Day 3-- The Rains Came Down. The Floods Came Up.

Day 3—Genesis 7-9

Main People:

Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, Their wives

Key Points:

*Noah did everything God commanded him to do, even though it seemed really silly to the people around him (I can’t read this without thinking of Evan Almighty. LOVE that movie!)

This reminded me of the ‘Doomsday preppers’. You know, those people who stock up, hoard, get ready for the end of the world. I admit to scoffing at a few of them at times, but what if they have a point? Not that they know when the end of the world is, but what if someone told you to prepare for the end of the world by building a huge shelter, or stockpiling food, or building a large arc? Would you do it or drown by your own embarrassment by what others thought?

If God tells us to do something, we’d better do it: no matter how silly others think it is. 

Verses that Jumped Out at Me:

7:1—Scholars estimate that about 45,000 animals were on the boat! I can’t even imagine.

8:4—It rained for 5 solid months.

8:6-16—Noah and his family were on that boat for over a year. Can you imagine the type of patience that took on everyone’s part?

8:21,22—The changing seasons remind us of God’s promise to never destroy the world by water again.

9:5,6—Murder is wrong because we are made in God’s image. We need to recognize God’s image in other people—even the ones we don’t particularly like. God made them for a reason, not just to irritate the snot out of us ;)

9:8-17—Can you imagine stepping out of that boat and being hit with the reality that you and you family truly were the only people left in the entire world? I live in a small town and sometimes if I have to be out late at night, there is no one else driving on the street. It’s eerie to be the only one out there, even though I know others are safely tucked away in their houses. Noah had no such comforting thoughts. All of his friends, acquantances, people he’d known since childhood, they were all dead. I would imagine an strange quietness to the land. And everything had to be built back from scratch. Wow, a daunting task for sure!

9:20-27—Noah was a great man of faith, but he still made mistakes. No matter how perfect we try to be, we can’t be that way all the time (sadly).  Noah got drunk and passed out naked. His son Ham (the father of Canaan) saw him that way and went running back laughing to his brothers (who weren’t amused). Noah woke up aggatated and cursed Ham. It seems extreme, but it goes to show how even the best people have sin in their hearts (remember it only takes a look to be tempted and one drop of ‘evil’ can turn pure water green).

Questions:

In Noah’s day before the flood, how many people in the entire world were righteous? (my bible said in the footnotes ‘still believed in God’)

Who closed the door to the boat?

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 10-12

*To find the reading plan I’m doing, click on the “Our Reading Plan for 2013” tab. You don’t have to use the same plan I am for this year. You don’t even have to leave a comment or check in, though I’d appreciate it—especially if you want to answer the questions or discuss what we are reading.

~Kelly