Tag Archives: separation

One Man’s Choice – Genesis 6

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But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Again, don’t you wish you could see this all as a movie, experiencing what the relationship was like between Noah and God? There must have been a very strong contrast between Noah and the world he lived in. How did he navigate it?

We do know that God felt Noah could be his confidant, his partner in finding a solution against the sin of man. God shared with Noah his emotions and the details of the destruction. He also shared with him a plan of salvation. 

God always has a plan of salvation. Even though there have been consequences for choices, there has always been a plan for salvation. Adam and Eve, although expelled from the garden, were provided for. Cain, with blood on his hands, was allowed to live. Enoch was snatched into heaven. God is just, and he only gives consequences in line with choices. He is also merciful and has a plan of salvation.

Noah had made good choices, before the moment of crisis came. Daily he had refused to walk and talk with those who were moving away from God. And thus he found favor with God.

No only did God want to save Noah, but he wanted to save those Noah was in relationship with. Our relationship with God does affect those around us. And, God knows it’s not good to leave us alone, without “helpers.”

Noah continued to make good choices, building a boat with no water around. His faith was based not on what he could see for himself, but what he could see through eyes of faith and relationship with God. He might not have understood it all, but it didn’t make a difference. His God was telling him to do something…and “he did ALL that God commanded him. “

Noah chose to follow God.

From Bad to Worse – Genesis 6

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The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth,
and it grieved him to his heart.

Even though there were glimmers of light in the lineage of mankind, chapter 6 certainly lets us know the direction mankind was headed. It’s as if they could not put any controls on the choices they made. Instead, they built lies upon lies until they no longer knew the truth.

Years ago, I did a study on the emotions of God. I needed to answer for myself if God was just a “force” for good (like in Star Wars) or did he exist as a person, a personality, that was like mankind (or us like him) with emotions.

This chapter nearly broke my heart, as I am sure the condition of mankind was breaking God’s heart: his precious creation who he had created in his own likeness and given dominion over everything else he so lovingly created became so wicked in their choices that they no longer ever thought about having a relationship with him. It hurt so bad that he regretted he created man, and it grieved him to his heart. 

My heart breaks in compassion for God. I know how it hurts when one of my children rebels against me, but none of them have come to this hateful, wicked position. Everything mankind does is outside the will of God, the relationship he desired to have with them. Each generation had an opportunity to draw closer, but instead they challenged their identity with him.

Sometimes I look at the world today and wonder how much more sin God can allow without regretting blessings he has given? 

People worshipping the idols of money, power, even violence with no thought of their fellow human beings, much less a God who created them. People challenging how God created them, male or female, and asking others to join them, as if as a pure mob we could out-vote God Creator. People who think that if we say something often enough, it becomes truth.

Remember, “In the beginning, God…”

No matter what comes after, it does not negate the truth. God was before the beginning, and will be after the end. Whatever choices we make will never change it.

But we have to choose a relationship with him.

Victory over Death – Genesis 5

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This is the book of the generations of Adam.
When God created man,
he made him in the likeness of God.
Male and female he created them,
and he blessed them
and named them Man when they were created.

It’s almost as if God wants to remind us again that before separating choices were made, God really had provided the best. He created mankind in his likeness, with the ability to have relationship with God. He created them male and female, with the ability to relate to and complete each other. And he even blessed them and named then himself. They had all they needed.

And Adam and Eve did what God called them to do, to multiply and have dominion over the earth. 

This chapter details the lineage from Adam through Seth. Remember that Abel is dead, and because of his choices, Cain is separated from his family and included in a different linage. This lineage seems cut and dry until you come to Enoch.

Of Encoh it is written, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” 

Everyone else died. Everyone except Enoch, who made the choice to “walk with God.”

Don’t you wish you could have seen their relationship, heard their conversations, seen Enoch turn away from bad choices?

And this is the first time we get a glimpse that “walking with God” means victory over death!

The curse for sin on mankind is death. But God, in his grace, is larger than his curse. He sees into the soul of a man. And God has power over death.

Does it remind you of Jesus? Resurrection from the dead. Could this be the first hint of the redemption to come?

But as we head into Chapter 6, we see a very contrasting story… 

Where Are You? Genesis 3

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Then the whole picture of perfection dissolves with one statement:

“Where are you?”

God created mankind like himself, in his own image, so there could be relationship, so there could be trusted dominion.

But God also left a door open to mankind. The birds, plants, animals, all followed God’s ways because of how they were created, without spirituality, without relationship that includes choice. But to mankind, he left open the door to choose to relate to him, to respond in gratitude and love, to be able to work on “dominion” together.

I have no idea of how much time passed between Adam’s creation and this choice. It must have been wonderful, God and man in perfect relationship. We get a little picture of just watching them name animals together. I imagine God bringing creatures before Adam, and Adam responding to each one in awe and admiration for what God had done. The vibrant colors, the intricate designs, the amazing ways of responding to heat and cold – they all must have amazed Adam and Eve.

And think about them in the garden, having dominion over them. Again, I don’t know completely what this means, but I would imagine the scene would have been more merry than Disney’s Goldilocks in the forest, playing with the creatures!

Then enters slithering doubt enters and everything grows dim.

I wonder if things would have been different if Adam had not tried to cover his sin with words or skins? What if he had run to find God, to confess his doubts, failings, and now new power? What if he had fallen on his knees, would have God extended forgiveness, grace and mercy in that moment?

We’ll never know, because it didn’t happen that way. No only did Adam sin, but he did not repent and ask forgiveness, blaming others who blamed others.

God, as he is all knowing, knew this was happen, but I can’t help but think it crushed his heart. He wanted Plan A to work and loved every minute that it did. But he also knew that eventually, he would need Plan B.

The rest of the Bible is Plan B, less than God’s perfection in relationship to man in his own image, and the road back to his perfection in relationship.

And he’s still calling us into relationship, “Where are you?”

How do we answer?