23 He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.
Today’s Passage: Genesis 7
The flood was the worst catastrophe and the worst judgment ever seen upon the Earth. It came in a time when the bible tells us the thoughts of all men’s hearts were evil continually and violence filled the whole Earth. The flood brought massive destruction that could have wiped out all life on this planet, but even in this moment of divine wrath, God’s grace and mercy shine through, as does his heart to teach and instruct us. Eight imperfect, flawed people who loved him and trusted him obeyed a command to prepare for the disaster and build an ark, and they carried out the designs of grace that God had placed in Noah’s heart, and he sealed them up safely and preserved them from the penalty that came upon the rest of the world.
The bible tells us Noah was a righteous man, but we know he and his wife and children were only clothed by faith in Christ’s righteousness. Why? All of us imperfect, sin-prone people on this earth are descended from Noah. By faith, he was saved, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, not by his work of building the ark, but the faith that led him to work out what God gave freely. So when the destructive rains come and the flood waters are rising in your life, remember God has already called you by grace and completed a secure ark of protection in the Cross. It could not have been a pleasure cruise to be on a boat at drift on raging flood waters, with pairs of every wild animal and seven pairs of every kosher creature destined for the dinner table. Noah’s family still suffered hardship and loss, but God brought them through it safely and he will see us through this present troubled times as well.
Lord, we thank you for your grace and mercy even in times of judgment and in times where we suffer due to the sins of others. Grant us the ears to hear your instructions and the faith to carry them out. Enable us to trust in your wisdom and that even when you allow pain and destruction in our lives, you intend to bring good through this somehow. Increase our faith and trust also, so we will be comfortable also being honest with you about how we feel on the journey. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
I enjoyed this. Right now I’m reading Brian Godawa’s NOAH PRIMEVAL. The Biblical account is so simple and accessible — faith in the Redeemer and rescue. The world must have been beyond description wicked. Is it that way again–or nearly so? Thank you, as always, for closing with prayer, Andrea! And in Jesus’ Name.
If you respond to me here, I probably won’t get notice of this because I have yet to master ‘feeds’. Oh, well. Sometime…
Thanks, Maria. Despair certainly tells us the world is that evil and it sure seems like it when we find so much wickedness being justified even among those supposed to be God’s people, but I have faith that there are more than eight imperfect folk left who honestly trust in God and seek to walk in God’s grace. Far more, I’d wager, and I won’t even guess how long it’ll take to get back to that depth of evil, or if God will wait until there’s not even ten of us (his own)left on the entire planet. 🙂