January 10, 2023

People Fail, God Never Will!

Genesis 8

Brandon Salmon
Tuesday's Devo

January 10, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

January 10, 2023

Big Idea

We can trust God when we don't know how things will turn out.

Key Verse | Genesis 8:21

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse 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."

Genesis 8

The Flood Subsides

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 curse 1 8:21 Or dishonor 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

S2:007 Genesis 8

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 8

A dove goes forth and returns. It carries a lone olive leaf, representing the biggest turning point in one of the most well-known stories of mankind—the end of the worldwide flood. The waters receded, and the prophetic event was almost over. Astonishingly, Noah spent approximately 370 days on the ark. He battled waves, cared for animals, and led his family, all while putting his trust in God.

Then, the end of this chapter takes a turn. Noah had to be excited to get off the ark. But his first act was to present animals as a sacrifice to God. From the days of Adam and Eve, the people would present animal sacrifices to God to please Him. These sacrifices represented the shedding of blood in payment for a person's sin, with the animal serving as a substitute for the human (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).

God, rich in mercy, acknowledged this faithful and fearful act by Noah and responded. God was pleased by Noah's burnt offerings and promised that He would never again strike down all living beings on the earth "by waters of the flood" (Gen 8:20-21; 9:11, 15). God recognized that humanity will continue to sin, but God has made provision to help people resist the world and follow Him. His abounding love will continue to be there for us to depend on.

The feelings Noah experienced during this event are impossible for us to imagine, but Noah didn't rely on himself or his feelings. Rather, he depended on God before, during, and after the flood. Noah listened to God and obeyed His commands, from when Noah began building the ark to when he left it.

Proverbs 3:5 states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." If Noah had only trusted himself, the earth would not be here as we know it. We are in a broken world, and God is under no obligation to make sense to us. But if you trust in the Lord and follow Him, you can always depend on Him—as Noah did.

This month's memory verse

We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

– John 1:45b

Discussion Questions

1. What situations in your life seem to have no clear answers? How can you rely on God to work through them?

2. Noah didn't blend into the populace when he devoted his life to building the ark. Are you doing anything positive in your daily life as a Christ follower that makes you stand out from the crowd?

3. Do you find yourself trying to be the director of your entire universe and not letting God take care of things?

4. Do you get upset at God when a situation doesn't go your way? How can you be more like Noah in those situations?

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CL

Chris Landry

Brandon, it sounds like you recovered from last years rock climbing accident (from your bio). Praise God! What a testimony. Noah surely didn’t blend in (Romans 12:1-2) when he was constructing the Ark. That is what hits home for me this morning. How can I live radically and winsome my in a world looking for hope and groping around in the dark (Deuteronomy 28:29)? Lord willing, as I raise my kids to love Jesus (3 John 1:4) and love my wife (Ephesians 5:25-29), I can be an oasis of hope for my neighbors and co-workers (John 13:25). Should they find themselves in a near-death experience or worse….I want to that rock in the stream that they can step on to get across, or a light for their dark path (Matthew 5:14).
CL

Chris Landry

* John 13:35
AB

Alan Beam

8:1 - God remembered Noah. This makes me think of the Israelites enslaved in Egypt (and their redemption), of Israel waiting for the Messiah (and a baby in a manger), and of Christ in the tomb (and the resurrection). 8:27 - Genesis 1 language. Be fruitful, multiply, increase in number. Re-creation. 8:21 - A sacrifice offered from a pure heart is a pleasing aroma to the Lord. When I display an obedience that comes from faith, I am bringing glory to God and doing what is ultimately best for myself.
MS

Michael Scaman

'but God remembered Noah' is the poetic center of the story. There is an article on the gospel coalition that outlined the flood account. see https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-the-story-of-noah/ A chiasm in the story of Noah and the flood (Genesis 6.10-9.19): A Noah (10a) B Shem, Ham, and Japheth (10b) C Ark to be built (14-16) D Flood announced (17) E Covenant with Noah (18-20) F Food in the Ark (21) G Command to enter the Ark (7.1-3) H 7 days waiting for flood (4-5) I 7 days waiting for flood (7-10) J Entry to ark (11-15) K Yahweh shuts Noah in (16) L 40 days flood (17a) M Waters increase (17b-18) N Mountains covered (18-20) O 150 days waters prevail (21-24) P GOD REMEMBERS NOAH (8.1) O’ 150 days waters abate (3) N’ Mountain tops become visible (4-5) M’ Waters abate (6) L’ 40 days (end of) (6a) K’ Noah opens window of ark (6b) J’ Raven and dove leave ark (7-9) I’ 7 days waiting for waters to subside (10-11) H’ 7 days waiting for waters to subside (12-13) G’ Command to leave the ark (15-17) F’ Food outside the ark (9.1-4) E’ Covenant with all flesh (8-10) D’ No flood in future (11-17) C’ Ark (18a) B’ Shem, Ham, Japheth (18b) A’ Noah (19)
MS

Michael Scaman

Interesting also that Noah only says one thing in the account and it is a curse. e did better when he listened.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

