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Genesis 6:14

The Ark as a Type of Christ

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 4, 2022

Beginning in verse 14 of Genesis chapter six, we begin to read God’s instructions to Noah regarding the building of the ark. It says, “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch.” Four things are most frequently commented on: 1) What’s an Ark? 2) Gopher wood, 3) Make rooms, and 4) cover inside and out with pitch. Regarding God’s instructions to Noah to make an “Ark,” the only other time in the Bible that this word is used refers to Moses’s basket when set adrift in the Nile River to be found by Pharaoh’s daughter. “Just as Moses was preserved in dangerous circumstances and was saved out of the Nile, Noah was preserved from a larger body of water and brought safely out by God. The original readers, Israel on the edge of entering the promised land, would undoubtedly make this connection.”[1] Commentators will also attempt to align the construction of the Ark by Noah with God’s instructions to build the tabernacle. But the two words are different.

Gopher wood was used to make coffins in Old Testament times because of its density and strength. The commentators will argue about what kind of wood this was, and many think it was cedar. We do not know what wood is referred to in this passage. The New International Version calls it “cypress” because of its strength and durability. But cedar is also a possibility. Cedar is mentioned as precious wood of Lebanon several times in the Bible, and it is of similar quality. Driver suggests that it was “Probably some kind of resinous tree, either pine or cypress”[2] As a type of Jesus, the one thing we can be sure of is that it was of a material sufficient for the salvation of Noah and his family.

 The word for “rooms” is literally “nests.” We can’t be sure whether there were three or four or five decks. The commentators can argue this forever. But the point is that God ensured that there would be room enough for all. Unlike the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who will say that only 144 thousand will be in heaven, I’d say that there is room for all. Anyone who believes in Jesus will never perish but have everlasting life (See John 3:16). The pitch, or caulk, was used inside and out to guarantee water could not get in and sink the means of salvation for Noah and the crew. Courson connects this with Christ well, “This is the only time in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word kapher is translated ‘pitch.’ In the seventy other passages this word is used, it is translated ‘atonement’—a wonderful word that essentially means ‘at-one-ment.’ Just as the salvation God provided Noah was surrounded by the pitch of atonement, so God provided us ‘at-one-ment’ with Him by sending His Son to die for our sin.”[3]

[1] Kissling, Paul J. 2004–. Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

[2] Driver, S. R. 1904. The Book of Genesis, with Introduction and Notes. Westminster Commentaries. New York; London: Edwin S. Gorham; Methuen & Co.

[3] Courson, Jon. 2005. Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis–Job. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

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Genesis 6:13, Matthew 24:37

The Good Ship Salvation

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 3, 2022

Noah was identified as one who “walked with God,” as did Adam and Enoch. He was declared righteous on that basis. As we read in Hebrews, all that Noah did was based on “faith.” He believed in God and trusted God in a world that had become corrupt in that they rejected God. But Noah had a relationship with God. In many of the ancient tales of the Mesopotamian region, the gods would keep their plans secret and never share them with mankind. But in the story of Noah, God spoke to him “directly seven times.” In Genesis 6:13, God speaks to him, “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” From Cain bludgeoning his brother to death and Lamech’s murder we see the deterioration of humanity as they moved further and further from their walk with God. Once they reject God, they bring upon themselves that which is inevitable. “The idea is that humankind cannot undermine the moral basis of society without endangering the very existence of its civilization. In fact, through its corruption, society sets in motion the process of inevitable self-destruction.”[1] So, it could be said, “For what God decreed was to be destroyed had already in truth destroyed itself.”[2]

Several times in the Gospels, Jesus compares the final days as being the same as they were in the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37 is clear. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” It’s not just that life was going on as usual. It was that the characteristics of the culture at the time of Noah would be found in the last days as well. When we read the Genesis account of human beings up to the flood’s coming, we see two themes repeated: sex and violence. Courson makes a comparison of Noah’s day with our days. He writes, “Violence was celebrated, exalted, and practiced in Noah’s day, just as it is in our own. By the time they graduate from junior high, young people in our country have seen an average of more than 35,000 murders on TV. Add to that the 1.2 million couples who use guns, knives, or other lethal weapons on each other, and it is evident that the home has become a battleground in much of our society.”

Courson wrote that in 2005. Today, 2022, we’ve seen random acts of violence increase to the point there is a mass shooting almost every day in our country. People are beaten for no reason. It’s not safe to ride public transportation. Property is destroyed, and theft is up more than ever before. Despite all of this, there is still a movement to disband the police forces in major cities. Courson continues his comments, “Wise is the woman, wise the man who has the understanding and discernment to see a world of exploding population, sexual perversion, evil imagination, and rampant violence—and is able to draw the parallel with Noah’s day. Wise are all who, knowing the Lord’s coming is at hand, say to everyone they can, ‘Come on board the Good Ship Salvation because we’re sailing to heaven.’”[3]

[1] Sarna, Nahum M. 1989. Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.

