DIGNITY.  Genesis 9:23.

Imagine how a TV sit-com would handle the scene in which Ham found his father Noah passed out drunk and naked…. 

Today’s situation comedies are known for a stock-character called the “Bumbling Dad,” or “Idiot Father.”  Originally designed to mock the “Standard ‘50s Father” from earlier shows, the Bumbling Dad is described as “clever at times, [but] not … smart… He’s lazy, gluttonous, and has glaring vices. His children may love him, but they often don’t respect him…. His wife … spends her time parenting the husband….  [The idea is] that dads shouldn’t be expected to do anything but watch sports and drink beer.”[1]

Children will never learn dignity or respect watching television or the non-stop prank videos on social media.  So much of our entertainment involves mockery and humiliation.  Even seemingly neutral posts, such as videos of funny accidents, like people slipping on the ice, are funny in part because they are embarrassing.  Audiences are laughing WITH them but also AT them.  And I laugh too. I’m not trying to change television or remove FAIL videos from social media. 

But I want children to understand DIGNITY.  Some teasing and being able to laugh at yourself is healthy.  But we should not cruelly mock people we love.  Spouses should not viciously prank each other trying to get rich by posting humiliating videos.  A family should be a place of refuge, a place where children (and adults) feel accepted, supported, and encouraged. 

One key point—siblings should not embarrass each other in front of friends. Every brother and sister can do it.  We all know embarrassing stories about our siblings.  But don’t pick that low-hanging fruit.  Instead, teach children to PROTECT THEIR SIBLING’S DIGNITY.

When Shem and Japheth heard that Noah was passed out drunk, they protected his dignity.

“Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked” Genesis 9:23.

That is RESPECT.

God, teach us to protect the DIGNITY of those we love.

ΑΩ

[1] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BumblingDad

GOD’S PROMISES. Genesis 9:13-16.

Do you know God’s promises? Praying is like a lawyer standing before a judge. If you can bring to God his promises, quoting his word back to him, then you are praying as he wants you to pray.  That is when he will answer you and do what he promised.  Forgetting God’s promises hobbles your prayers.  But guess what? God does not forget his promises.

When people think of rainbows, they think of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, an Irish legend.  But what about actual rainbows—for whom is the rainbow a reminder? Is it to remind us of God’s promises, or to remind God of God’s promises?

“Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT between Me and you, and all the living creatures; water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. The bow will be in the clouds and I WILL LOOK AT IT AND REMEMBER the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth” Genesis 9:13-16.

Isn’t that interesting? When I see rainbows, I always think they are to remind US of God’s promise to never again flood the earth. But actually, the bow is to remind God of his promise.  From now on, when I see a rainbow, I hope I recall that at that moment God is seeing that rainbow and remembering his promise not to flood the earth again.

God, thank you for your promises, for your patience with us, and for rainbows—that remind you (and me) of your mercy and patience when you see our sin. Help us walk with you, talking to you every moment, staying deeply connected to you. Thank you for loving us so much!

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WHEN HUMAN EFFORT MEETS GOD’S MIRACULOUS POWER. Genesis 7:16.

God came to Noah with a terrible word. Imagine if God told you that everyone you know outside your family was going to die?  Churches speak of Noah’s Ark like it was a trip to the petting zoo.  But this was the end of the world. 

Yet, Noah could not dwell on that.  He had a job to do—build a boat 150 yards long.  He had to cover the ship with pitch.  He had to build three interior decks to house the animals.  He built a door large enough for mammoths and giraffes to enter.  God called Noah to a MASSIVE project.  Some estimate it took him 50 to 100 years to build the ark.

“And Noah did everything that God commanded him” Genesis 6:22.

Noah did it all.  “On that same day, Noah along with his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives entered the ark with him.  They entered it with all the animals … just as God had commanded.”  7:13-14,16.

And then what? 

“Then the Lord shut them in” 7:16.

