Noah in the New Testament

Noah is mentioned in the New Testament? Yes! Noah has a big foot print! As  I’ve been saying, Noah is an important person in the Scriptures.

Matthew 24:37-39 
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

First, why is he called ‘Noe’ instead of Noah? The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and in Hebrew his name is Noach (No’akh); in Greek this is written Νωε (No-eh) which is transliterated Noe. Fun stuff!

Second, Jesus obviously regards both Noah and the flood as historical. Why do I keep repeating this? Because all around us we are told it is only a myth, yet every time Noah and the flood are mentioned in Scripture, the assumption is he and it were historical.

Third, Jesus says there is something about the days of Noah that correspond to the second coming. As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. What would that be?

before the flood they were eating and drinking… until the day Noe entered the ark – They didn’t believe the preaching, the warning, or even what they saw with their eyes (Noah building the ark), consequently they were living as they always had, as if they had 500 years. 

knew now until the flood came – “Tomorrow will be the same as today. Next weekend we’ll go to the mountains or to the game;” somehow, totally unaware the flood was coming.

and took them all away – Ignorance is not bliss and it is no excuse. They knew not yet the flood came and took them all away.

so shall also the coming of the Son of man be – "Whatever was normal yesterday, will be normal today; whatever is normal today we will do tomorrow." They are unprepared for the coming of the Son of man. They don’t believe what we’ve been telling them so they know not. All this cries out, We must tell them Jesus is coming! Christians, we must ask ourselves, Do we believe he is coming? Are we living ready?

Luke 3:36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,

This is simply the genealogy of Jesus, but it presents Noah as historical as Abraham and David. If Noah is a mythical character, Jesus is thereby disqualified to be Christ. There are always consequences for unbelief.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
This is the same as in Matthew.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

This is powerful. (‘Noah’ is the same Greek word as “Noe’ in the gospels; no idea why the KJV translators did this.) Noah is an example of faith - in him we see how faith works.

Noah being warned of God – First, Noah heard the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

moved with fear – Second, he believed what God said.

prepared an ark – Genuine, saving faith always results in appropriate action. If you believe in Christ, you will be baptized. If you believe in Christ, you will begin to do what He says. If you believe Christ is coming again, you will prepare your heart and life. How do we know Noah believed God? He did what God said, Build an ark.

heir of the righteousness which is by faith – This is big. Noah was right with God because he believed God, not because of what he did. And he did a lot! He was indeed a righteous man, but it all sprang from his faith in God, every act and work.

1 Peter 3:18-22
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;  
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.  
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:  
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

eight souls were saved by water – He means by means of water. The water was not the agent of salvation - the water was the judgment of God. The ark was the agent of salvation - all the people outside the ark were taken away. The people in the ark went through the water to a new world. The water was judgment to one and a new world to another.

the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us - by like figure he means,"a thing resembling another, its counterpart; something in the Messianic times which answers to the type"*. What the flood was to Noah, baptism is to us. He was saved by water, we are saved by water. I know this is controversial, but it is clearly what Peter is saying. However, just as in Noah’s day the water was the agent of judgment, so is baptism today. Noah needed to be in the ark in order to be safely carried to the new world by the water. What is our ark? Christ. Who suffered for sins that he might bring us to God; Who is the power of salvation by the resurrection from the dead. We must believe in Christ in order for the waters of baptism to safely carry us to the new world.

As Watchman Nee explains, “Entering into the ark, Noah and those with him stepped by faith out of that old corrupt world into a new one. It was not so much that they were personally not drowned, but that they were out of that corrupt system. That is salvation.
Then Peter goes on: "Which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism" (verse 21). In other words, by that aspect of the Cross which is figured in baptism you are delivered from this present evil world, and, by your baptism in water, you confirm this. It is baptism "into his death", ending one creation ; but it is also baptism "into Christ Jesus", having in view a new one (Rom. 6:3). You go down into the water and your world, in figure, goes down with you. You come up in Christ, but your world is drowned.”+

2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

In the context of chapter 2 Peter is saying Noah is a perfect example of this truth: (2:9) 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 Peter 3:3-7 Does not mention Noah by name, but does speak of the flood as an example of people who are “willingly ignorant” of the coming judgment of God.

Noah. And the flood. This flood was a pivotal event in the history of the world and Noah was a key figure in Genesis. Noah was righteous, whole-hearted, and walked with God. He was a man of faith and patience. Isaiah and Ezekiel emphasize his righteousness; Jesus tells us he and the flood are an example and warning concerning His second coming; Hebrews highlights his faith; Peter says the water of baptism is the counterpart of the waters of the flood – get in the Ark and be carried to safety. There is much to be learned from Noah. And the flood.

* Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon
+ The Normal Christian Life

Noah in the rest of the Old Testament

I began this series on Noah by pointing out “Noah is mentioned quite often in the Bible” /  “Noah is rather important” / “he is therefore a key figure in Genesis”. This week I plan to look at what the rest of the Bible says about Noah. Today, Noah in the rest of the Old Testament.

First, an emphasis from the book of Genesis:

5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
9:18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
9: 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
10: 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Seven times Moses mentions the three sons of Noah. “Seven is the number of spiritual perfection.”* This is obviously important, and we are told very clearly what that significance is in 9:19, 10:1, and 10:32 – of them was the whole earth overspread or as the LXX puts it, of these were men scattered over all the earth.

