relationships (Genesis 11:1-9) Finding Hope and Unity

(Genesis 11:1-9)  Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The people were building an extravagant center with a tower to be worshiped by all, with the goal of getting the entire world's population to buy into their manmade religion.  Anyone can use terms like "hope" and "unite", but anything manmade is hopelessness, and comes with the real intentions to dominate and control people.  And because of sinful pride, people will fall into all sorts of manmade religions and cling to it because they believe that they can build, work or earn their way into heaven.

Interestingly, the things we fear - are the very things that we create.  The people did not want to be scattered, but in their efforts, not only were they scattered, they were given different languages!   Difficulty in communicating with each other makes it very difficult to get along with each other.  Even when we speak the same language, if we each have different goals, directions, ideas and ethics. we will struggle to get along.

It is so awesome that God, who is extremely patient and understanding, knows every single language!  He wants to communicate with each one of us, and He is there for us 24-7!  And only through Him will we find true hope - by accepting His free gift of salvation!  We do not have to work for it.  We cannot work for it!  It is not a religion.  It is all about having a close, personal relationship with a loving, heavenly Father.  And in Him we have an everlasting union.  And for all His children, as we all get closer to God, we will all get closer to each other in true unity.

relationships (Genesis 9:18-10:32) Be Respectful!

(Genesis 9:18-28)   Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

     “Cursed be Canaan;
     A servant of servants 
     He shall be to his brothers.”
26 He also said,
     “Blessed be the Lord,
     The God of Shem;
     And let Canaan be his servant.
27 “May God enlarge Japheth,
     And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
     And let Canaan be his servant.”

28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

(Genesis 10:1-32) Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

6 The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth 16 and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite 17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite 18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. 19 The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.

21 Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. 24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. 25 Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah 27 and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah 28 and Obal and Abimael and Sheba 29 and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Well, first thing to remember in order to preserve healthy relationships is - do not get drunk!  Drinking is not wrong, but getting drunk is.  Not only is one more apt to make mistakes due to inhibitions and lack of control; but being drunk makes one more vulnerable.  

Second thing to remember is, because of the fall of man, nakedness should be reserved for spouses only!  Showing off too much skin can send the wrong message, making one vulnerable to some level of disrespect or attack.  This doesn't justify bad behaviors by others, but it definitely can encourage someone else to lust, get other ideas, and maybe even act on them.

So there was Noah, passed out and vulnerable, and Ham took advantage of that in some way.  We don't know exactly what he did, but it was disrespectful, and then he told his brothers about it.  Doing the right thing, the brothers showed their father respect and covered him up.

A lesson to be learned here is that how we treat people can come back on us.  And how we treat people will definitely influence our children's actions!  So, after the incident, Noah cursed - not Ham - but Ham's son, Canaan.  This is an important fact to keep in mind, because many people have taken these verses out of context to say that the black race is cursed, in order to justify racism.  This is not so!!!  Canaan was cursed, and we will see that Israel battled against the nation of Canaan until this group of people became extinct.  There are no more cursed nations.  So let us influence and help stop racist attitudes!  And - as we can see from the genealogies - we are all related!  

Just as Cain was "cursed", Canaan and his descendants would have just continued the bad behaviors of Ham, and there are consequences that the Lord will hand down.  Although God has no prejudices.  There were people from this nation who became "believers" in the Lord and walked with Him.  So not only are we all related by blood, but whoever is a child of God, no matter from which nation we come, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ - therefore - related by the blood of Jesus Christ!  Blessed by the Lord!!!  So, let us bless and love one another, in Christ's love and grace!

relationships (Genesis 9:1-17) Be Nourished and Fruitful

(Genesis 9:1-17)  And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. 4 Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6   “Whoever sheds man’s blood,
     By man his blood shall be shed,
     For in the image of God He made man. 

7   “As for you, be fruitful and multiply;
     Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and 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. 16 When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

From verses 2 and 6 we can realize the differences between animals and humans.  After the flood, God made all creatures fearful of humans.  Our relationship with creatures is that we have been put in charge of them.  But with mankind, we have been created in God's image - with a soul - intended to have a personal relationship with the Lord.  This is God's intention and desire, but He has also given us a free will, so it is up to us to approach and accept God and His will.

We have to know that the Lord wants the best for us.  He gave us life.  He extends eternal life to those who believe in Him.  He gives us purpose.  He provides direction in our life.  And He provides us food and spiritual nourishment.

After the flood, God blessed Noah and his family and told them to be fruitful and multiply.  We are to be fruitful (productive)!  And we are to develop relationships with each other!  As well, God generously gave all plants and creatures to us for food!  We are to be nourished!

Our need to have relationships and be fruitful and nourished is not just physical, but spiritual.  And so, God provides a way for us to approach Him and be close to Him.  He also makes sure that we can be confident in Him, like giving us the rainbow as a reminder.  To trust and know Him better, He has given us His word, the Bible, so that we can be in constant contact with Him, to know His promises, and His love and His desire for our lives.  Then, through His strength and wisdom, we can be nourished in order to grow in our faith and be more fruitful.

relationships (Genesis 7:1-8:22) Trusting and Having Patience

(Genesis 7:1-24) Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. 2 You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; 3 also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” 5 Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.

6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. 7 Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, 9 there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. 12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

13 On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. 15 So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.

17 Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 21 All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; 22 of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 Thus 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. 24 The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

(Genesis 8:1-22) But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. 2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; 3 and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased. 4 In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

6 Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; 7 and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; 9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. 10 So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. 12 Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.

13 Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.