What?  Noah worked on this project for 50 to 100 years—his life’s work—and God had to step in at the last second and close and seal the door?  Yes.  And that was the plan all along.  Noah did not fail.  Why is that interesting?  Because your life’s work and my life’s work—our most significant projects—may not be complete without God’s miracle touch.  Make complete plans.  But welcome the miraculous power of God.  Particularly if you are following a calling FROM God.  Why would God call you to something, then have you go off and complete it on your own?  You must work WITH GOD.  You are on His team, and you certainly need Him on yours! 

Don’t obsess over doing it all yourself or your own notions of perfection.  Let God shut and seal the door.  WELCOME THE MIRACLE-WORKING POWER OF GOD!

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EATING: THE ORIGINAL SIN. Genesis 3:17.

Man’s first sin was wrong eating. I might have guessed it would be lying, hate, murder, or something immoral—not a snacking violation. 

I don’t take eating that seriously.  Do you?  But maybe we can learn something.  It begins here: GOD IS THE PROVIDER.

“The young lions roar and seek their food from God….  All [the animals] wait for YOU to give them their food. When You give it to them, they gather it. When You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things… He causes grass to grow for the livestock, and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food, … wine, … and bread” Psalm 104:21,27-28,14-15.

Have you ever stood feeding dogs, all of them staring excitedly up at you, their hind ends wiggling?  Are dogs ever more focused than when someone is giving them cheese or peanut butter?  Often I look at dogs and I think of worship.  Am I that excited about my Savior? Do I wait on God to provide, or do I take matters into my own hands?

God provided the Garden of Eden with everything! Yet, Adam and Eve took matters into their own hands.  They rejected what God had given them and took what He had NOT given them.  Animals wait on God. LIONS wait for the Lord to provide.  Only humans reject His plan by taking matters into their own hands.

We all do it. What is an adulterous affair, but another Adam or Eve rejecting God’s provision and plucking forbidden fruit?  The same goes for all physical relationships outside of marriage.  God has a spouse in mind for you, but rather than wait on Him, you take matters into your own hands, sometimes over and over.

We do this with friendships, jobs, families, homes, even our goals and dreams.  How many do you know who have given up on what God provided and gone in search of something else, because they were NOT CONTENT?

God punished Adam, saying because you rejected what I provided, from now on the ground (the place of provision) will be cursed, and “You will eat only after painful labor” Genesis 3:17.

God, grant us PATIENCE and CONTENTMENT.

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BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A RIB? Genesis 2:21-24.

I had a childhood argument with the girl next-door. She said girls had more ribs than boys because God had taken one of Adam’s ribs to make Eve, and ever since…  Of course, that’s as silly as her belief that thunder was the sound of God bowling. 

Humans have 24 ribs.  But how many could you lose and remain healthy?

“God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord made the rib … into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: ‘This one, AT LAST is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.  This one will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from man.’  This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become ONE FLESH” Genesis 2:21-24.

Eve was literally made from Adam’s flesh. And for all future couples, sex makes two people become one. ‘One flesh’ may not be so much about sex as it is about THE RIB. Think of it this way—you are now ONE FLESH just as if she had been created from your rib. 

And you can spare one rib.  But what if you are one flesh with multiple partners? The CDC says men between 25 – 50 report having slept with an average (median) of six partners. Could you spare six ribs?  The BBC says you could survive the loss of six.  But what if you have had more partners?  The CDC reports that 28% of men report having had 15 or more partners.  The loss of 15 ribs is probably a death sentence.  If not immediately, eventually. 

Those who abuse God’s ways suffer physically, mentally, and in every area of their lives. Promiscuity may not rob a man of literal ribs, but it certainly does more harm than good to both his physical health and his mental health.

God, fill us with FEAR, with AWE of YOUR HOLINESS.  May we please You and glorify You in all that we do.

ΑΩ

THE PARADE OF THE ANIMALS. Genesis 2:19-20.

Twice the Bible records the same miracle: all the animals line up in parade formation and march.  How many paintings are there in Sunday schools and doctors’ offices showing animals streaming toward the S.S. Noah, beasts of every shape and size, calmly moving in neat lines, more well-behaved than shoppers on Black Friday?