The five more times in the rest of Old Testament:

1 Chronicles 1:4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Noah and his three sons are listed in the genealogies in Chronicles. Genesis mentions them seven times, this is the eighth time they are referred to. "Seven is the number of perfect completion, eight is the super abundant number, the first of a new series;"* a new beginning. Mankind begins anew and afresh with Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Isaiah 54:9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
Isaiah 54 is a wonderful chapter, full of tenderness and rich in God’s promises to Israel.  “Just as I swore to Noah, so I am swearing to you.” Noah and the flood are presented as historical. If they are anything less than literal and historical, this verse has no significance. But Noah really did live, the flood really did happen, God really did promise the waters should no more go over the earth, therefore we can believe what God says and depend on Him to keep His promises. Amen.

Ezekiel 14:12-23
12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,  

13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:  
14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.  
15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:  
16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.  
17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:  
18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.  
19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:  
20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.  
21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?  
22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.  
23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Noah is referred to four times in this passage, twice by name.

v 13 when the land sins against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it – Israel, the 10 northern tribes, had already gone off into captivity (Assyria). Judah had followed their example and were now in the Babylonian captivity. All because they had trespassed grievously and refused to turn away from their idols (v 6)

So here was their situation: grievous sin, idolatry and immorality that was deeply entrenched, long practiced, pervasive (everybody involved); add to this a refusal to turn away from idolatry and sin. Therefore God judged them and caused them to go into captivity (this was part of the covenant).

Four times God speaks of three men. What three men? Noah, Job, Daniel. Though these three men were among them they would only be able to deliver themselves. What does this tell us about Noah, Job, Daniel?

+ they were historical people
+ they were righteous
+ they were intercessors

I believe the background of this is Abraham interceding for Sodom. In this we see the influence of the righteous and the power of intercession.

Genesis 18:20-33   
20-21 God reveals to Abraham that he plans to send His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.

22-32 Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah. He stands in the gap for them. 

22 Abraham stood yet before the LORD.  

23 And Abraham drew near, and said – This!

Look at his prayer:
23 Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?  25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  
The presence of righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah would have saved them from judgment.

26-32 Abraham wrestles with God: 50; 45; 40; 30; 20; even 10 righteous people would have saved them! Since they were indeed destroyed, was all this prayer a holy waste of time? No. Because of Abraham Lot and his family were rescued.

O brother, O sister, stand before God; draw near; pray; intercede; don’t give up! God delights in this kind of wrestling! And souls are rescued from the fire!

O Christian, live righteously. Our presence is a buffer and a blessing.

Sometimes, as in Ezekiel, the time has come for judgment and your righteousness and prayers will only avail for your own soul. Though Noah, Job, and Daniel were all there, their presence and prayers would only avail for themselves. Those people were utterly sold out to idolatry and immorality. But, and I mean BUT, we don’t know when our land or family has reached that point, only God knows; so until God says “Stop praying”+, Stand before God. Draw near. Pray. Intercede. Don’t give up!

Next Noah in the New Testament

* Number in Scripture, E.W. Bullinger
+ Sadly, He does sometimes say this. Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11

Noah. And the flood. Genesis 9

 

Genesis 9 A new beginning

1  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth – They are the only people on earth, and with the blessing of God they are to change that. This is very similar to what God told Adam and Eve in Genesis 1, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” He doesn’t repeat the second part, but I am persuaded that it still remains.

2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
God introduces a change in the relationship between people and animals: they will now be afraid of us. This obviously applies to the wild or undomesticated animals. It would seem that in the antediluvian world animals and people got along swimmingly.

3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Another change, this time in the diet. Pre-flood man was vegetarian, here God gives the race permission to eat meat as well. Perhaps that is one reason He put the fear of man into them. However, the blood of the animal is off-limits.

5  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6  Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
Both man and beast will be held accountable for spilling the blood of a man. Accountable to who? First of all, to God (v 5). Second, in v 6 He introduces capital punishment for murder, that is, the murderer’s fellow men shall take his life. I’ve always been told this is the institution of human government. I admit the text does not mention government, but I am inclined to believe that is the intent.

for in the image of God made he man – This was true at the very beginning, and is true here in chapter 9, and is still true today. However, the image of God has been deeply marred by sin, but through Jesus Christ the image of God is restored: Ephesians 4:19-24  "But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

8  And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10  And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11  And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
God establishes a covenant with man and beast, Never again shall life on earth be destroyed by a flood. This is an unconditional covenant. We don’t have to do anything, this is God’s promise to us.

12  And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall 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 the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17  And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

The token or sign of the covenant is the rainbow. When we see a rainbow after the rain we are reminded, God will never again send so much rain as to wipe out all life on earth. This is so much the work of God that it all depends on God seeing the rainbow: I will look upon it; I will remember my covenant.

The question is, Had they seen the rainbow before this? Did God take an existing phenomenon and sanctify it, or is this a brand new thing? Good discussion question!

18  And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19  These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
They were very successful at be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth!

20  And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21  And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Oh my! What I find interesting is Noah is not rebuked, chastised, or corrected for this. The only fault mentioned is in v 22. I am not saying this was not a fault or sin on Noah’s part, only that he is not called out for it. Interesting. Another discussion!

