Noah - what can we learn about God?

In this podcast episode, the host, Barb, discusses the story of Noah and the flood. She highlights how Noah was considered righteous and blameless, and that he walked with God and obeyed His commands. Barb also mentions that God made a promise to save mankind through a seed from the woman, and that God is limited by His promises. She explains that God chose to have Noah build an ark as a way to save him and his family from the flood, and that God always provides the sacrifice. Barb also points out the symbolism of the one window and one door in the ark, representing Jesus as the way to God. Finally, she mentions that Noah and his family were in the ark for almost a year, and when they finally came out, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. Good day, good day, listeners. This is Barb, again, the host of the Biblically Wired podcast. I have to do a shout out to people who are listening to my teaching. I am so, so humbled. I do have to get this stuff off my chest or I cannot sleep. Nobody here at my home wants to hear all my rattling thoughts. So I'm hoping people out there are appreciating what the Spirit does in me when it comes to the Word of God. So today we are going to dig into Noah and the flood in a really cool way. First of all, I want to start by talking about what an example Noah was. Of course, we know that he sinned and got drunk. That is in the Word of God. And it gives us a little peek into his humanity. He loved God. He was considered righteous and blameless. It says that in Genesis 6. So we know he was made right with God through faith, just like us. Because of faith, God made him righteous, which means he was justified, which is a legal term describing somebody saved and born again. So there's a portion in Hebrews chapter 11 we call the triumph of faith or the hall of faith, where people are recognized by Apostle Paul for their faith. And Apostle Paul does not recognize maybe some of the people that are your favorites. But he purposely puts people in this chapter that display a certain quality. The work of their life describes something that is a good quality. So Noah is described here as having faith in action. So chapter 11 of Hebrews verse seven, by faith, Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness, which is according to faith. So he is an heir. You're going to hear sermons about the ark, about God being so upset, he wanted to rid the whole world. And he was sorry, he even created man. And that is in the word here. Chapter six, first, God says, my spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he is also flesh. Nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years. So God starts by first giving this community, this world Noah was in 120 years to repent. That is about the same lifetime that we get. So why was that going to change? If you remember when we were talking in Genesis, there was a vapor over the earth. Noah lived in a time where it had never rained, the plants were watered from water coming up from the ground. And there was kind of a constant mist in the air, but no rain. So these people could live a really long because the effects of the sun were not on them. So it's pretty cool atmosphere, it would be fun to see how they lived. But what happened is this group of people by the time of Noah, 10 generations after Adam, these people became wicked. And it says in verse five of chapter six, every intent of the thoughts of these men's heart was only evil continually. That is a humongous statement, every intent and evil continually. So the Lord was sorry that he made the earth and he was grieved in his heart, because of course, he made these people to be in relationship with him and they were very far from wanting that. So in verse seven, he says, I'm going to blot out man whom I've created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and birds of the sky. Notice when God talks about destroying his creation, he goes in reverse order of who he created. So he would go first the man, then the animals, then creeping things, then birds of the sky. So that's in reverse order of day six of creation. But Noah in verse eight is a huge but, but Noah found a favor in the eyes of the Lord. And Noah was a righteous man blameless in his time. And in verse nine, it says, Noah walked with God. So what do I see in Noah's life besides his mistake of being drunk one time? He walked with God. Chapter 622 says, Noah did according to all that God had commanded him. So he did. And in chapter seven, it also talks about him being obedient to a fault. He's going to do everything that God says. So his obedience is something we could strive for, for sure. But I want to add something that God is limited by and this might make people's hair stand straight up. Clearly, God was fed up and he wanted to ruin the world and get rid of mankind. That's clear in the scriptures. But God also had made a promise in Genesis 315, that a seed was coming from the woman to save mankind and crush Satan. I believe God is limited by his promises. He made a promise that Jesus Christ was going to come and he was limited to keep that promise. Why is that? Because God is 100%, 1000% uncountable. He is faithful. He is faithful to the core. God is so holy, that if he even has a spot of darkness in him, the gospel isn't true. We have to believe soundly and firmly that God is good. Because if God's not good, if God can just change his mind on his promises, if that's true, then he could change his mind on us too. And we know that's not the God we serve. The God