But that was the SECOND animal parade.  Remember the Garden of Eden? 

“The Lord God formed every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it…  The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal.  But for the man, no helper was found as his complement” Genesis 2:19-20.

Why would God create mates for everyone EXCEPT the man? 

Probably to emphasize the importance of a wife and teach us about the roles of a husband and a wife, and the power and precious-ness of a good marriage.

“So God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept.  God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord made the rib … into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: ‘This one, AT LAST [Whew!] is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. [That’s MY PEOPLE!]  This one will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from man.’  This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become ONE FLESH” 2:21-24.

Why ‘One Flesh’?  Eve was made from Adam’s rib. She was literally part of his flesh. And when Sons of Adam have Biblical knowledge of the daughters of Eve, God makes those couples become one flesh as well. One flesh may not be so much about sex as it is about THE RIB.  And the matter is sacred to God.

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WHY THE ARK?Genesis 6:21; Isaiah 30:21.

Why did God tell Noah to build an ark? God could have just miraculously provided an ark. But He enjoys partnering with us! He gave Noah a job—spend decades building the biggest thing anyone has ever built.  Noah was responsible for the most amazing ZOO in history.

I noticed this verse:

“Take with you every kind of food that is eaten: gather it as food for you and for them” Genesis 6:21. 

Noah’s job just doubled in size!  Build an ark AND find food—for EVERY ANIMAL? When you see a plant, how do you know if some animal somewhere eats it?  Some have unique diets: Koalas eat ONLY eucalyptus leaves. How would Noah know—and where would he get the leaves? –God had to provide both knowledge and leaves; there was no other way. 

I’ve never been a zookeeper, but I know how much trouble it is to feed horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and goats (and that’s with long-lasting “kibble” already in bags).  What if you had a thousand more species?

Can you imagine giving a single, untrained zookeeper, with no refrigerator, the responsibility to procure and preserve food for every animal on earth—and get all of it into the ark?  The task is all-but impossible. 

Noah must have recognized that: he could only succeed by the power and wisdom of God.  God led him to every plant and berry and thornbush and hayfield. And how will cows, horses, and elephants eat, sleep, and do their business, for a full year onboard ship, and somehow still be clean and dry?  The chores must have never stopped.

The challenges multiply, the more you think about it (what about daily water for the animals?). 

(Good Bible reading means asking yourself every question you can possibly think of.) 

The challenges Noah faced were extraordinary. But God directed the project, start-to-finish.  And “Noah walked with God” Gen. 6:9. When we walk with God, He directs our steps. The greater the challenge, the louder God speaks:

“You will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘this is the way, walk in it’” Isaiah 30:21.

God, thank you for directing us! Help us to slow down and listen to you.

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DOES THE EVIL WORLD OVERWHELM YOU? Genesis 6:5-6

In Genesis, God looks at people and regrets creating us. Imagine being so bad God regrets you. Hard to imagine? But that’s all of us apart from His blood.

When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth, and that every scheme he thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that He made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:5-6.

Wow. God wiped out everything—“Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord” v.8. Let’s be like Noah.

After the flood and the rainbow, God knew things would not just magically improve. Perhaps He had gotten rid of the worst of the evil. But God knew judgment would come again. Why? God knows that “man’s inclination is evil from His youth” Genesis 8:21. This is confirmed through the 65 books that follow, isn’t it? Isaiah says “all we like sheep have gone astray” 53:6. Romans says “all have sinned and fallen short” 3:23.

We sin. God knows it. We are steeped in sin, soaked in it.

And we suffer because of it. Our own sin probably hurts each of us the most, but the sins of others can also be devastating: assault, robbery, murder, war—there are evils so dark they can change your life in an instant.

What hope is there when you face a new year with its new hurts? First, check out this encouraging verse I discovered today:

“I will now rise up, says the Lord, I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place” Psalm 12:5.

If you long for safety—if you beg God for safety and protection—He promises to provide it.