[2] Atkinson, David. 1990. The Message of Genesis 1–11: The Dawn of Creation. Edited by J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. England: Inter-Varsity Press.

[3] Courson, Jon. 2005. Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis–Job. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

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Genesis 6:12, Psalms 14:1-3

There is No God!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 2, 2022

As the Bible introduces the causes of the worldwide flood, the earth’s inhabitants are described as being violent and corrupt. Genesis 6:11-13 repeats these ideas several times. Verse 12 focuses on “corruption.” It says, “And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” The following statement clarifies that the earth was corrupt, narrowing that charge to the human race. All the people were corrupt. The question then arises, “why did God kill all the animals as well?” The ancient Jewish commentator, Rashi, argues that “Even the animals were interbreeding—even the birds.” Then Ibn Ezra agrees, “The tradition that this refers to interbreeding of species and perversion of the course of nature is correct.”[1] I can’t see this in the text at all. God had entrusted to man the care of all creation. He named the animals and was given dominion over them. He was therefore responsible for them. Brayford says, “Human actions, therefore, have negative ramifications on other creatures. Sadly, rather than having dominion over or responsibility for these other creatures, humans have caused their destruction.”[2]

Exell argues that “corruption” here refers “To their having debased and depraved the true religion. This was the natural consequence of the junction between the sons of God and the daughters of men. Whenever the Church becomes one with the world, the corruption of true religion has invariably followed: for if wicked men have a religion, it must needs be such as to accord with their inclinations. Hence arose all the heresies of the early ages of Christianity; hence the grand Romish apostasy; and in short every corruption of the true religion in past or present times.”[3]

You might notice that verse 12 begins with the phrase “God saw….” Back in the earlier chapters of Genesis, when God created the earth in six days, after each day, it says, “God saw.” It was reported that God saw it, and it was “good.” It’s not good anymore! God created everything for man and entrusted it all to him, giving him dominion. He then sent him forth to enjoy the world and “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Because of man’s corruption regarding their view of God, they filled the earth with violence. The Psalmist captured this picture for us in Psalm 14:1-3. It says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

[1] Carasik, Michael, ed. 2018. Genesis: Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Michael Carasik. The Commentators’ Bible. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.

[2] Brayford, Susan A. 2007. Genesis: Commentary. Edited by Stanley E. Porter, Richard S. Hess, and John Jarick. Septuagint Commentary Series. Leiden; Boston: Brill.

[3] Exell, Joseph S. n.d. The Biblical Illustrator: Genesis. Vol. 1. The Biblical Illustrator. London: James Nisbet & Co.

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Genesis 6:11, 9:6

Freedom of Religion

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 1, 2022

Genesis 6:11 explains the reason for the flood! “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” Corruption relates to the perversion of true religion. I’ve often argued that Jesus did not come into the world to establish another religion to compete with Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, or any other so-called “religion.” He came to destroy them and open a way to the father through a personal connection with himself. God desired friendship with man. He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Enoch walked with God. Noah, like Abraham, might be considered a friend of God. David was a man after God’s own heart despite his sinfulness. God wanted a connection with his people. But like Cain, mankind turned that into “religion.” That’s the specific practices of routines, rituals, and regulations that made one “righteous” before God if obeyed. God never wanted “religion.” He wanted us to love him, his relationship, and love each other. Instead, the corruption of religion led to violence, as it always does. When men cast off a personal walk with God, they naturally turn to some form of perverted religion. They all waved their own flags expecting others to follow, and when they didn’t, violence ensued.

The worst part about this is that “Christendom” has been the greatest offender! You would think that a body of believers who had experienced the horrific persecution from Rome and following empires would be sensitive to religious violence. But no! Once the religion “Christianity” was recognized as a legal religion and then made the official religion of the Roman Empire, religious murder would be over. Throughout the dark ages when Christianity ruled, many more people were murdered for the sake of dogma than in any war before them or after them. Reformation had to be made after the inquisition, and the crusades made war on those of different thought. Martin Luther is accredited with bringing it, but it existed in earlier forms. My point is, as one web blogger put it, “While the reformation did lead to greater diversity of thought in Christian faith, it also sparked numerous wars lasting from 1523 to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Estimates of the death toll from these European religious wars between Protestants and Catholics exceed 5,000,000.”

In Genesis 6, we see that people were killing each other because of the corruption of religion. God stepped in and destroyed the lot! Then at the end of the flood story, God promised he would never do that again and placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his promise. Then he entrusted the care of the innocent to mankind. Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” We do not go to “religious” war! But we stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves against aggressors and tyrants waging their own wars of greed, ideology, or power.