we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not go back on his promises. So God was kind of forced to come up with a plan here. Not that I really think he had his back against the wall. But why did he choose to have this arc made? First of all, he could have made the arc. He could have also recreated all the animals. He could have caused every man on earth to be sick, disappear. There were so many ways he could have done this. But he chooses to build this elaborate arc. He chooses in his long suffering and his kindness to give these people 120 years to repent. He chooses to use a righteous and blameless, yet still a sinful man, to do this. God looks beyond Noah's sins and says, you're the man. You have the heart, you have the obedience, and you are righteous. You have kept the faith. So he describes this arc that Noah needs to build, and I think it's important. It's important for us to know that these measurements that God gives for the length and the breadth and the height in chapter six, verse 15, are the measurements that would be used for a cruise ship today, or the ratio in feet. So I think that's pretty cool. Also, the word cubits, if you're wondering, isn't a true, true measurement. It is different on each person. It is the length from your elbow to your fingertip. So I was trying to picture Noah doing that again and again and again, measuring boards. But very cool stuff. So Noah is told also to get two of every animal and to keep them alive. But God causes these animals to come to him in the ark. So God brings them two by two. But notice, he is also, in chapter seven, verse two, he's to take seven of every clean animal, male and his female. And that is fascinating because I didn't learn that in Sunday school. Everything's two by two. Why seven clean animals? Well, God had started teaching, and Adam did this, and all through the generations, this would have been done. And that is to sacrifice things to God. And so Noah, here, God provides the sacrifice. This is a key truth all through scripture. God always provides the sacrifice. Always. So there's no reason for us to feel like we're sacrificing something that is ours, because everything in the world created is God's first. If we're giving some of our finances, our finances are God's. If we're giving some of our clothes to a neighbor, that is God's first. So I find it so fascinating in every story of sacrifice to see what people are doing is bringing in worship to God, something that he gave them in abundance most of the time. So God tells Noah, I'm going to send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. I like to mention Hebrew numbers and what they mean. As a matter of fact, I have a Jewish neighbor who knew I got my Masters of Divinity and told me, I hope you're not into the Old Testament because I can't even read it. And I asked him why, because there's definitely versions in English. And he said, it's impossible to understand. It's all numbers. Okay, well, I'm praying for that man to come to my Bible study. But here's the deal. 40 is the number used in Scripture or done in Scripture to commemorate somebody drawing closer to God. A season of drawing closer. So this 40 days could be something hard, like Noah and his family with the rain coming down and the rain coming up from the ground. How fast that must have flooded the earth. Okay, so now, this is what I think is cool about this arc floating through the water. When God told him to make this arc, he told him to make one window. That just sounds so stifling to me. And they could be or feel near to God. But notice something else. It had one door. One door that allowed people to come in and be saved. Now, doesn't that remind you of Jesus Christ himself, who says, he is the door. There is one way to God, and that is through the person of Jesus Christ. Another super fascinating thing that happens in this story is in chapter seven, verse 16, those that entered male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him. And the Lord closed the door behind them. So Noah and his family didn't have to look out at the population of people. You know, they loved many of them. They did not have to look out and shut that door. It's also showing us that God is the one. He is the judge, the only judge. We are not going to be part of a no and not allowing somebody to come to heaven. Also interesting, too, is everything provided for them in that arc as far as food was provided also. So they ended up in that arc almost a year to the day. If that's not crazy, what is? Oh, my land. And Noah and his family come out of the arc when it subsided on the mountain of Ararat, which is in current day Turkey. And they let some birds out and birds came back or didn't, but they realized finally they could come out. And what is the first thing that Noah did? In chapter eight, verse 20, then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The very first thing Noah does is build an altar for the Lord, commemorating that amazing moment that his family received deliverance from an evil world in an arc that represents Jesus himself. So this, to me, is the key. Why did God do this? Make an arc, deliver animals into it, and flood the earth? Well, one, he flooded it. He removed that vapor to give people a longer life. But two, the majesty of this is incredible. Just imagine being one of the local people and seeing these animals created by God parading through the streets on the way to this arc. God cannot be more dramatic than he is in this setting. It's really incredible. He was going to do something that has never been done before. Make it