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. 21 The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22 “While the earth remains,
     Seedtime and harvest,
     And cold and heat,
     And summer and winter,
     And day and night
     Shall not cease.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God destroyed the earth but spared two of every kind of animal and Noah's family - all for one person of faith... Noah.  And although it might have seemed like it, being on the ark for just over a year in total, God never forgot about Noah.  We have to know that when we are walking with God, God is always at work, doing things that we are usually not aware of in order to prepare a better pathway in the direction we are to go.  Trusting in the Lord often requires patience, as well as obedience.

Here I will share a bit of my personal testimony.  As I asked God to help me find the right man of faith to marry - if - it was His will that I get married, it felt like this prayer was being ignored.  But when I finally met my future husband, we both could see that if we had met each other any earlier, it would have been disastrous.  We both needed that time to work through a few things and mature in certain ways in order for us to be ready!

Back to Noah.  As soon as they were off the ark, he showed his thankfulness to God through his offering.  And as God took in this demonstration of praise and worship, He promised not to destroy the earth ever again in that way, on account of man's wickedness.  Again, because of just one person's faith, God promised something huge.

This is how great His love is for us.  He died on the cross to pay for everyone's sin, even if just one person would go to Him for the gift of salvation.  Even if everyone else rejected Him, He humbled Himself to give His all.  How can we NOT be thankful and love Him back and desire a close relationship with our Lord and Savior?  Obviously, being omniscient, God knows just how many people will become believers, but He is also aware of just how many people will reject Him!  

Always, with loving others, we do have to make ourselves vulnerable.  Now, as a believer, we should only be dating and marrying another person of faith.  Even with this, there is vulnerability, but far less so than with an unbeliever - as verse 21 says - everyone is born with evil intentions.  Can an unbeliever be nicer than a Christian?  Sadly, yes.  But they will not have in common, nor will they understand the most important relationship in your own life, which is with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

relationships (Genesis 6:8-22) Be Like Our Heavenly Father

(Genesis 6:8-22)  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In these verses, we can see the value and benefits of having God in our lives.  Considering how loving and caring He is, these are the things we can apply to our relationships with each other...

As a loving heavenly Father, God told Noah His plan to destroy everything but put Noah's mind at ease by explaining and promising that He would spare and protect him.  In the Lord's gracious consideration, Noah's family would be included so that Noah would not be alone.  In the same way, we should show our love and consideration to those close to us so that they can feel secure in their relationship with us.

As a loving heavenly Father, God taught Noah how to build the ark.  So here is the start of the ship building industry!  Right from the beginning, the Lord was very interactive with His children, teaching them how to survive, like how to make durable clothing (not from leaves but from leather).  In the same way, we should be teaching our children God's wisdom and life skills in order to survive as equipped adults in a world that is not perfect.

As a loving heavenly Father, God told Noah that they were going to be taking aboard very specific creatures, but He didn't expect Noah to do such an impossible task.  God would bring the animals to him.  God thought of every detail, and gave them other tasks to do, like gathering food.  God even had tasks for them to do while in the ark (for what would be quite a long time).  They were to keep the animals alive.  

In the same way, we need to be teaching our children chores and skills that they can manage given their age and ability.  It's not just about physical survival, it encourages a healthy mental development, as well as an emotional stability.  Let's consider what we all just went through at a global level.  

In quarantine, many people struggled with depression and anxiety as they sat at home doing nothing.  And now as the world is trying to get back to normal, people are struggling emotionally and mentally with the thought of having to go back to work.  We were created to work, and with the help and strength of the Lord, we should and can embrace that.  And we will be blessed in this.  It can feel like it is the wrong thing to do, but even after an operation or going through trauma or depression... the best thing to do is ease back into life.

We can learn a lot from this chapter, as a spouse, a parent, a friend...  In God strength, we can be communicative, reasonable, considerate, gracious, helpful, supportive, protective, involved, loving, obedient to the Lord... and most importantly, we should encourage each other to seek a closer relationship with the Lord - our heavenly Father!  He is the key and answer to everything!

relationships (Genesis 6:1-8) Doing Our Job, Not God's Job

(Genesis 6:1-8)  Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5 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. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

People become selfish and violent when they want control of things.  By seeking control, a person essentially is being their own god.  And as we can see in this chapter, this is a terrible idea.  Selfishness and violence only encouraged the relationships between people to become so wicked, that the Lord was sorry He had created mankind.  

God created us in order to have a close relationship with us as our heavenly Father.  So it grieved Him that these people didn't want Him in their lives, even though this includes having eternal life with Him.  Remember, where there is sin there is death.  And being omniscient, God knew that they would never turn to Him to be saved.  

From this we should realize that we cannot force anyone to turn to the Lord or become a believer.  Not even God does this, because that would not be love.  Even though there might be grief and sorrow, love allows everyone to have free will, the personal freedom to choose the direction for one's life as well as which relationships will be there or not be there.  

From this we should realize that we cannot convict anyone's hearts.  This is the Holy Spirit's job.  While He will "tap people on the shoulder" or cause someone to feel discomfort in order to get someone's attention, it is up to that individual to respond to the Lord.  

From this we should realize that only God is omniscient and can see into the hearts of people as well as the future.  And only God is holy and righteous!  Therefore, only He can judge who is a believer and who isn't.  Only He can determine what happens to any of us.  It is not our job to spiritually or emotionally punish anyone.  Physical punishment should be left to the country's authorities, and on the grand scale, physical punishment should be left to the Lord.  Vengeance is His!  As far as raising children goes, parents are to discipline them in love, which also incorporates teaching, guidance and leading by example. 

So what is our job then as believers?  What can we do for loved ones who are not living in God's will?  What should we do to encourage anyone to know God personally and put their faith and trust in Him?  From these verses, we can actually see that we are to be a living, humble example, being selfless and kind, while we strive with God to find favor with Him, always putting Him first in our lives.