22  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23  And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24  And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

Ham saw the nakedness of his father while his brothers refused to look upon him. But v 22 says, “knew what his son had done unto him”, as if something had happened. Something serious enough that Noah pronounced a curse on him!

Noah was drunk, Noah was lying around the house naked. He’s responsible for that. Ham was responsible for his actions, Noah’s being passed out drunk was no excuse.

25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27  God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Noah pronounces a curse on Ham by cursing his son Canaan: He shall be the lowest of servants to his brethren. Then he pronounces a blessing on Shem and Japheth. What is he talking about? Or better, Who is he talking about. Shem is the father of the Hebrews, of Israel. Japheth is the father of the Gentile nations. Canaan is the father of Canaan, the seven nations living in the promised land. Ah, the back story for the Book of Joshua!

28  And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29  And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
And now Noah goes the way of his fathers before him, he died.

Thus we have reached the end of Noah in Genesis (actually, he is mentioned two more times in chapter 10). He was righteous, whole-hearted, and he walked with God. He was a man of faith and patience. The over-enjoying of his vineyard showed he was just a man, subject to the same weaknesses as the rest of us.

Next Week: Noah in the rest of the Old Testament

Noah. and the flood. Genesis 8

1  And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
2  The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3  And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
And God remembered Noah – It’s not that Noah slipped from His mind because He got busy with other things, “Oh man! The earth is covered with water and Noah is floating in the ark!” This is rather a precious thing. It means the time has come for God to rescue Noah.

What did God do when he remembered Noah? He closed the fountain and stopped the rain (2), He caused a wind to pass over the earth (1), and the water receded (3).

150 days. That is a rather specific number. This is how long the water covered the earth.

The KJV will keep you on your toes! asswaged in v 1 and abated in v 3?? Ha!
1 God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided
3 after the end of the one hundred and fifty days the waters were diminished

4  And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

In 7:11 we learned that the rains began 600th year of Noah’s life, on the 17th day of the 2nd month. On the 17th day of the 7th month the ark rested on the (still under water) mountain. That’s five months.

5  And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
Three months later the tops of the mountains were visible.

6  And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
7  And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
8  Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9  But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

Noah waited another 40 days and then opened the window. After nine months he opens the window. What patience!

This looks to me like he sent out two birds, a raven and a dove. This window must not have provided much of a view, so he sent out the birds to test the waters. The raven doesn’t appear to have come back, while the dove did. Still too wet.

10  And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
11  And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

he stayed yet other seven days – I like this. Wonder how many games of solitaire he played? 

again he sent forth the dove – another test. The dove returned once again, but this time with an olive leaf in her mouth! The water had subsided. What does Noah do? Does he open the door and rush out?

12  And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
Nope. He waits yet another seven days and sends the dove out again. This time the dove does not return!

13  And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], the first [day] of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Happy New Year! The waters were dried from the earth. Is that what they call a dry county? Anyway, Noah removes the covering. Now he can see the sky, horizon to horizon. And he can see the ground. Dry! This has to be exciting!

14  And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
And yet Noah remains on board the ark for another two months. The earth is even drier. What is he waiting for?

15  And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16  Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
17  Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
This is what he was waiting for, And God spoke to Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark. The Tanakh has it, Come out of the ark.

Noah walked with God. He didn’t build the ark until God told him to; he didn’t enter the ark until God said, ‘Come into the ark’; and he didn’t leave until God said, “Come out.”

If you had pressed Noah, “The earth is dry, buddy. You can see that. Go on out.” I believe Noah’s response would have been, “God told me to come into the ark and I ain’t leavin’ ‘til he tells me to come out.” I will admit, my problem is I tend to move ahead of God. When I am crossing the street at a light, I don’t wait for the green. If I know it is coming and there is no traffic, I start walking. That may be fine when walking across the street, but it is not fine when walking with God. I need to be more like Noah and wait for God’s green light.

Come into the ark. As if God was saying, Come join Me in the ark.
Come out of the ark. I’m out here now.

18  And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
19  Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, [and] whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
They all left the ark. What a glorious day that was! How exciting! They were in that ark for at least thirteen months! Now, fresh air, blue skies, green grass. This was a good day.

20  And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
What is the first thing Noah does? He worships the LORD.

What is worship? It is acknowledging God: “You alone are God. You have blessed me. Everything I have, everything I need comes from you. I thank You and I trust You.”

21  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

v 22 is nothing short of amazing! There are voices out there saying the world will end in 12 years because of climate change. I’ve talked to school kids who now think it’s basically hopeless – the world will end in 12 years. Yet God says different.

What does He say? “While the earth remains.” Doesn’t that allow for the earth being destroyed by people? Being made uninhabitable because of what we have done? No. Read the rest of the Book. The earth will continue until Jesus returns. The Apostle Peter tells us (2 Peter 3:10-13)

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Even then there will be a new heaven and a new earth!

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

What does chapter 8 tell us about Noah? He was patient and a man of faith. Or as has already been explained, Noah walked with God.

Next: Noah. And the flood. Genesis 9
 

Noah. And the flood. Genesis 7

Chapter 7 answers the often asked question, How many animals did Moses bring into the ark? 