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Genesis 6:10, Hebrews 4:16

Sons and Daughters of God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 31, 2022

Noah was a righteous man. He was perfect in his generation. He walked with God. These qualifying characteristics are ascribed to Noah in Genesis 6:9. The next verse introduces us to his three sons. Genesis 6:10 says, “And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” Were they righteous? There’s no mention of that. Were they “perfect” in their generation? There is no mention of that. Did they “walk with God?” There’s no mention of that. Yet they were brought into the Ark and saved from God’s judgment on the wicked. I think we can say that Shem was Noah’s favorite. Japheth seems to be next. Ham was not a very nice guy. We see his sin against his father in the following chapters.  The three sons’ names always appear in the order mentioned in this verse: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

There seems to be some confusion as to which of the three sons of Noah was the oldest. However, putting all the mentions of Noah’s sons together seems to render that Japheth was the oldest, Shem was the middle son, and Ham was the youngest. Genesis 5:32 tells us that Noah started to have children when he was 500 years old! In Genesis 9:24, Ham is called Noah’s “youngest son.” In Genesis 10:21, Japheth is called Shem’s “older brother.” The birth order was Japheth, Shem, and Ham. Another indication that Japheth was the oldest might be that when the sons’ descendants are listed in Chapter ten, Japheth’s sons are listed first. But it’s Shem that’s listed first in every mention of the three sons because it was from Shem that the promise of a son who will crush the head of the serpent of Genesis chapter three would be born. God elevated Isaac over his brother Ishmael. God exalted Jacob over his brother Esau. Jacob further advanced Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph, over his older brother Manasseh. Additionally, Judah was elevated over his older brothers, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, to be the heir to the throne of Israel from whom Jesus would come.

Noah is the type of Christ. His sons are a type of the believer. The qualities of Noah were accredited to his sons even though there is no mention of them being righteous. Regarding Noah’s three sons, the ancient commentator, Nahmanides, said, “Even they were saved from the Flood only by Noah’s merits and not their own.”[1] Noah’s sons and their wives were saved because of their connection with Noah. Today, we can be saved from the coming judgment because of our relationship with Jesus. As sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth walked confidently onto the Ark for salvation. Today, as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ, we can walk confidently into the presence of God. Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to do just that. It says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

[1] Carasik, Michael, ed. 2018. Genesis: Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Michael Carasik. The Commentators’ Bible. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.

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Genesis 6:9, Hebrews 11:7

Walking with God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 30, 2022

Verse 8 told us that Noah found “Grace” in the eyes of the Lord. Through God’s merciful grace, Noah was declared righteous in Verse 9. It says, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” The opening phrase refers to a shift in the story from the evil in the world to the graciousness of God in redemption. He chose Noah’s line to preserve to fulfill the promise of the one and only coming deliverer mentioned in Genesis 3:15 as the seed of the woman. The declaration of Noah’s “righteousness” is not a reflection of his sinlessness as it is on God’s grace given to sinful people. Paul tells us that “by grace, we are saved through faith.” This is indeed how Noah was saved from the flood and served as a picture of the coming deliverance offered to us in Christ. The writer of Hebrews reviews Noah’s case and concludes that it was by God’s grace through faith that Noah was chosen. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

Dealing with being blameless in his generation, many commentators observe that the Hebrew phrase might better be translated as “perfect or pure.” Speaking of the lineage of Noah, this could very well be a reference to the fact that it had to do with, as one commentator put it. Noah “Was of pure descent, and in that respect also distinguished from his contemporaries, who were the offspring of promiscuous marriages between the godly and the ungodly.”[1] The earth genealogies of man had been totally corrupted by the inter-marriage of the “sons of God” with the “daughters of man.” Noah, however, had a “pure” genealogy down from Seth without corruption. The flood was God’s act to preserve the purity of the lineage through which the Christ would come as much as it dealt with the sin of mankind. Guzik says, “We could translate ‘perfect in his generations’ as, ‘Noah was pure in his genetic profile.’”[2]

Noah walked with God. This is the exact phrase used to describe Enoch’s relationship with God earlier in Genesis. Abraham will later be referred to as the “friend of God.” There are many ideas about what it means to “walk with God,” but it relates to the reality that He is with you. When someone is “with” you, they are constantly in your awareness. They are present with you in what you say and do. In God’s case, he is with you even in what you think. It’s to be aware of the omniscient, omnipresent existence of God. It’s in this living that Paul is talking about when he speaks of being always prayerful. God is not only with me when I get into trouble or find myself in a foxhole and then realize that I need Him. He’s with me always. All the good things come from God. All the bad things have a purpose, and I trust God to work them out for my good eventually.

[1] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. 1909. Genesis. The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

[2] Guzik, David. 2013. Genesis. David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible. Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.

