Originally posted: 01/07/2019
So many facets of our amazing God in Genesis 7…
Consider Him!
Consider His Mercy in sparing Noah, his family and all the twos, beckoning them to “Enter the ark…” (7:1).
Consider His Sovereignty. He created all; He alone is in the place to determine destiny. “…and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made,” (7:4).
Consider His Holiness that neither can, nor will tolerate sin. “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth,” (Genesis 6:11-12).
Consider His Righteousness in judgment. “Yes, O LORD God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments,” (Revelation 16:7).
Consider His Patience in giving the people 100 years of warning. Noah was called to begin building the ark when he was “five hundred years old,” (Genesis 5:32). “Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth,” (7:6).
Consider His Provision. It was God’s design that provided an ark to withstand the storm (Genesis 6:14-18). He held back the flood until Noah, his family and the twos were safely inside. “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him,” (7:16).
Consider His Protection. God closed the door behind them, for it is Him “who shuts and no one opens,” (Revelation 3:7) and “Then the flood came…” (7:17).
As we consider Him, how can we respond?
Consider our security in Him. While the deluge of destruction was going on all around them, those who accepted His invitation into the ark were kept safe and secure. The application for us is twofold:
- First and foremost, Jesus alone is our security in time of judgment. There is coming a day we will stand before Holy God in judgment. If we have placed our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we have entered into His place of provision for the payment of our sin. Are we safely inside His ark, eternally secure? If there is doubt, receive His salvation and security by acknowledging your need for what only He can do. On the cross, Jesus took on our sin, and because of His perfect sinless life, offered Himself as the payment for our sins.
- The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
- Secondly, eternal security does not eliminate the storms of life. Our salvation in Christ guarantees our destiny with Him in heaven; but we live in a fallen world that reels under the consequences of sin, and we often get caught in its fallout. God extends an invitation to enter into His provision of peace in the midst of the storm, an invitation of grace received by faith. Trust His goodness and grace that even in the storms of life, He is our refuge.
- O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge, (Psalm 7:1).