Just kidding! There is a lot of detail in this chapter, which tells me Moses intended us to understand this as a literal, historical event. My main emphasis in this series is Noah so I will focus on him, but I will also consider the flood events.

1  And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee  have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
My Bible, the KJV, says come into the ark. Other translations have go into and enter the ark.* I prefer come into the ark, it says to me God was in the ark and was inviting Noah to join Him.

for thee have I seen righteous – once again, God states it clearly, Noah was righteous.

2  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3  Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
How many animals did Noah bring into the ark? Seven pair of clean animals, one pair of unclean. He must have had some concept of clean and unclean.

4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Noah was in the ark for seven days before rain fell. Do you realize how foolish he must have looked to his neighbors? “I thought you said it was gonna rain, Noah!” Faith.

cause it to rain 40 days and 40 nights  But as we shall see, it did not simply rain.

5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

This is the second time this is said. He really was righteous, whole-hearted, and walked with God.
6  And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7  And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8  Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9  There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10  And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
5  And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

More details: v 6 he was 600 years old when the flood came; v 7 there were only 8 people in the ark; v 9 there went in two and two, this is the same word as in v 1, the Tanakh+ says, two of each came to Noah into the ark (this is repeated in v 15). How did Noah get all these animals into the ark? I believe God drew them and they came to Noah.

And then, just as God said, in seven days the waters of the flood were upon the earth. Noah walked with God: He trusted God and did what He said; and God did what He promised. This is what it’s like to walk with God.

11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

12  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

This chapter abounds with details! We are told specifically when the rains came – 17th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 600th year. This is history.

The rain was upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights But not simply showers – the fountains of the great deep were broken open, and the windows of heaven were opened. It has never, ever rained like this since. I honestly don’t even know what this means exactly, but I believe it was over pretty quickly, the people didn’t even know what hit them. 

16  and the LORD shut him in God told Noah to come into the ark and then God shut and sealed the door. Praise the Lord! “Come into the ark and I will lock the door”!!

17-20 How much water was involved? The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth so that the whole earth was under water (19). Even the mountains were fifteen cubits under water (20). 

21  And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

22  All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

23  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.

This is somber and sobering. v 21 All flesh died. v 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. v 23 All existence on earth was blotted out.+ 

All except Noah. And those with him in the ark. The ark was salvation.

24  And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. The waters covered the earth for 150 days. Again, specific details. Not ‘a long time’ or ‘for some time’ or some other indefinite expression; but 150 days. I say it again, the Bible presents this as a literal, historical event.

This was the judgment of God. Noah was a righteous man, a man who walked with God, who was literally saved by the grace of God. 

“The grace of God?? He had to build his own ark!!”

Yes he did. But it was God who revealed to him the coming judgment, who told him to build the ark. God invited him in, God shut the door, God kept him his safe through the flood. The grace of God. Noah believed God, built the ark, and went into the ark seven days before it even rained. Faith.

That’s salvation by grace through faith.

Next: Noah. And the flood. Genesis 8

* The Hebrew word means “to go in, enter, come, go, come in”. It is a very popular word in the OT, occurring 2,577 times! The KJV translates it “come” 1,435 times. 
But in Genesis chapters 1-10 we find it 19 times: 6x brought/bring; 7x came/come; 3x went/went in; 1x entered; 1x goest; 1x pulled her in. So it’s kinda hard to be dogmatic!

+ Tanakh Jewish translation of the Old Testament. Jewish Publication Society

Noah. And the flood. Genesis 6

Yesterday we were introduced to Noah. Today we jump into the deep end! Chapter 6 begins the account of the flood. We will see: The Condition on the Earth, The Call of Noah, and the Construction of the Ark.

The Condition on the Earth 6:1-8

The strange: 2 The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 4  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

the sons of God took wives of the daughters of men. The most ancient understanding of this is that this refers to a monstrous union between heavenly beings and earthly women. The other view is this refers to men of the righteous line marrying women of the unrighteous line. I agree with the first view, the ancient view. Something to think about: sons of God only occurs five times in the Old Testament, Gen 6:2 & 4; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7. In Job, without controversy, it refers to the hosts of heaven, angels. I believe it does here in Genesis 6 as well. 

The other notable event is there were giants in the earth in those days - some of the offspring of this unholy and unnatural union were giants. The word here is Nephilim. But this is not the only place in the Old Testament that refers to giants. The most common word is Rephaim. They are also called sons of Anak, Anakim, Zamzummim, and Emim. There were a lot of giants in Canaan. 

The situation: v 5 tells us, the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. This was no light or temporary thing; wickedness and evil were literally world-wide and non-stop.

The solution: I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth: both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. It’s not like the race had been long abandoned by God, for he says, My spirit shall not always strive with man. He had been speaking to the world, perhaps through the righteous line (ch 5), and they had stubbornly resisted and refused the warnings and invitations. So God gave a time limit – 120 years. Noah built the ark and preached during this 120 years.

v 6 is sad: So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.* Oh the love of God! He created mankind to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and here the race is wholly given over to wickedness and evil and rebellion.

v 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. He was living a righteous life in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

The Call of Noah
This actually begins a new section in Genesis. The book of the generations of Adam goes from 5:1-6:8. Now we have the generations of Noah (see here)

v 9 Noah was righteous, perfect, and walked with God – this man had a relationship with God! There is an old Frances Ridley Havergal hymn that captures this (you can see it here):

“True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful and loyal” Great song and one that captures Noah’s heart! Noah was righteous, whole-hearted, and walked with God.

