4 - Geneology

Kathleen’s thoughts

I love genealogy! Looking for my roots has been a wonderful journey finding my family and where they came from. What I find here is the wonders of wonders how God keeps a record of everything we do. Just reading today’s word proves the fact of God’s love for us, there is not one minute in a day in God's eyes that is not accountable for, you can't hide from God! Genesis 10, 1 Chronicles 1: 5-27 is the family records of Noah

Take a look at Noah when he indulged in too much wine. Here we find what respect means for one’s parent as well as being naked in front of our children and the harsh penalty of not having respect. Look what happened to Canaan because of Hams disrespect. Here we see that God noticed this and recorded it for us to see. Makes one think what we do in secret and we think no one else has seen. As God said everything will be revealed.

I noticed in Genesis 10:5 that each group had its own language then you read about the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:7 God confused their language so they could not understand one another’s speech and the Lord scattered them all over the earth. Interesting!

Even their life span was very long from 200 – 950 years. In Genesis 6:3 says their days will be 120 years. So I wonder when that took place?

Noah, known as the man of soil was the first to plant a vineyard.

Blessings

Kathleen.

4 - Powerful Man & Towers

Tower of Babel by: Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1526/1530–1569)

Chareen's Thoughts: 

Today as I was reading I noticed that Ham's grandson (Noah's great grandson) Nimrod was a man of note. He is noted as the first powerful man on earth.  He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the LORD.Genesis 10:8-9 In the bible he is noted as a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord and yet he is credited with building the Tower of Babel !  His name means to 'rebel against God'.  The Jewish historian Josephus writes about him and his terrible character in his historical chronicles. It amazes me how in the space of three generations a man can turn from God and forget (even though he was living with his grandfather and great grandfather who were on the Ark !)

As I was reading about Noah and him planting a vineyard (the word calls him a man of the soil), I had always thought of him as a carpenter because he built the ark but now I realise he was a farmer. What an amazing job he managed to do building an ark.  How wonderful that he was equiped to look after the animals because he was a man of the soil.  He had a good understanding of what was needed.

Then I read about him becoming drunk and uncovering himself,  all about his son Ham's disrespectful response. I thought about the world today and how nakedness is becoming so common and is becoming the new normal.  I am struck by the way that Noah cursed Ham and Ham's descendents.

I found it encouraging that teaching my children to be modest and cover up is the right thing to do.  God clothed Adam and Eve and He set the standard of covering up. In this story Noah shows that children looking at their parents nakedness is not a good thing and carries penalties.

Genesis 11:1-9 Ah the famous tower that brought about the many languages among us. It amazes me that the LORD came down and had a look.  I wonder if they knew that God Himself was standing watching them ? He thought carefully of a consequence for their actions and then acted upon it.  He was just land gentle and spread the people out over the whole earth.

I must confess I am not fond of reading genealogies. Name upon name and most of them I can not pronounce.... I was reminded today to see it as a lesson of how God pays attention to detail.  He is concerned about every detail.

Blessings

Chareen

For Further reading:

• Nimrod - Who was he ? Was he godly or evil ?
• Is there archaeological evidence of the Tower of Babel?
• Tower of Babel
• Relevant Lessons for today: The Tower of Babel by AiG
• Babel by John Whitcomb June 2002

3 - The wonderful story of Noah.

Kathleen's thoughts

Prior to this the generation lived 500 years+ and in this book of the Bible the years are cut short to 120 years because of corruption of the people and the Holy Spirit would not remain with them. Here too we note that Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9
 

Something I found very interesting in this reading is the number 7 and how many times it is used. All this is found in Genesis 7 where God tells Noah to take 7 pairs a male and its female of all clean animals, and again 7 pairs of the birds of the sky – this is in order to keep the offspring alive on the face of the whole earth.

Then God told Noah in 7 days from now I will make it rain. Then on the 17^th day of the month the floodgates were opened. The ark came to rest on Mount Ararat on the 7^th month on the 17^th day of the month. Noah sent out the raven and then a dove and each time he waited 7 days in between before doing it again. When the dove came back with the olive leaf Noah he knew the water had receded and waited 7 more days and sent the dove again and it did not return. By the 27^th day of the second month the earth was dry. So what does the 7 mean in the Bible? It means completion and perfection.

Then God made a covenant with Noah and future generations by giving a sign in the clouds in a form of a bow (rainbow) as a reminder of His promise that He would never again destroy all living creatures of flesh on earth. Here again we note that God has used 7. There are 7 colours in a rainbow and 7 letters in rainbow. Interesting thought! Perfection and completion.

God does not tolerate disobedience! His promise to us that He will look after us in our times of flood waters He will lift you up and place you on Mount Ararat until the flood waters subside, supplying all our needs. What we need to do is be obedient to Him and He will be our Fortress.

Blessings

Kathleen

3 - Regret and Rainbows of Promise

Photo Credit: Hub Pages

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ...
God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh on earth."

Genesis 9: 12 - 17

Chareen's Thoughts:

Who were the sons of God who married the daughters of men resulting in Nephilim ? In Genesis 6:4 they are called powerful men of old, the famous men.  I wonder if this is a positive or negative statement. I wonder if these men are the source of mythology ? Powerful men can mean good or evil.  I read an interesting article titled Who were the Nephilim ? I would be keen to hear your point of view.
Genesis 6:3 God numbers our days to 120 years.

It saddened me to read: the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Genesis 6:6)

How sad to know that He regretted making mankind. 

As I read about God's response to Noah's sacrifice I realised that because of the faithful devotion of one man offerering a sacrifice that pleased the Lord the rest of us live by the grace of God on earth. Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, even though man's inclination is evil from his youth. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.
Right from the days of Noah God has placed and declared the sanctity of life because people are made in the image of God.  Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image.

Looking at the picture of the rainbow. A circle. Perfectly round and never ending. It is a sign to us of His covenant.  Some say but we still have floods.  Yes we do but His covenant says that He will not kill every living thing and we can see evidence of Him keeping His word.  Yes some die but there are always people and animals that  survive. This promise is also very specific in that He will not kill every living thing on the whole planet.  This promise has been kept for over 7 000 years. (Yes I believe in a literal creation.)

Our God is a good God.

Blessings

Chareen

Links of interest:

• Rainbow, The Beautiful Phenomenon 
• Who were the Nephilim ? 
• Johan Huibers is building a working replica of Noah's Ark as a testament to his Christian faith. Johan's Ark is a fifth of the size of Noah's
• Hong Kong: World's first replica of Noah's Ark.
• Is Noah's Ark a myth ?
• A visual presentation.
• Ark Encounter by Answers in Genesis. (I would love to see this)