The Noah Narratives, Part 2

Link to last week; a statement of Spurgeon:

As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God. A God whom we could understand would be no God. If we could grasp Him, He could not be infinite. If we could understand Him, He could not be divine.

We see repetition of some of the facts; story-teller’s tool

Tell, retell, review; the history of mankind, greatly condensed

Note: a few other written “creation narratives” all of which have a differing concept of origin, divinities, and cause/effect

Nearly, if not all, cultures have some form of tradition which includes some sort of flood in their origin (many referred to as “creation myths”)

Biblical account is singular in notion of a singular God (Yahweh) and personal God,

It is this account that forms and underlies the basis for all our faith

All this is under attack!

Psalm 11:3 ESV

if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Context

Given in 1st 10 verses; last week’s message

“…wickedness of man was great upon the earth....”

“I will blot out man....”

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

Note the repetitive use of the covenant name: LORD, Yahweh

Corruption

Two components

Corruption in general—acting without integrity or with unrighteousness

Most scholars take that to mean breakdown in overall morality; including, not limited to sexual morality

Violence

disruption of accepted order and norms

Actions of man to man…personal/groups/tribal/clan

As Jeremiah said years later

Desperately Wicked

Commands

A series of them, actually, beginning with...

Make an Ark

Make it of gopher wood—a transliteration; most likely some sort of resinous wood coated inside and outside with pitch (kopher—sounds a lot like gopher); water-proof from the outside; vapor-proof from the inside

No leaks, no mold, no bug infestation

Make it HUUUU-GE 450 x 75 x 45

Add a door

Put a roof on it—scholars disagree on what that would look like; artists get really creative

…by some estimates, displaces more water than a battleship

(…description of the vessel in the Babylonian accounts is nothing seaworthy; 5 times the size and cylindrical)

Make rooms and decks

Load it with animals

…interesting parallel to Gen. 1 description, birds, critters, creepers

Provide food, for the people and animals

Covenant

God would bring a flood…but would provide salvation for Noah, sons, wives

An “if then, go to” sort of statement:

You do this, I’ll do that...

We only look at the opening of this here, the completion in 8:20 ff,

Why the Lesson in Ancient History?

A warning on revisionist history

…not intended as a statement on politics of the day; but lets learn from it and behave accordingly

Working back from the flood

If this is an allegory, along with the rest of the creation account, no pattern of sin, grace, redemption and restoration

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

If not a true record, we lose the veracity of the genealogy of Jesus Matt.. 1 and Luke 3

Lose the truth of who Jesus was, we lose who He is

With this, we are in this for this life only

1 Corinthians 15:19 ESV

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Without Christ, why bother

Why is there such hopelessness in the world?

Why addictions, self-destructive behaviors?

Why broken families, destroyed children?

Why corruption and violence?

Attacks on the Bible, and those who believe it are nothing new

Started with attacks on the Jews by many other nations

Part of the Assyrian conquest strategy was to destroy the religious integrity—of course that had been destroyed internally

…The Babylonians, allowed it’s continuation—preservation

The Jews attempted to destroy the Christians…as did the Romans and many others

…that backfired; persecution caused the spread of the Gospel—the Gospels and epistles were written

…John wrote the Revelation while exiled

>>>Rome ultimately CAUSED the spread of Christianity

(whether Constantine’s epiphany was real or just an expedient way to conquer )

Fast-forward

Muslims are persecution Christians

Hindus .....

Communists ....

“Progressive” politics .... but maybe not all that badly

Is God surprised at any of that?

In spite of persecution, Church is growing—except here

…we’re being inconvenienced

Back to Noah

Genesis 6:22 ESV

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Again, we return to obedience

It’s obvious that Noah trusted God…that’s faith

True faith is followed by obedience

Obedience is shown by a life transformed

…yes there will be failure…it’s called sin…we’ll see that later in Noah’s life

…but Noah walked with God

We don’t know how that communication occurred

Which brings up...

Are your aware that we have been snared in the coils of modern spurious logic which insists that if we have found Christ we need no more seek Him?

From Evenings with Tozer, Sept. 30.

Today we have God speaking to us through His Word

He speaks to us by way of other godly people in our lives, by circumstances and events

…ALWAYS consistent with His Word!

…not by sitting down on the corner of your bed

…not by new revelation

Are you walking with God today?

Transition to Communion