11  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Conditions on earth are repeated. Notice how bad it was: ‘filled with violence’ and ‘all flesh had corrupted his way’

13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
God reveals his plan to Noah. This is repeated in v 17, I am about to bring the Flood -- waters upon the earth -- to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on earth shall perish.+

14  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch
This is God’s call upon Noah, build an ark. Why? To save Noah and his family (18) and animals (19). God plans to start anew.

The Construction of the Ark 6:15-21
15 This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.+

The blueprint comes with the severest of warnings (17 destroy all flesh… everything in the earth shall die) as well as a promise (18 but with thee I will establish my covenant).

22  Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. How do we recognize a righteous person? Someone who is whole-hearted, who walks with God? They do all that God commands, the way he commanded it. This was Noah.

People often have a problem with the flood. “A worldwide flood. Are you serious? The Bible is so stupid.”

Ah, but many cultures have stories of a worldwide flood (see here). This once was a commonly held memory of the human race.

Now the real objection: “What kind of God is this? Who would do this?” The problem people have with the flood is the same problem they have with judgment day at the end of the world, and hell. They don’t take God seriously; they don’t take sin seriously; they don’t take His Word seriously. God says they were wicked and doing evil continually; yet they say, “They were mostly nice, innocent people, who maybe made a mistake every now and again. How could God be so mean? Cruel? Vindictive?”

Scriptures tells us: God is in heaven; he does whatever he pleases.^ 

So was this simply a power play by a cruel, vindictive being? No, for Scripture also tells us

God is holy and righteous – He only does what is right. Whatever He does is the right thing to be done. Because He is holy and righteous, sin, rebellion, wickedness are very serious matters.

God knows all things – he knows whether there is a hope of repentance or not. We pretend to have such knowledge when we want to judge God, but we don’t know squat. This is especially true about a generation we never even met. But God saw what they did, knew what was in their hearts, and knew what they would do in the future.

God is good and loving – he does what is the best thing to be done

Of course I understand, this is the crux of the matter: If you reject the Bible and what it says about God, you believe Him to be cruel and vindictive. If you receive the biblical witness you accept these three declarations. If God is the Creator, He can do what He wills; if God is holy, righteous, and good, then whatever He does is the right and best thing. The people in Noah’s day rejected God and the testimony concerning Him. They did not believe His Word delivered through Noah for 120 years, nor did they believe what they saw with their own eyes - Noah building an ark; therefore the flood came and took them all away.

Next: Noah. And the flood. Genesis 7

* NLT New Living Translation I believe this captures the Hebrew the best

+ Tanakh Jewish translation of the Old Testament. The Jewish Publication Society

^ Psalm 115:3 NKJV

Noah. And the flood.

 

I have been contemplating writing about the flood for quite some time. Recently, I actually sat down and began, but with a slight twist. That twist is Noah. I want to look at Noah (and the flood) in Genesis, then at what is said about him in the rest of the Bible. You see, it turns out Noah is mentioned quite often in the Bible. I believe that if Scripture mentions something just one time, it is important; if it mentions that something more than once, yea multiple times, God wants us to really pay attention to it. This is similar to everything Jesus said should be heeded; but when he introduces a statement with Verily, he really wants you to listen; and when he says Verily, verily, he really, REALLY wants you to listen!

If this is a correct way to look at biblical things, Noah is rather important. He is mentioned by name 39 times in Genesis in 6 chapters (chapters 5 through 10). He is also mentioned 12 other times in the rest of the Bible: 4 times in the Old Testament, 8 times in the New. He is therefore a key figure in Genesis, and the flood is a pivotal event in human history. That’s why I am calling this series: Noah. And the Flood.

Let’s begin with Genesis 5.

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

There is a subtle word play here. Adam can be both an individual man and mankind: v 1 is the individual, the first man; v 2 is the whole race, male and female. This chapter is the genealogy of the righteous line of Adam through Seth (chapter 4 was the line of Cain). We will skip down to v 28 because we are focusing on Noah.

28  And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29  And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
30  And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
31  And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32  And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Noah is introduced. He was the 10th generation from Adam. Ten is a significant number in Scripture. It “is one of the perfect numbers, and signifies…completeness. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.” (Number in Scripture, E.W. Bullinger). This is the line of the righteous from Adam to Noah, from the Creation to the Flood.

One thing that will be noticed right away, both throughout the chapter as a whole and verses 28-32 in particular, is the age of the men mentioned. For example, v 31 says Lamech lived to be 777 years old! And when Noah is introduced he is 500 years old! 

I know that there are many who mock the flood and deride those who believe it to be a historical event. I am fully aware that they also stumble over the ages of the patriarchs in ch 5. Do I accept these ages as literal? Yes. Why?? I accept the Bible. How do I explain it? Well, the Bible says so! But then:

1) God made man to live forever, and earth to sustain him. Both the people and the environment were healthy, so they lived long lives. Death and all it’s allies took a few generations to fully permeate the race. Despite their lengthy lives, they all have the same testimony, and he died.

