Today’s text for Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 comes from Genesis 8. Genesis 8:21 says, “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.'”
The flood waters have receded. The flood lasted a little over one year, death and destruction were everywhere, except those on the ark. Here in our text, God is laying the ground work for the next great covenant that He will make with man. The Noahic covenant is God’s promise never to destroy the earth by flood again. It is important that we understand that God said He would destroy the earth by flood. He never said that there wouldn’t be any floods. There are two important things to see from this text as it relates to us today. The first is that the flood judgment of Genesis 6-9 sets the stage and precedent for the final judgment of fire spoken of in 2 Peter. Just as God judged the world’s sin in the flood, one day He has promised to again judge all unbelievers for their rejection of Jesus. The second thing we see is the continued sinfulness of man. Worth noting here is that God is saying that not only are our actions sinful, but it begins in our heart. Jesus would remind us of the same thing in Matthew 15. It is what it is in our heart that defiles us, because what’s in the well will always come up in the bucket. While the story of the flood is certainly about God’s power and ability to judge His creation and destroy it; it also shows us of God’s grace and desire to save sinful mankind. After all, God did provide a way for people to be saved in the form of an ark. Today, He has provided a way for people to be saved, and that is through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the lessons from this story are important for us to know and apply. We are all sinners as Romans 3:23 says, and because of our sin, God will bring judgment into our lives. However, in His love and grace, God has made a way that we can escape the coming judgment. The way is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The story also serves to reveal the powerfulness of God. Just as He created everything, He also destroyed everything. The story of the flood also calls us to watch how we are living, because just as God judged the pre-flood world, He can and will judge us. The final takeaway from this lesson today is this, God keeps His promises. For many this is something that should strike fear into their hearts. God has promised to put and end to sin through a final, eternal judgment. And if you have never surrendered to God’s grace, you are in grave danger of experiencing that judgment for all of eternity. However, for many, the fact that God keeps His promises is a tremendous blessing and source of encouragement. This is because God has made many promises to those He has saved. Promises such as providing for us exactly what we need, when we need it (Mt. 6:25-32), to never leave us or forsake us (Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5), and a promise to return for His children (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). If God said it, you can count on it! Let’s just make sure we are on the right side of His promises.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin