Genesis 5 lays out the generations of Adam in detail with each patriarch's name, age at the birth of his first son, the length of his remaining life, and his age at death...with one exception.
Genesis 5 SPECIFICALLY points out Enoch..."Then Enoch walked with the God...Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him." My bible commentary reads, "He walked with God, and instead of letting him die, God took him. In other words, Enoch went directly to heaven without dying, as will believers who are alive at the Rapture."
I've always been so amazed at that!! It's so easy to breeze right over lineages when they come up in the Bible because they "seem" so boring and repetitive. If you really think about it...it's really exciting! This lineage shows an exception of one man who walked with God and received a GREAT blessing! The lineage that Matthew opens up with...the lineage of Jesus Christ! ...Wow! When I was reading over that, yesterday, the first verse didn't really hit me, so until verse 15, I didn't really think about the fact that I was reading the lineage of Jesus Christ and when I got to verse 15 and read, "the father of Jacob," and it hit me...I had to put the Bible down for a moment, I was so excited! You see...there were SO many generations before Jesus Christ's time...God could have sent His Son ANY time He wanted and there was such a long time from the MAN-CENTERED PERSPECTIVE! I was so excited because reading this genealogy of Jesus Christ was a HUGE reminder that our God is a God of time. Good things happen in HIS perfect, appointed time.
Anyone had any "unanswered" prayer requests lately...?
Our God is a God of time. Good things happen in HIS perfect, appointed time.
God is good...all the time. =)
Anyway, going on to Genesis 6-7 which brings us into to the main message of this blog entry.
God was upset, "grieved in His heart," even SORRY he made man because there was so much ruling of the flesh all over the world that the world was filled with flesh-driven corruption and violence.
"The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart."
Here...we see yet another example of man breaking God heart with our flesh-driven, sinful passions of the heart.
"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
But one man proved differently. One man stood out in a world full of corruption and violence.
Meet Noah..."Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God."
There you see that "walked with God" phrase, again.
Noah was obedient. He walked with God and obeyed Him to SUCH a degree that "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." Praise God! What an EXAMPLE! Raise your standards. We are not "of this world." Be "men of whom the world is not worthy of." Set your goals not to man's standards, but to God's standards to find favor in this present day of corruption!
We see His obedience repeatedly...
6:22 - "This Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did."
7:9 - "there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female; as God has commanded Noah."
7:16 - "Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him..."
So...what comes out of obedience to God, to walking with God?
In this case...Noah's obedience saved his family.
"But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife, and your wons' wives with you." - 6:18
"This He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark."
By walking with God in faithfulness and obedience, Noah was spared and able to spare his family. OUr actions are SO important. They affect EVERYONE around us. In this case, it affected/saved Noah's loved one.
Parents, bless your children in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
Children, bless your family in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
Friends, bless your friends in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
Church members, bless your congregation in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
Everyone, bless strangers in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, bless your Heavenly Father in your obedience and dedication and love to God.
...Think about it.
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