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Genesis 6:14-16: Pencil at the ready.

^“14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. ¹⁵ This is how you are to build it: the ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.  ¹⁶ Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit  high all around.  Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. ” NIV

There is a difference between walking with God and having a ‘quiet time.’ Having a regular quiet time, during which you pray and read your Bible, can help you to walk with God; but the reality of walking with God is so much more. Some people tick off their daily devotions in a perfunctory manner; it’s like ‘punching the clock.’ I know this, because I’ve been there (and, alarmingly, can quickly get back there). But it’s possible to arrive at a place where much of your daily life is a conversation with God; an interaction with Him.

People who walk with God should keep a pencil and notebook handy – in a manner of speaking. Because they will find that God will talk to them. He will call them to do things. Sometimes, He will give detailed plans. If you don’t believe me ask Noah (or Moses! Another good example).

Okay, the Lord may not call you to build an ark. Noah got that contract! But, ‘there’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.’ One day, as you try to keep in step with your Heavenly Father, you may find yourself saying, ‘Just a moment; I need to write this down.’

Need I add that walking with God is a total adventure! Furthermore, the more dangerously He calls you to live, the greater the thrill.

PRAYER: Lord God, you don’t have to speak to me, but I earnestly pray that you will – and that I will hear. Help me to be so sensitive that I am attuned even to your gentlest whisper. May you find me ready, available, to do your bidding.

Genesis 6:9-13: A stark contrast.

A sharp line is drawn (or so it seems to me) between the ‘’righteous man’’ (9), and the ‘’corrupt’’/‘’corrupted’’ and ‘violent’ people (11-13). Noah was a vastly different man, and he stood out from the crowd. It is probably true to say that the longer he walked with God, the more he took on His character. That’s how it goes in life: you tend to become like the people you regularly hang out with. (That’s why the book of ‘Proverbs’ warns, for example, that bad company corrupts character. But it can also work in a positive direction).

Violence is one of the marks of a corrupt world. I would venture to suggest, so is being entertained by it! During this week alone, probably millions of people will sit in cinemas, eating popcorn and watching people ‘die’ in crashes and explosions; in stabbings, stranglings, shootings and the like. Now there’s room for nuance here. I’m not saying we should never watch or read stories which contain violent elements. We each have personal decisions to make about what we should or should not be exposed to. It’s not for me to judge anyone else, or their choices. What I do want to highlight is this point: I believe the appetite for gratuitous scenes of violence is a symptom of a terribly sick society. I fear we too are headed for destruction, apart from God’s gracious intervention.

PRAYER: Lord have mercy on us. We have drifted so far away from you. It feels like we are close to ‘the eve of destruction’ if we are not already there. Please graciously turn our hearts to Jesus, the only true ‘ark of safety’ provided by you for our salvation.

Genesis 6:9- 10: Swimming against the tide.

^“9 This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. ¹⁰ Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” NIV

The lovely man who was my pastor, during my teen years, often used to say, ‘Any dead old fish can move along with the stream; it takes a live one to swim against it!’

Noah was very much ‘alive’. Although he was ‘’among the people of his time’’ (9), he was not of his time. He ‘marched to the beat of a different drummer’. He ‘’walked with God.’’ So, while he found himself in the sea of his culture, he also received divine strength to move against the tide of evil, to swim against the current. He wasn’t sucked under and drowned.

We are told, in 2 Peter 2:7, 8, that Lot was ‘’a righteous man who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men’’, and that ‘’day after day’’ he was ‘’tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard’’. We can,  no doubt, identify with him. Well, Noah shows us that we can do more than just curse the darkness. In fact, that is not our calling. Rather, we can light a candle. We can let our lights ‘’so shine’’ before our contemporaries.

‘’The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine’ (Proverbs 4:18: ‘The Message’).

Genesis 6:5-8: Grief and favour.

^“5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created – and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground – for I regret that I have made them.’ ⁸ But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. ” NIV 

Before the flood, life on earth deteriorated so badly that ‘Genesis’ paints it in colours of utter depravity (5,6). Things had come to such a pass that God resolved to start from scratch with one man and his family.

The God of the Bible is not impassive. He has feelings. He has deep feelings. To have emotions is one of the facets of being made in the image of God. Our passage twice speaks of God being ‘’grieved’’ (7,8); and there is the heartbreaking statement: ‘’…his heart was filled with pain’’ (6). As someone said, it’s like a parent, broken in two over a wayward child. Reading this, I can understand the preacher who said, ‘Never preach about Hell except with tears in your eyes’. God’s judgment is real and it is a crying matter.

But against such a dismal backdrop, there is hope (8). It remains the case that even in a wicked and chaotic world, God is choosing out a salvation people. It is worth noting that Noah ‘’found grace’’ in the eyes of the Lord; He did not earn it. Noah may have been a godly man, but this was a mark of God’s grace in his life; it was not the basis of it.

Genesis 6:1-4: Living under a cloud.

“When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with humans for ever, for they are mortal;   their days will be a hundred and twenty years.’  ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterwards – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” NIV

There are question marks over part of this passage. We are not sure if ‘’the sons of God’’ were fallen angels who had intercourse with earthly women, and produced a race of super heroes. Or, were they members of Seth’s line marrying women from Cain’s line? In other words, is it a reference to being unequally yoked? Frankly, the jury is out. We just don’t know for sure.

But what we can clearly say from today’s reading, is that we are witnessing a gradual shortening of human life-span. It is now to be ‘’no more than 120 years’’ (3). That still sounds a long time to us, but it is considerably reduced from the numbers we’ve become accustomed to seeing.

We are reminded that sin has brought death into the world, and sooner or later the grave awaits us all. Every cemetery we pass is witness to the power and presence of sin in the world. This is what it has brought us to. We now all live under this cloud. It strikes me that each cemetery is a kind of large garden; and since sin came into the garden, death has also entered with it – just as God said it would.

‘’…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment’’ (Hebrews 9:27)

Genesis 5:18-32: Spiritual exercise

^“18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.  ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  ²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.  ²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. ²⁹ He named him Noah^[a] and said, ‘He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.’ ³⁰ After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died. ³² After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.” NIV

The cycle of birth and death is broken by a short story of one man who lived, but did not die: ‘’Enoch walked with God!’’ One preacher said that there came a day when he walked so far that God said to him, ‘It’s too far to go back now! Come on home!!’ There’s poetic license there, but it’s a lovely thought.

‘’And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God…’’ (22). Becoming a parent is life-changing. For some people the experience is more intense and profound than for others. Was there something about holding his baby son in his hands which caused Enoch to begin walking with God? We don’t know for sure, but it’s an interesting thought.

What we do know, however, is that Enoch ‘’walked with God’’. Ultimately, to walk with God by faith is the way to overcome death (Hebrews 11;5). ‘Thus, in the seventh generation after Adam, Enoch became an example of hope for mankind…’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’,p.141.

 In Genesis 5, ten names are mentioned, starting with Adam and ending with Noah. Although each person listed had numerous offspring, only these ten were in the direct line leading through Noah to Abraham and David, and eventually to Christ. These ten names are repeated in Luke’s genealogy of Christ (Luke 3:36-38).

‘In contrast to Cain’s line in the previous chapter, we have Seth’s in this. Note the curious similarity in the names in the two lines, as though the Cainites professed all that the Sethites held, but lacked the reality and power. There have always been these two families in the world – tares and wheat, goats and sheep. This is an old-world cemetery; we walk among old monuments with time-worn inscriptions. Though the Sethites were God-fearers, they were tinged with Adam’s sin. He was made in God’s image, but they in his as well…The birth of Methuselah seems to have had a profound influence on his father. After that he walked with God. Faith will enable us to do the same, because it makes the unseen visible and God real. Go God’s way. Keep God’s pace. Talk to him aloud and constantly as the great Companion.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, pp.16, 17.

PRAYER: Lord, I want to keep in step with your Spirit. Please help me to not run ahead or lag behind. What a privilege to have your Friendship and company.

Genesis 5: The ultimate statistic.

“5 This is the written account of Adam’s family line.  When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’  when they were created.  ³ When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. ⁴ After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.  ⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father^[b] of Enosh. ⁷ After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. ⁸ Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.  ⁹ When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.  ¹² When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.  ¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.  ¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.  ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  ²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.  ²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. ²⁹ He named him Noah^[c] and said, ‘He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.’ ³⁰ After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.  ³² After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.” NIV

‘’You learn more at a funeral than at a feast—
After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it.’’ Ecclesiastes 7:2 ‘The Message’.

‘A man who keeps death before his eyes will at all times overcome his cowardice.’ A Desert Elder.

‘Death wonderfully concentrates the mind.’ Dr. Samuel Johnson.

‘Modern man is drinking and drugging himself out of awareness, or he spends his time shopping, which is the same thing.’ Ernest Becker (‘The denial of death’).

There is a repeated refrain throughout chapter 5: ‘’…and he died.’’ Only with regard to one man is this not said, and we will come to him eventually. But he is an exception proving the rule.

‘Death is the ultimate statistic: one out of one dies.’

Death has come into the world because of sin. What God said in the garden comes to pass before our eyes (2:1; Romans 5:12ff).

When God made man in His own image, man (both male and female, verses 1,2) was perfect. But when man conceives children in his/her own image they are inevitably sinful (3), and consequently they die.

Somebody once asked his friend: ‘Tell me, what is it you are doing with the singular gift of your life?’

What are you doing with the only life you will ever have? It’s a short life after all. It’s a short life even when it’s long.  It doesn’t matter about being remembered. It’s of no concern, really, whether or not your works are recalled. But make sure that every day you are sowing seeds which will one day bear fruit. Some of them may spring up like flowers long after you have gone. It won’t matter that there will be no label attached to them bearing your name. What does matter is that they will beautify the world.