rain. Right? God was showing humanity, his glory, this picture points to his glory, his deliverance, how important the righteous are to him. And ultimately, the arc points to Jesus Christ. It is perfect preparation, just like Jesus. The arc saved Noah, who is righteous, like Jesus saves us, who are made righteous because of his death. And the cross also is wood and has obviously a symbol of rescue and deliverance in the name and the blood of Jesus. I mean, it's really, really incredible. So if we take this arc one step further, it is symbolic also of the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was a place where the animals were safe and loved. And also, the Garden of Eden was in this three-part land mass. This arc had three floors. So we will see as we go through the Bible, the Garden of Eden is all over Solomon's Temple. We see Eden also in the millennial reign. The Garden of Eden has been God's goal. He made this garden as a microcosm kind of thing to see his desires for us. Eventually, we will be in heaven, which is similar to the Garden of Eden, and we will be walking with God. So will there be animals in heaven? That's a big fat yes from me. So look at how detailed some of this is. In chapter 6, verse 17, God says, I'm bringing the flood of water upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven. Okay, so we know fish wouldn't have died because fish do not have the breath of life. Mammals do, creeping things do, birds do, and we do. So the details in the Bible make it impossible for someone to think this was just a story. Who could even think of all those details? It is incredible. Okay, so now we have Noah and his family out of the ark, and God does a couple things here that change everything again. One, he sets seasons on the earth. Seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. God puts the weather into motion. The seasons were set into motion here, and I find it fascinating because I used to pray all the time about the weather, and clearly, God gives us amazing things sometimes. But also, I see this and I think, the weather was kind of set into motion thousands of years ago. How big of a difference can I make praying about the weather? Well, that's just a side note. I know that we have power in the name of Jesus for lots of stuff. So I'm not canceling that prayer, but it's just kind of interesting. So when they get out and about, what does God tell them to do? Be fruitful and multiply. We're back to Adam in every sense. We are back to Adam, but these people are not Adam. These people understand sin. They were born into sin. They were under the curse of death. But God calls them faithful and righteous. So now, God makes a covenant with Noah, and he establishes it with all the earth, saying that he will never flood the earth to destroy the earth again. In 9.13, I set my bow in the cloud, and it's going to be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. And I find it fascinating, because in verse 15 of chapter 9, God says that when he sees it in the cloud, he says, I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. It's just an interesting way to say that, that God sees the rainbow and then remembers his covenant, because I would think that's pretty ironclad. But it's cool. It's like saying every time there's a rainbow, God is reminded and we are reminded of this covenant. And I think that's pretty fun. Pretty fun. So then, okay, so we get to where is the seed promise going? So Genesis 3.15, God says the seed will be born from a woman. We know Eve has Cain, which I think they thought would be the guy and possibly spoiled him a bit. But that's just a thought that I've had. Anyways, Cain kills Abel. So then through their son Seth, the seed is going to continue. Clearly, the seed, Jesus Christ himself continues through Noah. Now, which one of Noah's sons will the seed go through? So when you follow this promise of God through the Bible, you see generation after generation, story after story, where God is continuing the line from Eve. It's so amazing. I have to say it is like the number one thing that finally taught me that I know, that I know, that I know, that I know, God is faithful. And he keeps his promises. So Noah gets drunk. His son, Ham, mocks him. But his other two sons, Jem and Jepheth, cover him. They walk backwards and they cover Noah, who was naked. I've heard a lot of reasons people think Noah cursed Canaan. So here's the deal. Ham had a son named Canaan. Because of Ham's mocking and his general disobedience to Noah, Noah says, cursed be Canaan a servant of servants, he shall be to his brothers. The Israelites eventually do drive the Canaanites out of the land of Canaan. So Noah's prophecy here, these blessings do pan out. The Bible's pieces do connect. It's not that complicated of a puzzle when you do the research. It's super, super fascinating. And then it says, chapter 9, verse 26, blessed to be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. So now we know right there, that blessing, the seed promise is going through Shem, which makes sense, because we have known the Jewish people are the Semites. And the word Semite comes from their generational father, Shem. Shem was the father, grandfather, whatever you want to call patriarch of the Hebrews, the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, the Persians, and the Syrians. A lot of that Middle East portion today. Ham, the one who was rude to Noah, is the patriarch to the Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Hittites, and the Amorites. If you know where all these people settle, you realize these people become enemies with the Hebrews. Then we have Japheth, his people went a little bit east of there, I'm sorry, west of there. They are the Greeks, the Thracians, and the Scythians. So it is very fascinating, Japheth's roots feed Europe. So many of us probably came from his descendants. Those of us that are Gentiles and European, Ham is more the Middle East and the area south, more Africa. Then Shem is in the Hebraic area, but Syria is just above Israel. You can see the border when you're there. And the Assyrians and the Persians are west. So it's just pretty cool to see this all rooted out in these three men. So then Japheth, he says, May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem and let Canaan be his servant. Let them dwell in the tents of Shem. I mean, that is incredible, guys, because as believers, we are grafted into the Messianic Jew community. We become adopted sons and daughters of Abraham. So I love that. And we know that the Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Hittites, all of the descendants of Ham also are Gentiles that find Jesus Christ and righteousness. So God is not partial, but God is bringing about this seed of Eve that's going to come and crush the enemy. And he has his way of doing it. And right here in this blessing, it is going through Shem. So I thought that was so cool. So the ark. Lastly, the word ark comes from the Egyptian language. And it is a box of sorts that an idol is in. It's a coffin or a chest. That is the word used here in the Old Testament. And why would they use an Egyptian word? Apparently, it was the best fit. And you really see this in all languages. All languages borrow from other languages around them for the best fit. So the ark of the covenant eventually in the tabernacle is the home of God himself. It is where God resides in the tabernacle and in the temples. So this ark is also a symbol of the home of God. This ark is so majestic. And I asked the Lord, why? Why? There was a million ways you can do this. And that's the only thing I can come up with is his consistent way of using things to teach us multiple layers of truth. Multiple layers of truth are in the story of Noah. We are to pursue that obedient, righteous faith. We can be saved, but not having our faith in action. And we don't want to be like that. We want our faith to be a faith of action. So my daughter Brooke texted me the other day. And so I wanted to say a little bit about Ham. Why? Why would Noah curse them? Why was he that mad about this? There are a lot of theories about this. I dug into them and it's just theories. Obviously, what the book of Genesis does most of the time, it limits a lot of our questions around it. But what the book of Genesis does foundationally is off the charts. The book of Genesis, without it, the rest of the Bible would not make sense. The book of Genesis is the key foundation for our faith. It does not answer a lot of questions. So was Ham already this disobedient son? Did Noah see Canaan also taking after his father? Was Noah accosted? Was him being uncovered something that is so, I can't even think of the word, but traumatizing would be a good word in that day and age that it was almost a sexual thing to be mocking Noah. And that is some people's theory is that it was beyond disobedient what Ham did. Either way, we are not sure. And I love the way somebody described Genesis to me, especially Genesis 1. And that is Genesis will lead us into a lot of questions and a lot of theories. But in Genesis, we get what we get. The more you know God, the more you believe he is good and he is faithful, he is sure and he keeps his promises. The more you will take a story in Genesis and say, okay, first, I know that he's good. Second, I know that he's faithful. Third, I know he can't even have a spot of darkness. So from this platform, what theory can I come up with in this circumstance? This is how I like to look at Genesis now. Look at the goodness and what it reveals about God and his faithfulness and humanity's need for sin and enjoy that. Enjoy the truth that it brings out, the certainty it brings out about the need for Jesus Christ. And keep Genesis as is, I guess. We don't get all the information we want. So we have now finished talking about Noah and how he is included into the eventual coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you guys get through the Old Testament with me, you're going to actually love the genealogies in Matthew and Luke. It makes it super fun to see who they highlight. And it actually changes things. Both Matthew and Luke have a different purpose for their generational listing. So it's super cool. I thank you. This was a little longer than usual. But I so thank you guys for listening. And I ask you guys to do me a favor. If you know somebody who needs the word and the foundational truth, give me a shout out. I would love that. I was telling God that, oh my gosh, God, I feel so stuck because you give me all these nuggets and reveal to me all these amazing truths. And I know a podcast can have good content, but maybe no one's going to listen to it. And then the Lord reminded me of all the Bibles sitting on shelves collecting dust. And I was like, touche, Lord. Touche. Okay, so I sure hope you guys have a great day. I hope this was beneficial and added another foundational piece to your walk with God. It's very motivating for me to put my faith in action like Noah. What a good guy. I ask the Lord to please bless your day, bless your week, bless your family. And I know it can be crazy out there. So keep your chin up in Jesus name.