Tuesday, June 23rd
Behind every disaster arrival, it has its profound significance. The flood extinction in this chapter is so, and so is COVID-19 today.
Every suffering is a warning, reminding us to be vigilant at all times.
In this episode, we discuss the problem of suffering together. ...
The sixth chapter of Genesis records the complete depravity of mankind, "the wages of sin are death"; In the seventh chapter, the righteous God who hates evil must severely punish evil.
God hates sin, but loves sinners!
Before the flood really started, God evacuated Noah, his family and animals from the ground. Thus, for God, "preservation" is more important than "judgment". In fact, "demolition" is for better "reconstruction". When we look at the whole from the perspective of the New Testament, you will be surprised to find that this preserved seed will be closely related to Christ. No matter what historical circumstances, God left a legacy for Christ (Isaiah 6: 13). In this sense, the Old Testament is a remnant history.
When the water of God's judgment flooded the whole earth, the result was destruction. In God's wrath, we should look to God's salvation like Noah and the people in the ark. Peter compared Noah's salvation to "baptism" (1 Peter. 3.2 1). This is similar to the incident described by Paul that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea when they left Egypt, and were baptized in the sea (Lin Qian1. 10: 1-2).
Judgment and destruction are not God's ultimate wishes. His wish is that everyone should repent, stay away from evil and turn to God.
Here, we can see the caring function of divine power:
A. God's gracious gospel invitation
The word "entry" first appeared in the Bible, and God personally invited Noah's family to enter the ark to enjoy safety.
Today, are you and I both invited by God?
Life should be like Noah. In today's evil, crooked and absurd generation, we should be perfect children of God, showing the way of life like bright light (Phil. 2: 15- 16).
B. God's wise overall arrangement
Life is sacred, and God wants to protect it, so he ordered Noah to bring one or seven pairs of each creature into the ark. According to God's command, Noah gathered all the local animals and brought them into the ark, most of which were clean animals for future sacrifice.
This is the arrangement of God's wisdom!
After Adam's crime, the order of the universe was reversed.
When Noah obeyed God, God began to turn over again and made animals obey human domination again!
C. god's love and complete protection
God kept Noah's family in the ark to keep them safe. From the grace of the Norwegian family, we can know that the just God is also a loving God, but God's love is not indiscriminate. He saved Noah because he was the only "godly" person at that time, and the rest of the unjust people could not be saved and cared for. On the other hand, God saved Noah's family in order to complete his redemption plan and will. If Noah's family dies, his redemption plan will not come true, because God will not change, and what he planned will surely come true. He must never betray himself!
It is true that "being locked in the ark" will lose the freedom that some people want, but they will be completely protected by God and have the freedom of life.
Today, are you willing to sink into the freedom of the world or enjoy the freedom of God?
You can only choose one!
Pray for God to remind people to turn to God through natural disasters, which is very important and urgent!