. We are not meant to do this life alone but in community. It is only when sin came into play that mankind separated from God and each other. Let’s see that unfold.

Sin Equals Death and Separation

Genesis 3 & 4

In Genesis 2:16-17, we read that God was clear about what would bring death and separation:

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Then in Genesis 3, we read that man sinfully disobeyed God and was rightly cursed for it.

Genesis 3:6-13 says the following:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

They gave into temptation and chose sin over God. They chose to betray the glory and honor due God and to serve their own desires and glory. See the immediate consequences of their sin. They are caught up in judgment of each other and themselves, and they cover themselves. They separated themselves. They hid themselves.

See the consequences of our sin that breaks down community and causes fear, judgment, and hate for each other. It separates us. This is in full opposition to the beautiful community God created us to have and to enjoy.

Then Adam and Eve hid from God in shame and fear. God goes on to make it clear that they will reap real consequences for their sin. We see the fallout of their sin in chapter 4 as one of their sons murders the other. But the worst of their consequences is their separation from God.

It says in Genesis 3:24, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”

This was the symbolism of being separated from God in His holiness and from the tree of life.

A Redeemer Is Promised

If we would ever be restored to God and to each other apart from our sin, we would need someone to go through the sword to make a way for us. Not just anyone, but someone perfect and eternal. Someone who could represent mankind and redeem us from all unrighteousness.

That royal redeemer is promised by God in Genesis 3:15:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Here, God declared war and victory on Satan, sin, and death with what is known as the proto-evangelium–the first gospel pronouncement–in Genesis 3:15. God proclaims that He will bring forth a man (a royal Redeemer) who would come from the line of the woman, and this Redeemer would crush and defeat sin and death.

This is Jesus. The rest of the Old Testament points us to Jesus–the promised Redeemer. He is the only hope for mankind.

The Gospels are the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection.

This is our only hope for true restoration into lasting and life-giving community with God and each other.

Jesus came, lived perfectly, died in the place of undeserving sinners, and rose to conquer death as the forerunner of a chosen people’s redemption.

The Bible is clear that there is not greater news or hope mankind has.

Each person is utterly desperate for Jesus alone.

Confess your sin, turn from it, and trust your life completely to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Die to yourself and your sin, and live to Christ and for His glory and the making much of His name.

Praise God He created us, but praise Him all the more that He chose in His grace to save an undeserving people to be restored into the beautiful community of the Triune Godhead and His redeemed family.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church