2) We tend to view the past as if everything was just like it is now. In our experience, a 100 year old man is weak, frail, sickly. So 500 years is out of the question, but if it were to happen, what a miserable existence that would be. But with both a healthy body and environment, such need not be the case. At 500 Noah was basically middle aged!!

3) Something significant happened as a result of the flood; ch 11 shows that the length of life began to shorten drastically and rather quickly after the flood. I can’t prove it, but I think it was the result of an environmental impact of the flood.

Noah’s wife is mentioned five times in chapters 6-10, yet we are never told her name. An old Jewish tradition says that Noah’s wife was Naamah, sister of Tubalcain, daughter of the Lamech in Cain’s line (4:22). Why? It was an attempt to explain why Naamah is mentioned. Their reasoning went like this:

“The extraneous information about the family of Cain, and the missing information about that of Noah raise a question. If all the descendants of Cain perished in the flood, why do we need to know their names? In contrast, the wife of Noah is the mother of mankind - a second Eve - mother of all who live - surely, we, her descendants, should learn who she was and why she deserved to be saved from the curse of the flood.

If the wife of Noah had no merit in her own right , why mention her at all, since she had no role in the life of Noah after the flood. Noah is unique among all those mentioned in the genealogical lists from Adam to Abraham. Of Noah it is not said "and he begat sons and daughters" after the births of Shem, Ham and Japheth, therefore the Torah wrote of them "these three are the sons of Noah and from these did all the earth spread out" (Gen. 9:19) .

The identification of Na'amah, a descendant of Cain, as the wife of Noah, solves the structural flaw in Genesis. The family of Cain is described at length in order to reveal the identity of the second mother of mankind. Her name indicates that she deserved to survive.”

There are two obvious problems with this: (1) Scripture doesn’t say this, it is conjecture; (2) Na’amah is only the 8th generation, while Noah is the 10th (although when you are living 500+ years, that may not be much of an issue). We don’t know for sure the name of Noah’s wife, nevertheless I am drawn to the explanation.

Noah is the 10th generation in the line of the righteous. We can conclude from this that he was a righteous man. This genealogy is too detailed and specific to be allegory, fable, or myth; their ages are all different, I believe this indicates Moses intended for us to understand this literally. This matter of detail will also help us in our understanding of the flood as we shall see in the chapters to come. 

This is the introduction for chapters 6-9. This is clearly something God wants us to pay attention to.

Next: Noah. And the flood. Genesis 6

Set your affection on things above

This is Part 5 of my series, How do we seek the kingdom of God? It is fitting that Colossians 3 is the last passage I will consider – we find both the words seek and mind and it is very practical. I have pointed out that the apostles never quote the seek ye first passage, yet I believe Paul is essentially teaching this and explaining how we do it. It’s long so let’s get to it!

3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
This begins back in 2:10 and O how everything inside of me wants to start there! I will restrain myself, but I will say this much, In v 12 he said we were buried and raised with Christ in baptism, then he set about explaining how this applies to life. So, when chapter 3 begins, If ye then be risen with Christ, that’s what he’s referring to.

Seek those things which are above – Finally, the word seek: we began with it and now we return to it. His whole point is Christ is our life, Christ is in heaven; we should therefore seek Christ and heavenly things. Jesus called these things the things of God, Paul called them the things of the Spirit.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth – Amen! Affection is that word phroneo, mind. This is the KVJ; Wycliffe has savor the things above. As I have shown previously this means ‘focus on, pursue, seek’ the things above, not the things on the earth. The contrast, the opposites, are clearly laid out: things above, things on the earth. We are to set our affection on things above because Christ is above, our life is hid with Christ, Christ is our life.

This is an exciting passage because right here the Holy Spirit just lays everything out for us so that we can’t miss it:

3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Mortify therefore – here’s the application and our approach to things on the earth

your members on the earth – seeking things above means putting to death things below

fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry – these are the things of earth and they have got to go. These are the things of the flesh. These are sexual sins, because this is the flesh out of control. You may say, "I don’t know what some of these words mean.” Find out, because they gotta go!

I find it exceeding interesting that he includes covetousness in this list, which brings us back to Jesus and lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth.

3:8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Ah, Paul is not finished with his list. All these things are the things on the earth, the things below, the things of the flesh. Seeking the things that are above means we must mortify all these.

ye have put off the old man with his deeds – he is changing the picture a little, but this is still baptism talk. The old man is what we were in Adam. On the cross Jesus put the old man to death and in baptism we bury that old man…

3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
…then we are raised to walk in newness of life; we were baptized into Christ and have put on Christ. This is the new man. Christ is all and in all. Amen!

3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
As I mentioned he changed the picture, the image, the metaphor, but it is still the same thought of setting our affection on things above. This is how we do it! He has told us to mortify some things, put them off, now he tells us what to put on. These are the things above, the things of the Spirit; this is seeking first the kingdom of God!

We might be tempted to think that is the end of it, but he continues with specific, practical matters related to setting our affection on things above:

3:18  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
3:19  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
3:20  Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
3:21  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
3:22  Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
4:1  Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

I began with, How do we seek the kingdom? Here’s the answer, plainly spelled out: set my affection on Christ; put off the things that belong to the old man; put on the things that belong to the new man; love my wife (for me as a husband); continue in prayer, and watch in prayer. 