This last week, a young lady I know said her farewells to a Christian ministry, where she has worked faithfully for a few years. Colleagues and friends turned up with cards and flowers. They ate pizza and brownies together, and they prayed with my friend. We are all thankful to God for her. Afterwards she wrote me a note, telling me about it. She told me that one bouquet of flowers was sent anonymously. She’d love to know who sent the flowers, but she probably never will. It didn’t stop them brightening up her day, though, and bringing blessing into her life.

‘Humble joy. Expectant gratitude. Active hope. Patient waiting. This is the point of the contemplation of death. This is the gift of the…pearl of great price it has to offer, if we are able to gaze long enough into the abyss. I am beginning to see this now, even if only through a glass darkly.’ Michael Yankoski: ‘The Sacred Year’, p.120. Such an attitude can be taken by someone who trusts the Jesus, who by His death conquered sin and death

PRAYER: Lord, I don’t believe morbidity glorifies you, but I am convinced that there is a sober way to live – thankful for the gift of life, and not wanting to squander it, but use invest it for eternity.

Genesis 4:25-26: The great divide.

^“25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’ ²⁶ Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.  At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” NIV

In this fourth chapter we have started to see clearly the great dividing line that runs through humanity. On one side of it there is believing Abel; on the other side you have ungodly Cain. Cain was not an unbeliever in the sense that he did not believe in God. Clearly, he did. But he was not a man of faith. He was in rebellion against God. This line continues through the the world today. We are all on one side or the other. On which side are you?

‘Throughout the book of Genesis, great emphasis is placed on offspring, especially on the offspring which will result in the founding of Israel and, ultimately, in the birth of the Messiah, Christ (see Genesis 3:14-15…) From among the offspring, it is God who chooses which one will carry on the family line leading to Christ. Adam and Eve’s third son, Seth, was the chosen. As Seth’s descendants increased in number, they began to call on the name of the LORD (verse 26) – that is, to depend on the Lord, to believe in Him. This was in contrast to the descendants of Cain, who showed no such dependence or faith. Yet Cain’s descendants developed many useful skills (verses 20-22), which contributed to the beginnings of modern civilization. Today we pride ourselves on such skills – modern technology, gleaming skyscrapers, the exploration of space. Yet if we turn from God, all our accomplishments will in the end come to nothing, just as Cain’s city and all of his descendants came to nothing in the Flood (Genesis 7:17-23). The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:17).’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied Old Testament, p.140.

We may do many wonderful things, employing the remarkable gifts God endows us with, but we have to ask, ‘What is the profit, to gain the whole world, and lose one’s soul in the process?’ Many, obviously living on the wrong side of the great divide, have done that; and others, right now, are in the process of doing it.

May God have mercy.

Genesis 4:19-24: Vengeance is not yours!

^“19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. ²² Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of  bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.  ²³ Lamech said to his wives,  ‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words.  I have killed a man for wounding me,  a young man for injuring me.  ²⁴ If Cain is avenged seven times,  then Lamech seventy-seven times.’ ” NIV

In (23) we encounter the first instance of polygamy in history. The Bible never advocates having more than one wife (at the same time!). It was not the original pattern. But Scripture certainly records occurrences from time to time. It seems to me that in many instances, in the telling of these stories, we can see for ourselves that, although polygamy may not be expressly forbidden, it certainly is not a wise idea.

But the concern in today’s passage is not so much with how many wives Lamech had, but what he said to them on one occasion (23, 24). After telling his wives how he had killed a man (or would kill a man, as it can be read), he compared his situation with Cain’s. Cain had killed his innocent brother, but Lamech had killed a man who had injured him (or would kill a man in such circumstances). So, he argued, Cain’s crime was greater. Therefore, if God said that Cain’s killer would suffer vengeance ‘’seven times over’’ (15), Lamech argued that anyone killing him – who had committed a lesser crime – should be ‘’…avenged…seventy-seven times’’ (24). It’s been pointed out that in the Bible, seven is considered a ‘complete’ or ‘full’ number. So, the numbers ‘’seven’’ and ‘’seventy-seven’’ indicate ‘full vengeance’ and ‘ten times full’ vengeance (see Matthew 18:21, 22).

Anyway, the point to make is that, when we are hurt we may well feel inclined to hit back (with a fist, or in some other more subtle way). But we must remember that vengeance belongs to God alone, and it is not for any of us to hi-jack His job (Deuteronomy 31:35; Romans 12:19-21). Lamech was wrong to say this (and to do it, if he did. Or to suggest that he would). If someone has hurt you, commit them to God. He knows best how to deal with them, whether in mercy or chastisement. We really must trust Him. May we be able to pray for all such ‘enemies’ without bitterness or resentment. Lord, help us.