Why did Noah trust God?

Noah and his family entered into the ark.

I wonder if Noah questioned God’s decision to flood the earth? Does everyone have to die? Why can’t You just make everyone obey? Wouldn’t that be more loving?

Noah’s obedience to God allowed mankind to continue. Wow!

Noah’s actions show great faith. He wanted to do what was right in God’s eyes and to be a good example for his family. He was a great example to them and to us today.

I never thought to blame God for the floods in my own life. I believe God would love to give us only good things, but He can’t.

God gave Adam and Eve paradise, but they sinned anyway and it brought tragedy into their lives. Eve was deceived, and Adam did not lead in being obedient to God’s instructions. They suffered the consequences for their choices. And we continue to make the same mistakes today.

The good from tragedy comes when it causes us to look up to God for his help. We also become more kind to each other as we realize it’s not all about us.

Hopefully we ask questions like: What is really important? What is life really about? Why am I here?

Hopefully Jesus become our source for answers.

There have been so many major natural disasters, evil is everywhere, the days seem short, technology is exploding. Is God warning us like he warned the people in Noah’s day? Something big is just around the corner.

The bible says these are signs to look for before the return of Jesus.

For more info on bible prophecy go to:

http://prophecytoday.com/html/weekly.php

Our personal ‘flood’ came on a perfectly normal day; a day just like any other. It was a really great time in our life as a family. Drew was playing in a basketball championship, and Mark had come home to support his brother. It was a time of celebrating and fun.

But, God allowed Mark’s fatal accident that weekend. Just like that. He was gone.

Like Noah’s Ark standing on dry ground. God is trying to get our attention!

Mark never thought in a million years it would be his last day with us.

We don’t know when our  last day will be.

We don’t know the day Jesus will return.

It will be a typical day.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

FYI: I always wondered why God said in his word technology would go crazy near the time of Jesus return. I couldn’t imagine 15 years ago why or how. But, now it makes sense. There are things God said the whole world will see and hear together. And now we have the technology for this to happen.

Scripture Reading of Noah

Genesis 7 & 8

The Flood Covers the Earth

¹ When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. ² Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice,^[a] and take one pair of each of the others. ³ Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. ⁴ Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”

⁵ So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.

⁶ Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. ⁷ He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives. ⁸ With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground. ⁹ They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.

¹¹ When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. ¹² The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. ¹⁴ With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. ¹⁵ Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. ¹⁶A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.

¹⁷ For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. ¹⁸As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. ¹⁹ Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, ²⁰ rising more than twenty-two feet^[b] above the highest peaks. ²¹ All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. ²² Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. ²³ God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. ²⁴ And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.

The Flood Recedes

¹ But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. ² The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. ³ So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, ⁴ exactly five months from the time the flood began,^[a] the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.⁵ Two and a half months later,^[b] as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.

⁶ After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat ⁷ and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. ⁸ He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. ⁹ But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. ¹⁰After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. ¹¹ This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. ¹² He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back.

¹³ Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began,^[c] the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. ¹⁴ Two more months went by,^[d] and at last the earth was dry!

¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶ “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. ¹⁷Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”

¹⁸ So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. ¹⁹ And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.^[e] 21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. ²² As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

Genesis 5 commentary…

As people began to populate the earth, sin increased in the world. Good people were corrupted by wicked people as sin spread. Those trying to please God became less and less. It grieved God that the inclination of man’s heart was always evil.

But Enoch was able to maintain an intimate relationship with God because Enoch continuously walked and talked with God.

Enoch was 365 years old when God took him to heaven. He never died; he just went straight to heaven. Amazing! This was how Jesus went to heaven also. And when Jesus returns again, everyone alive on earth who is born again, will also go to heaven this way. (John 3:3 Jesus answered him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ) I hope I am still alive for this.

God could not let wickedness on earth increase forever.

Enoch’s son Methuselah was the oldest man to ever live. He lived to be 969 years old. I think Methuselah’s long life represents God patiently holding back His anger toward men, and His desire that men would turn from their evil ways.

God now saw only one good man remaining on the earth. His name was Noah.

God instructed Noah to build a large boat to save his family and the animals He had created. God told Noah He was going to flood the earth, destroying life and basically starting over with man. Up until now, it had never rained before on earth. But Noah built the huge boat to the exact specifications he was given. I wonder what the people around him thought? Freeeeeak!

Today, many of us follow God; yet there is still so much evil in our world. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Noah.

It is hard not to think of the story of Noah and the ark as real and not a fairly tale. But our whole existence is a miracle. Everything around us points to an awesome creator. God can do anything, but changing a man’s heart is my favorite.

I trust God because of His work in my own life. Most recently, I am amazed at God in my son’s life. God is working quickly in his life, changing the direction of his life dramatically; and it is a blessing to watch. God is the only explanation for the change.

I saw an accident yesterday. I knew a young man had lost his life. It brought back memories of losing Mark. But God continues to be faithful. He comforts me. Life on this earth is brief.  Don’t put God off; today is the day. Begin to seek God today! You will never regret it! Bad things happen with or without God in your life. Why not have God to help you in those difficult times?

At the age of 28, I had really screwed up my life and decided I would only seek God’s wisdom from then on.

This was basically my conversation with God…

God I am giving You control of my life. You know what is best for me. I am going to stop using my own knowledge. I need Your wisdom. Please forgive my sins. God, tell me what to do next, I don’t have a clue. I am committing to You no matter what. Please show me the way. Thank you for Jesus washing my sins away. Please come into my heart and be with me forever.

I remember this peace came over me that did not make sense because my life was falling apart around me. I have never turned away from that decision. That decision continues to be a blessing in my life everyday. I knew I had been born again at that moment. God’s spirit took up residence in me.

I hope you will pray the same prayer for your life.

God is trustworthy.

Jeremiah 29:11 say,” For I know the plans I have for you,” Declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Below is the bible story of Enoch, Methuselah and Noah.

Genesis 5:21 – 6:22

²¹ When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ²³ Enoch lived 365 years, ²⁴ walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
²⁵ When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
²⁸ When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son. ²⁹ Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, “May he bring us relief^[d] from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.” ³⁰ After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived another 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ³¹Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
³² By the time Noah was 500 years old, he was the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

.¹ Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. ² The sons of God saw the beautiful women^[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with^[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”

⁴ In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.

⁵ The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. ⁷ And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor with the Lord.

The Story of Noah

⁹ This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. ¹⁰ Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. ¹² God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. ¹³ So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

¹⁴ “Build a large boat^[c] from cypress wood^[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. ¹⁵ Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.^[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening^[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

¹⁷ “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. ¹⁸ But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. ¹⁹ Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. ²⁰ Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

²² So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

My commentaries are written for Mark’s friends or young people (or anyone) who has a hard time making sense of the Bible. I was the same way.

Genesis 4:1-17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁷ Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son.

My Comments:

Sex is mentioned at the beginning and end of this passage. This can make us uncomfortable. God created sex as something very good, but we manage to make it something that seems as though it should be bad.

Sex is social, physical and spiritual. We don’t think of it as spiritual. It will mess with your heart, mind and soul if you are casual about it. We try to make it casual, but deep down it is not possible. We have to disengage physically, emotionally and spiritually to pass it off as no big deal. Then we will find ourselves disconnected from the person God intended us to be, and a void inside us will grow larger.

God reserved sex for marriage. It is a union that was meant for two to become one physically, emotionally and spiritually and never intended to be torn apart. If torn apart, it will take a part of your soul.  Few people today get to a chance to know God’s original intent unblemished.

But, don’t be discouraged. God restores the years that the locusts have eaten away, if we allow him.

What happens if we act like Cain and don’t listen to God’s instruction? Sin can easily get out of our control.

Adam and Eve’s small sin is already a big sin in their son. Cain is angry when he is corrected by God. Instead of accepting correction, he gets angry and jealous which turns into murder.

If I correct our boys and they respond in anger, it scares me to see that in them. I know it is something that has to be dealt with. Because if they don’t learn to see correction as something good for them, they will do many foolish things that will lead to a life of regret. If they can’t listen to their parents, then chances are they will not hear God’s correction when we are no longer responsible for them.

The best way to correct them is by being consistent and loving (soft tones) and by using scripture. God promises are his word will not return void.

Think about it: Gen 4:4

Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock.

I think God did not accept Cain’s gift because it was not a sacrifice for Cain to give God some crops out of his abundance. And I am sure it hurt Able very much to give God his best first-born lamb.

When I read this just now, I thought of how Mark was my first-born, perfect (to me) son. And I gladly give him up to the Lord if it means the salvation of others.

Love,

When our boys were young, I home schooled them. We would start our day in Godʼs word. To me this was the best part of the day. I could see the good it did in their lives. I didnʼt go to bible school. I would simply pray and ask God to help us understand His word, and He always did despite the struggle of little boys having to sit still. But, because of my passion I think they managed to enjoy it. This is just a small glimpse of what were usually very in depth conversations.

I will share portions of scripture that we studied.  I think the investment of this time made the best part of who Mark was.

I hope you will read the entire scripture on your own. I will give you small examples of what we might have talked about after reading the scriptures. Again I am praying God leads here.

Genesis 1:1-2-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…..

(Paraphrased)
Day one- God created light.
Day two – God separated the waters of the heavens and the waters of the earth and created the sky.
Day three – God gathered the water together and called them seas. So dry land appeared and God said..let the land sprout with vegetation…
Day four – God created the sun, moon and stars.
Day five – God created fish and birds.
Day six – God created humans, Adam and Eve.
The seventh day – God declared the seventh day holy and rested from all his work during creation.

Comments:
The creations of the earth are hard to comprehend… We have to take some things by faith.
If you found a watch on the beach would you say it just appeared out of nothing or was it created by someone?
Everything was created except God.
Only God always existed.
Why did God create heaven and earth?

God is love….

I would hear my mom (grandma) say this to me often growing up. “God is love”
Do we see love in His creation?
The beauty of the earth canʼt be fully expressed; from a tiny flower to a majestic mountain top!
Why does grandmaʼs dinner taste better than mine. Because hers was created with love. Mine you are lucky to get:)
Creation is the expression of Godʼs love towards us.
Love is best expressed when shared with someone.
Creation is Godʼs love shared with us.
God created you to express love towards you.
Every baby is Godʼs love created.

God creating YOU tells you that YOU are of great worth to Him!

The rest of the creation story (the majestic mountains to the tiny flowers) is just the icing on the cake……

Memorize it!
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

And then remember why! Because YOU are of great worth to HIM.

Go to www.crazylovebook.com and check out the “Awe Factor of God” video.

 

Trusting His Plan,

Mrs. G