Wow! I’m excited! I’m challenged! Let’s do this! And to end on a high note, you can listen to the song again!

Focusing on, pursuing, seeking the things of the Spirit

This is Part 4 of How do we seek the kingdom of God? All based on Jesus’ words, But seek ye first the kingdom of God. I’ve considered the context (surrounding verses) in both Matthew 6 and Luke 12 where the phrase occurs, provided an explanation of the kingdom of God; and in my last post took a look at Matthew 16:23, thou savourest not the things that be of God. 

That was an interesting jump considering neither seek nor kingdom occur in this verse. How does this have anything to do with seek ye first the kingdom of God? Well, I pointed out that Jesus was saying, “Peter, you’re not focused on the things of God; you’re not pursuing or seeking the things of God.” I believe this is how we seek the kingdom – we focus on the things of God, we pursue, we seek the things of God.

It is interesting that the apostles never quote Matthew 6:33. They may never quote it, but they teach us how to do it! Which brings us to Romans 8. I’m going to skim through the first 14 verses, trusting the Lord that it will all be clear when I’m done!

1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Here is the setting: there is a conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh is associated with sin and death, the Spirit with life. The Spirit has freed us from the law of sin and death, and when we walk after the Spirit the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us.

5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
This is what we’re looking for. He does not use the word seek, but it is the same word as in Matthew 16:23, phroneo, which means to focus us, pursue, seek. Those who live after the flesh (according to the flesh, governed by the flesh) focus on, pursue, seek the things of the flesh. Those who live after the Spirit focus on, pursue, seek the things of the Spirit. The things of the Spirit, are they not the things of God? the kingdom of God? I think they are. And I think Paul is teaching us how to seek first the kingdom of God.

The question now from Romans 8 is, What are the things of the flesh? What are the things of the Spirit? Yes indeed. But since Paul himself doesn’t answer that here, neither will I. (I plan to, but not now)

6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Literally, the mind of the flesh…the mind of the Spirit. The mind focused on the flesh, pursuing, seeking the things of the flesh, is death. The mind of the Spirit is life and peace.

7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
The mind of the flesh is hostile to God. It is contrary to God and his ways. In fact, such a mind-set is unable to submit to God.

8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is a spiritual condition. The problem is they don’t have the Spirit of God.

9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
This is being born again. I was in the flesh, not willing to submit to God, seeking only to satisfy the desires of my body and my soul; unable to submit to God, and actually hostile toward Him. That’s being spiritually dead. When I was born again the Holy Spirit gave me a new heart, a new spirit, and came to dwell in me. The mind of the Spirit is seeking Him and His ways, which are life and peace. Or, in the words of Christ, Seek ye first the kingdom of God.

10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Life, life, life!

12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The mind of the flesh - focusing on, pursuing, seeking the things of the flesh – is to live after the flesh, according to the flesh. Live like that and you will die.
The mind of the Spirit – focusing on, pursuing, seeking the things of the Spirit – is to live after the Spirit, according to the Spirit. Live like that and you will live. This means I will mortify the deeds of the body by the power of the Spirit. The deeds of the body are the things of the flesh. They will be more clearly enunciated in my next post.

I am fully persuaded that Paul is describing and explaining seek ye first the kingdom of God. How do we seek kingdom? by focusing on, pursuing, seeking the things of the Spirit. And the Father has given us the Spirit to help us. See? It is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom!

Next: Colossians 3 Set your affection on things above

Savouring the things that be of God

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests andmkj scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.  
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

This is Part 3 of What does it mean to seek the kingdom? based on Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God. I am especially concerned with verse 23, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of man.

Right away and first off, how in the world did I go from seek ye first to thou savourest not? Even though they both start with s, they are not the same English word; nor are they the same Greek word. What gives? Let me explain. 

thou savourest not – What an interesting translation. Even back in 1611 (when the KJV was translated), savour referred to a pleasant taste or smell. My Middle English Dictionary says the verb savourin can also mean ‘to give an appetite to; to have a taste, perception’. Getting closer. Both John Wycliffe (1382) and William Tyndale (1526) translated this verse for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. Clearly it had this shade of meaning. I like it, but I admit it no longer conveys that sense.

This is a translation of the Greek word φρονέω (phroneō) which has to do with the mind and thinking. According to Thayer’s Lexicon the word means:

1. to have understanding, be wise.  2. to feel, to think.  3. to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek or strive for.  

Number 3 is what Jesus is talking about here in Matthew 16. Peter, you’re not focused on the things of God; you’re not pursuing or seeking the things of God.

This is how this is related to Matthew 6:33. We have two options: we either have a mind set on the things of God, whereby we focus on, pursue, seek the things of God, or we have a mind set on the things of man, whereby we pursue, focus on, seek the things of man; and they are opposed to each other. 

I am persuaded that the things of God and the kingdom of God, if not identical, overlap. That’s how I got here; that’s why I believe this helps us understand how we seek the kingdom of God. In this passage the things of God include the cross – Jesus must suffer the cross so we can be saved. The cross is center stage in both the things of God and the kingdom of God.