GM Brandon! Thanks for your service in WM Kids and Job Connection. BTW, what’s the only state that does not have rectangular flag? what’s the only state that does not have rectangular flag Q1. What situations? All of them. Even the ones I think are clear seem wrong-headed when I get counsel, (Proverbs 15:22). I am promised that God will direct me. The hard part is the long-term need for continued prayer and patience. And an answer that may not come this side of Heaven. I am at huge risk of praying for Him to bless what I want rather than the opposite. Q2. I should be tackling people in the parking lot at NorthPark to tell them about Jesus. Q3. It seems like I’m most surrendered who I’m deep in one of life’s many foxholes.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Q4. I don’t get as upset any more. Probably disappointed at worst. But my sinful nature still wants him to say yes to what I ask. ---- What do I think about when there is nothing to think about? That’s kind of a scary question. But today I’m thinking about alters and covenants. https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Noah.html https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-covenant.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-covenants.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Noahic-covenant.html Pre-salvation and equipping, (2014), I did not spend a whole lot of time in Genesis. Now it’s my all-time favorite book. What does it mean when God says He “…remembered Noah”. It turns out this is pretty interesting. I’m taught that this is a statement that precedes God’s action for a person’s welfare, mercy, or deliverance.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Further, I’m taught that in this passage is that Noah’s building the “first altar” is a response to God’s blessing, mercy, protection, faithfulness etc. in sparing Noah and his family. Also, God trusts Noah to respond in faithfulness as God has “de-created” creation and is now calling Noah into partnership with Him to “re-create” creation. Noah’s building the alter is his response of propitiation. In this New Beginning Noah gets the promise of blessing and the gift of the Noahic covenant. Noah is the man who will model the gift of God in granting self-governance. I link to the Cultural Mandate in Genesis 1:26-28. In delegating this to Noah God shows me the depth to which I must know and love Him. Only in complete and uncomfortable conditional surrender do I have a chance of meriting the call He makes to me.
MS

Michael Scaman

Noah offered one sacrifice for the world which was accepted by God who promised to never destroy the world with a flood. That points to Jesus who offered an even better sacrifice for the world.
SB

Sue Bohlin

@WymanPoe—BLESS YOU for praying for me and for asking! The physical recovery is going well enough (thanks to effective pain meds), but the emotional pain of losing a body part, especially the part that allows me to communicate verbally, is crushing. Everything triggers grief tears. I know the Father will not waste a scrap of my suffering to make me more into the image of His son, so I keep on reminding myself to cultivate an eternal perspective in the midst of the HARD. (P.S. I posted on JTJ last week as well.) Yahweh enjoyed the BBQ aroma of Noah’s burnt offerings, and I bet Noah et al. did too. I’m sure that, like today, fire was the #1 enemy on ships, so The Eight probably subsisted on vegetables for their year on board :::shudder:::: I bet they loved the smell of grilled meat! But when you have an extremely limited number of animals meant to repopulate the world, are you gonna risk eating any of them on the ark?
SB

Sue Bohlin

By the way, as I read about the hundreds and hundreds of animals exiting the ark, I kept picturing the majestic music accompanying the sweeping vistas revealing the first look at the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. I wonder if there’s a video of that scene in heaven . . .?
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Every situation in every area of my life has no clear answer without God. I can rely on God to work on life with me if I go to him frequently as I live and make choices everyday. 2. Nothing right now. 3. I believe God is the director of my universe and I trust him to take care of things. 4. Life can be severe and overwhelming sometimes where God seems nowhere near me though God is still there and working hard.
AB

Alan Beam

@Brenden - why there is a very big and big contradictory method to the punishment of sinners as acted by god. (Genesis 7-1:4) which seems to contradict with the topic of sin in the New Testament where Jesus seems to want to save those deemed not righteous but still believes such as in John 3:16. - if my all loving god father all mighty seems to want to punish me for being a sinner yet save me and forgive me later on God is just. As a result, all sin merits punishment. He cannot overlook sin or He would not be just. At the same time, God loves mankind and wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Because of His love, He rescued Noah and made His covenant saying He would not deal with sin in that way again. Instead, in His forbearance He leaves the sins committed unpunished (Romans 3:25). In His grace, He sent Jesus to the cross and raises Him again so that, despite our sin, we can be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He deals with sin either in His wrath (hell, nonbelievers) or on the cross (believers). So yes, He wants to punish sin. But He also wants to rescue us, if only we would turn to Him. - Can I really save myself with the wavering faith? No. Your faith can never be big enough to save you. But you can be saved by placing your faith in a God who is big enough. Faith is the means by which you receive salvation (Romans 3:22), but it is the power of God that actually brings salvation (Romans 1:16). - Under the world today why do those that believe suffer? Jesus promises us that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). But God promises that He will not waste our trials, pains, and troubles. He will use them for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28). He will produce perseverance, character, and hope in us (Romans 5:3-4), and will use our suffering to make us mature and complete (James 1:2-4). Our hope is not found in a happy, perfect life, but a joy-filled life founded on our hope in Jesus. I hope that helps!