Second, while reflecting on the new year, consider Psalm 65:10: “You crown the year with your goodness.” Amen. Isn’t that what we want for the year ahead?

Dear God, thank you for your mercy! That you know we are steeped in sin, but you are patient and merciful and forgiving. Thank you that you understand, that You are “mindful that we are but dust.” ΑΩ

Don’t Doubt in the Darkness What God Told You in the Light. Genesis 3

When you hear of a terrible, unspeakable tragedy such as a young man I’ll call Tommy who took his own life suddenly and without warning, it should remind you that we have an enemy. YOU have an enemy. And you may wonder, ‘Who am I? Why would he care about me? I’m no missionary,’ or whatever. But Satan knows things we do not know. He knows what God plans to do through you. He may look at you and see a harvest of souls that will come because of you. So he plans to neutralize you. To steal, kill, and destroy you and your witness. How?

Lies. He will begin by whispering lies into your thoughts as he must have done to Tommy.

Read Genesis chapter 3. Here’s how he did it with Eve–and this is how he will do it to you:

1. First, he will make you question God’s Word–all of us have been attacked this way. He says to you: “Did God really say that? But does He really mean that? Does that still apply today?

2. Second, the enemy takes advantage of our ignorance. When he asked Eve about the tree, she stated the rule incorrectly. She was sloppy and unprepared for spiritual battle. She only needed to know one rule, but she got it wrong. (Do we know the Word? Are you ready to handle hard questions?)

3. Third, the serpent told her God was being selfish, that he was holding out on her, trying to steal her joy. “No, you shall not die! For God knows that when you eat the fruit you will become like Him…” All of us have heard that voice–those voices are everywhere today, TV, books, movies, Twitter–people everywhere are constantly questioning God and cynically accusing Him of trying to keep people from having fun.

But God loves you and wants the very best for you. He wants you to live a life of joy and hope and fulfillment and fun. But that comes by walking with Him, loving Him, and knowing His word so well that you can withstand an attack from the enemy. When your thoughts and the voices in your head make you doubt God or doubt His word, choose faith. Don’t doubt in the darkness of hard times the truth that God showed you in the light.

HE LOVES YOU. Don’t doubt Him. Give His Word the benefit of the doubt.

ΑΩ

THE COMPLEMENT AT THE CENTER OF CREATION. Genesis 2:18-23.

Genesis 1 is a symphony—beginning quietly, a single oboe smoking out a note, clarinets join, more wind instruments, some strings, cello and bass, violins, a bit of percussion.  The organ creates a pavement of sound, a foundation for a massive edifice, and the whole thing swirls and swells growing louder, faster, over 100 instruments now, rich harmonies and brassy horns flying above all, the whole thing building to a crescendo, an overwhelming finale to bring down the house. 

And what is that finale? It is us.

“In the image of God He created him.  God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth….’  God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:27-28,31.

The whole world shows God’s lavish, loving, enthusiastic creation: mountains, trees, flocks, herds, rivers, waterfalls, oceans, snow and ice—it is amazing, and we are seeing it AFTER the fall, AFTER sin changed everything.

And what is at the center of creation? A marriage. The GRAND FINALE of the symphony of Creation Week is the marriage of Adam and Eve.  In the beginning, Adam was alone. But God did not forget him. It was not an oversight, but an opportunity for emphasis:

“‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper as his COMPLEMENT….’  The man gave names to all the livestock, the birds, the wild animals, but for the man no helper was found as his COMPLEMENT” 2:18,20. So God fashioned Eve from a rib.  “And the man said, ‘This one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called ‘woman’ because she was taken from man’” 2:23.

(Note the spelling. This is not the I-like-your-dress kind of compliment. This is “You complete me.” That is another kind of complement altogether.)

COMPLEMENT—adj., something that fills up, completes or makes better or perfect (Webster’s).

A good spouse completes you, fills you up, makes you better, perfects you. 

May God bless us with godly spouses who make us better every day!  And may we be grateful every day for this amazing life among His creation!

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