Читать книгу Bloodline for the Messiah - A. M. Deigloriam - Страница 8

(Approximately 2894 BC)

The world had fallen into a deep state of depravity with most people being morally corrupt. Satan and his demonic angels had completely overtaken the human race creating untold violence and death. Adam and Eve‘s disobedience had a devastating impact on all of the human race then and forever. Sin changed the status of man from God’s perfect creation to a man fallen in nature. Satan and his demonic angels inflicted unspeakable perversions on man to the point where violence and corruption ruled the day. These perverted angels were chained and cast into darkness prior to the flood to await the judgment (2 Peter 2:4). Men were exceedingly wicked.

All disobedience to God’s word results in man’s suffering. Suffering is experienced as a result of living in a fallen world infested with disease and death, man’s disobedience, and living a life that is not Christ-centered.

For 600 years Noah lived as a righteous man in a society that was completely evil with no hope for salvation. God blessed Noah with incredible courage, strength and determination to complete a project that was viewed as complete folly by all.

2 Peter 3:3-7 reads, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

The Apostle Peter in these verses recalled the flood and warned those that scoff and ridicule would be judged and held accountable for every word and their actions.

Noah preached and warned the people that they needed to repent of their sins and prepare for a flood. No one took him seriously and continued with their daily rituals. The same is true today as millions of people continue with their daily lives unresponsive to the message of the Bible.

Psalm 37:9-10 reads, “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.”

King David in these verses realized that throughout history the wicked do succeed and survive for a short period of time. However, these periods are short-lived and eventually end in God’s time. As believers we place our trust and faith in a sovereign God that is the same today as yesterday, and is the same forever.

Noah was the tenth Patriarch prior to the flood that lived for several centuries. God commanded Noah to build the ark after all the people of the land rejected his message to worship the only true God. God’s patience did run out which resulted in God only saving Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. God also commanded Noah to build a massive ark and collect animals that would be saved from the flood.

God blessed Noah and his family because he was an obedient, righteous, and blameless servant throughout his entire 600 years of life. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark and during that time he preached to the people about the need to worship God. They refused to believe and responded by saying there was no God. Noah walked with God and listen to God for direction each day and God blessed Noah with safety for his family and another 350 years of life after the flood. Proverbs 8:32 reads, “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.” Listening to God’s instruction and following His direction allows us to be wise and receive His blessing. God gave Noah specific instructions (i.e., the type of wood, waterproofing materials) how to build the ark and prepare for the flood. In some ways the situation has not changed. Christians today warn the non-believer of the judgment to come, but in many cases they refuse to listen.

Noah walked in faith and feared God when he built the ark. The people of the world were given the opportunity to believe, but instead brought judgment on themselves with disbelief and dishonoring Noah’s message. Noah like all men had a fallen nature with many frailties that caused him and his family much distress.

God is a loving and gracious God who was and is offering salvation to all and is urging all to turn to real repentance. However, man exhausted God’s patience when all of man’s actions and thoughts were evil which resulted in millions being lost in the flood. God is a righteous and sovereign God who is the same God that Noah followed and is the same God that allowed the flood to occur in a decaying world of evil. We do not know the mind of God and we know that we do not understand all of His plans for us. However, there are verses that address the issue of willful sin.

Hebrews 10:26 reads, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.”

Hebrews 10:30-31 reads, “For we know him that hath said, VENGENANCE BELONGETH UNTO ME, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, THE LORD SHALL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

As Christians we will all be judged by an all powerful, sovereign God as we stand in front of Him with all of our sins. Those that asked for salvation and later rejected all belief will be judged by God.

Application

Noah was an ordinary man with many frailties. However, Noah found favor from God and walked with Him because Noah was a righteous man who loved and obeyed God. He was a highly skilled hard working man capable with God’s direction of building a massive structure such as the ark. His unweaving obedience and loyalty to God was tested with continual ridicule and harassment by the local community. His skills also included being a farmer and herdsmen. He was also a loving husband and father of three sons and their wives.

God will work through a person by providing inspiration. However, this inspiration will be forgotten if these new creative ideas are not quickly developed. Discipline also plays an important part in the process in developing new ideas and requires skills to be perfected for ideas to be implemented. God will open new doors that will resolve issues and will give direction when goals seem impossible to reach.

Isaiah 58:11 reads, “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a water garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

God is always there to guide us through each step throughout our entire lives. It is our responsibility to share all of our cares and burdens with God each day. We are His creation and He loves us and wants to protect us from harm and to provide for our every need. We are to place our trust in God and to wait patiently for His blessings. God’s word has been in place since the beginning of time and will remain in place for eternity. It is the only thing in this universe that does and will not change. Countless numbers of generations have passed and still God’s word remains the same. Hundreds of millions can attest that trusting in a loving God and obeying His word in love is the only path to fulfillment. We are all created in His image and we all long to one day to be one with our Creator.

Noah, his sons, and wives were blessed by God and would be the only human beings allowed to survive the flood. This one monumental event would destroy all of mankind and at the same time provide a new start for all of mankind. This was one more example of how Satan has tried to destroy all of mankind and failed. God spared only Noah and his family to ensure that the royal bloodline would continue and that His plan would unfold with the birth of His Son within this royal bloodline.