Bible Pathway - January 4
Read Genesis 7
Highlights:
Emphasis on the importance of reading for ourselves exactly what God has provided in the Bible rather than depending on any other book. Promise of the rainbow (see Is. 54:9-10), Noah given command (Gen. 9:1).
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark (Gen. 7:23).
God's creation had become so full of wickedness that He decided to destroy it (Gen. 6:5). However, God found Noah to be righteous among all of His creation. Because of this righteousness, only Noah and his family were chosen by God to be saved from the devastation of the flood to come. Noah was obedient to and had faith in his Creator: Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he (Gen. 6:22).
God instructed Noah to build an ark that would save him and his family when the great flood came upon the earth. Like Noah, we live in a corrupt world. Wickedness, greed, violence, and all sorts of evils are all around us. When God examines our thoughts and actions, what does He find? Are we known for our godly actions and not just for our words? Like Noah, can we be counted as good and faithful servants?
Peter knew and taught that such great men of old, like Noah, were saved due to their righteousness. Also, that with the washing of the blood of the Lamb, the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit, comes and dwells within us. Thus we are made holy and righteous in the eyes of God. We then have a home that is not of this world. A home much better than this earth. We are washed clean by the holy righteous blood of Jesus. We are given the strength to do all things through Christ Jesus. The will of God becomes our goal. The saving of the souls of the lost becomes our passion. As with Paul, when on the road to Damascus, we fall to our knees in submission to the Lord. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Acts 9:6).
God shows that He does not spare the unrighteous. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished (2 Pet. 2:9). God created us to be His children, yet because of His love for us He gives us free will to choose who we serve.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Thought for Today:
One of the results of a person experiencing God's grace and forgiveness is that he has a grateful heart (Luke 7:47).
Christ Revealed:
Through the ark (Gen. 7:1,7; Acts 4:12; I Pet. 3:12,20). Christ is our ark of safety. Jesus . . . delivered us from the wrath to come (I Thess. 1:10).
Word Studies:
7:3 keep seed alive = preserve the species; 7:18 face = surface; 8:1 asswaged = subsided; 8:3 abated = diminished; 9:19 overspread = populated.
Prayer Suggestion: Ask, seek, and knock through prayer, knowing God promises to answer (Matt. 7:7-8).
Optional Reading:
Matthew 3
Memory Verse for the Week:
Matthew 4:4