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Genesis 6:7, Isaiah 43:25, various

Blotting out Sinners or Sins?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 29, 2022

In Genesis 6:6, we see that God’s love and care for all humanity resulted in his intervention in the world where the hearts of all humanity had turned to violence and murder.  While their hearts were turned against each other, God’s heart was grieving. He decided the world would not continue under such conditions. Verse 7 picks up God’s plan for intervention in humanity, “So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” After the initial creation of mankind in Genesis one, God announced that it was “very good.” By Genesis 6, the created order of all life has become distorted by violence and is beyond repair. Kissling rightly observes, “God’s grief at having made humanity stems from having provided everything for the good of humanity only to see them reject his good gifts and drift further and further away from his purposes for them. The divine pain at the sight of such grievous rebellion by the creatures he made is an important biblical theme which leads ultimately to the cross.”[1]

Blotting out is an interesting concept in the Bible. It refers to the “blotting out” or erasing of an entry in a book so thoroughly that there is no trace left.  It’s used this way often. In Exodus 32:33, God says He will “blot out” of his book those who have sinned against him. The Psalmist calls for God to “blot out” the wicked from the book of the living. God talks about “blotting out” the memory of Amalek forever. In Ezekiel 6:6, God speaks about the works of the flesh being “blotted out” in the final judgment. Jesus refers to the destruction in the days of Noah in Matthew 24:36-39, saying that the end of this age will have a similar ending. But at that time, there will be some “taken” and some “blotted out.” The difference between the two has to do with what is “blotted out.”

Jesus claims to be the one who spoke in Isaiah 43:25, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Those who trust in Him will find refuge from the “blotting out” of life as it happened in the days of Noah. When Jesus forgave sins during his ministry on earth, the religious leaders accused him of playing God. In Luke 5:21, “But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” But it is “only” Jesus who can blot out sin. The writer of Hebrews speaks for God when he says in Hebrews 8:12, “I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

[1] Kissling, Paul J. 2004–. Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

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Genesis 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:29

God Gets Involved!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 28, 2022

Many of the founding fathers of America were Deists. “Deism is essentially the view that God exists, but that He is not directly involved in the world. Deism pictures God as the great ‘clockmaker’ who created the clock, wound it up, and let it go. A deist believes that God exists and created the world, but does not interfere with His creation. Deists deny the Trinity, the inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, miracles, and any supernatural act of redemption or salvation. Deism pictures God as uncaring and uninvolved. Thomas Jefferson was a famous deist, referring often in his writings to ‘Providence.’”[1] No Bible-believing Christian can subscribe to this view. The Bible itself shows that God is involved in people’s lives and cares passionately about us. Furthermore, there are many specific instances in the biblical record where God’s love and care for us are documented. God loves everyone, and he wants us to love him in return. Learning to love God involves loving and caring for our fellowmen. When people reject God, they care less about their fellow man. From the beginning of mankind, that resulted in Cain killing his brother, Lamech’s murder and polygamy, and then violence being the common theme by the time of the flood. I often think of the situation on earth before the flood in Genesis six as similar to Germany in World War II. Hatred and violence abounded. This is where God got involved.

The English Standard Version in Genesis 6:6 tells us that as God observed the violence on the earth, He “Regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” The New Living Translation puts this verse, “So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” Other translations say, “it filled his heart with pain.” God is not distant and removed from man’s situation and, as any loving parent, wants his children to love each other. The whole idea of justice and righteousness pursues God’s desire for us to treat each other appropriately. He went to great lengths to invest himself in the lives of his creation to help us understand that. In the days of Noah, it required a rebooting of the entire race because of the violence done to one another. The use of the Hebrew word for corruption and violence in this verse “Conveys that the advancement of sin has reached its apex, permeating every corner of civilization.[2] But with the call of Abraham, God worked with people. First, he did that one at a time; then, he worked with his chosen nation to bring into the world a set of laws and instructions on how to live with one another.

There has been much debate over how God, being the perfect being, can ever “repent” or “be sorry” for what he has done. The Bible contradicts that idea. 1 Samuel 15:29 says, “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” Whereas the human race only plotted evil in their hearts, God was grieved in his heart. He now had to act to remove the evil from the earth for the sake of all humanity. God does not “regret” or “feel sorry for” any particular action He chooses, but he loves justice and will always bring it about in our world. I like how Matthews concludes his remarks on this verse. He writes, “In Christ, we see God so moved by grief and love that he chooses to take upon himself the very suffering of our sins. God is not a dispassionate accountant overseeing the books of human endeavor; rather, he makes a personal decision out of sorrowful loss to judge Noah’s wicked generation.”[3]

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/deism.html

[2] Walton, John H. 2001. Genesis. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] Mathews, K. A. 1996. Genesis 1-11:26. Vol. 1A. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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