Jesus went on the say there is a cross for us as well:

16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is kingdom teaching. This is how I seek the kingdom of God: deny myself, take up my cross, and follow him.

Next: Romans 8:5-7

What is the kingdom of God?

Yesterday I began looking at Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I said I was pondering What does it mean to seek the kingdom? What does it look like? How do I actually do this?

In Part 1 I considered the Context of Matthew 6:33. Here in Part 2 I ask (and try to answer!) the question, What is the kingdom of God?

I could write a book about this. Actually, people have. I could go through the New Testament and take a look at every verse in which kingdom of God appears. Both would be too long for this little blog post! Instead, I will attempt to summarize this.

First, the kingdom of God is the subject of Old Testament prophecy. Even though the Old Testament does not use that phrase, it sums up or captures the ideas presented by the prophets. John the Baptist burst on the scene preaching, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.* Then Jesus began his ministry with the same message. What’s interesting is their Jewish audience never asked, “What are you talking about?” They understood.

Briefly stated the message of the prophets is: There is coming a day when God will restore Israel and save the Gentiles. He will do this through the coming Messiah or Christ. This is the gospel – Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and he brought the salvation of God to the world. This is the kingdom of God. It has begun in a spiritual way now and will climax when Christ rules on the earth and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. See Luke 1: 67-79

The kingdom of God will be characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy; first in our hearts and then on the earth. See Romans 14:17

Second, Jesus Preached the kingdom, announcing that the time was fulfilled. He began by saying the kingdom was at hand, then he said it had come (Matthew 12:28) – it is already but not yet. What? Yes, it has begun spiritually in our hearts, it will be visible when he returns.

All his Teaching is about kingdom life – principles, priorities, values of the kingdom; in the sermon on the mount for example, he is setting forth how to live in the kingdom. 

His Ministry of healing and deliverance demonstrated the kingdom, that it is not a matter of words, but it is the power of God to save, heal, and deliver. See 1 Corinthians 4:20

That’s what I am to seek; that’s my priority; that’s my passion; that’s what I am to value most. Righteousness, peace, joy, and power as I live for Jesus now, eagerly anticipating his glorious appearing in the sky when he comes to establish his kingdom on the earth. 

Our Father who art in heaven, 
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. 

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Next: Savoring the things that be of God

* kingdom of heaven is the same as kingdom of God

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

A couple of weeks ago my pastor preached from Matthew 6, including v 33 where Jesus says, But seek ye first the kingdom of God.” He of course commented on this, but since he was covering verses 19-34, he didn’t dwell on it. This is a well known verse, even a popular chorus (listen here), but I left pondering this verse. What does it mean to seek the kingdom? What does it look like? How do I actually do this? 

I began to meditate on this. Every year during vacation I take a biblical subject or a book and study it; this year was Matthew 6:33. Naturally, I was blessed, but I admit I was also a little surprised by what I saw. The next few posts will be what I saw about seek ye first the kingdom of God. I have 5 posts planned. They are:

(1) The context of Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (as well as Luke 12)

(2) What is the kingdom of God?

(3) Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

(4) Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

(5) Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Obviously, I will have to explain how I went from Matthew 6:33 to Colossians 3:1-2,  and from seek to savourest to mind to affections - and I will!

1. The context in Matthew 6 and Luke 12

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The context, as I mentioned earlier, is verses 19-34. The statement, but seek ye first the kingdom of God flows out of what he says in 19-32

First, Treasure, 19-24

19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also and no man can serve two masters.

Second, take no thought 25-32

25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27   Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Two therefores! (there is a third when you add v 34) This is obviously the application of treasure and mammon.

Take no thought for your life – don’t be anxious, don’t worry about what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, what ye shall put on…For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.”

So, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness seems to be set in opposition to living a life devoted or dedicated to earthly pursuits, even necessary ones. And let’s be honest, eating, drinking, and wearing clothes are rather necessary! We also know the nations take even these necessary things to extremes. We could no doubt add the other things the Gentiles seek: pleasure, entertainment, housing, cars, sports, health, politics. Instead of a life devoted to seeking these worldly things and satisfying the lusts of the flesh, Jesus says:

33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are to seek the kingdom, pursue, value, prioritize, the kingdom of God.

He gave some helpful hints:

20 lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

25, 31 take no thought – don’t be anxious or worried about these things

34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

Seek ye first is clear, the question now is, What is the kingdom?

But first Luke 12

13-21 warning
13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, [and] be merry.
20  But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21  So [is] he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. This is a warning that we especially (in the West) need to heed.

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. This actually sets the stage for seek first the kingdom.

22-30 Therefore. Yep, he is applying this matter of treasure

22  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23  The life is more than meat, and the body [is more] than raiment.
24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26  If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [will he clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

Take no thought (22) ends with seek (30), preparing us for

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you

So far this is similar to Matthew 6: Don’t be consumed with worldly or natural cares, seek the kingdom of God, focus of the kingdom, and these things will be supplied.

32 Provides great comfort: what he is asking you to seek and give priority to, God wants to give you!

33 Practical: how to gain treasure in heaven – sell that ye have and give alms. This is radical.

34 Principle: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

I’m telling you, seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you is a great promise (and a wonderful song), but this cuts deep into our materialistic culture/society! And we are still faced with the question, What is the kingdom? 

Next: What is the kingdom of God?