Genesis 8-9 “The Flood” Part 2
Intro: Hard circumstances can tempt us with “Hard Thoughts” about God (Puritans)
-What do we do with them? We let the truth about God ground us: God loves us and He is KIND!
-Today’s passage helps us see the GREAT kindness of God toward His people and Creation, even with our sin
CONTEXT: The world was full of evil, violence, and sin, and God judged it by sending a flood on the Earth
-God showed grace to Noah, his family, and animals on ark, by saving them
-150 days of the flood prevailing over the earth.
TODAY: The flood recedes and Noah and family leave the Ark; God promises never to flood world again!
-We see God’s kindness in a new beginning, blessing the world, and promising never to flood world again.
-This kindness is displayed against the backdrop of a world that still has evil and sin.
1. God who shows KINDNESS to His people and World; 2. A World where sin and evil remain
M.I.: When tempted with hard thoughts about God, remember that He is kind to us in spite our evil & sin.
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The Kindness of God to His People and Creation 8:1-9:17
10 Examples of the Kindness of God toward his people and his Creation.
1 God Remembers: The kindness of God in “remembering Noah” and the animals. (8:1a)
-“remembering” =God acting in accord with his plan to show love, grace and care.
2 God Removes the Flood: The kindness of God in removing the flood waters and restoring the Earth (8:1b-13)
-God rules over the waters and “made a wind blow” and floods recede (1b-5)
-Noah had to wait, but eventually the ground was dry (6-13)
3. God Calls: The Kindness of God in calling Noah to leave the ark and multiply on the Earth (8:14-19)
-Call to leave the ark: “Go out from the ark” (16)
-God is calling them and now is time for a new beginning for the world
-Commentators: flood is a ‘de-creation’ and life after a new creation.
-God’s kindness to us: often giving us chances to start afresh
-Call to “be fruitful and multiply” on the Earth is 1st given in Gen 1:28
-Now is repeated to Noah and family multiple times (8:17, 9:1, 9:7)
-This is an opportunity for Humanity to begin again and is a kind of new creation
4. God Shows Mercy: The kindness of God in Committing to Never Flood the World Again (8:20-21)
-Noah built an altar and God accepted his worship (20-21a)
-God commits to never flooding the Earth again (21b)
-Despite the fears of supposed ‘global warming’, the world will never be flooded again.
-The world will not end in a flood, but at the return of Jesus Christ in glory.
5. God Maintains the World: The kindness of God to Maintain Seasons and Order on the Earth (8:22)
-God maintains an order over the world
-Every sunrise and sunset is an expression of God’s continued love and care for His people and world
6. God Blesses: The kindness of God in BLESSING Noah and his family (9:1a)
-God “blessed Noah and his sons”—we worship a God who kindly blesses his people
-We reject deism.
-God is involved in this world and blesses his people and creation
7. God Gives Dominion: The Kindness of God to Establish Humanity’s Dominance over the animals (9:1b-2)
-The “fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every beast…” (9:1)
-This was a kind of protection for humanity
- God Feeds: The Kindness of God to Feed Humans with plants and meat (9:3-4)
-The freedom we have as Christians to eat MEAT
-Our consciences are not bound to the vegans
9. God Establishes Justice: The Kindness of God to Establish a System to Protect Human Life (8:5-7)
-Dignity and worth of a human life and goodness of capital punishment (death penalty for murder)
-Every human life is important, so we as Christians reject abortion.
-Every human life should be protected, thus justice of capital punishment
- God Makes a Covenant: The Kindness of God in Pledging His Care and Protect in a Covenant (8:8-17)
-Pledge to never flood the world again to destroy the Earth
-The rainbow as a sign of the covenant (13)
-When you see the rainbow, think of God’s kindness and love to you and His Creation.
-God’s faithfulness to the covenant the past 4,200 years!
*SUMMARY: Our God is a GOD of great KINDNESS toward his people and Creation.
II. A Post-Flood World: Sin and Division Remain (8:17; 9:18-29)
1. Continued wickedness of man: 8:17 “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
-Biblical view of humanity: great evil and wickedness in our hearts.
- Continued Sin and Division in the Family of Noah (9:18-29)
-Whole world comes from one family! (18-19)
-Noah’s drunkenness and nakedness (20-21)
-Drinking alcohol is not sinful, but drunkenness and public nakedness is!
-Ham’s sin (22-23)
-Not honoring his father; Viewing the nakedness of his dad intentionally and telling brothers about it.
-Blessing and Cursing (24-27)
-Noah’s prophetic words to the future families of his sons.
-Shem is godly line that leads to Abraham and Jesus.
-DEATH of Noah (28-29)
-Death remains after the flood.
*SUMMARY: Though there is new start after the flood, sin, evil and death remain.
APPLICATION: The KINDNESS OF GOD TOWARD A WORLD WHERE SIN REMAINS…
-Here we have help for us, when tempted with “hard thoughts about God”
-We remember the KINDNESS of God, even toward a world where sin and evil remain.
What will we do when we are tempted to think ‘hard thoughts’ about God?
-REMEMBER THE KINDNESS OF GOD.
1. God SHOWS kindness to a wicked people TODAY: Luke 6:35-36; Matt 5:44-45
-God is pouring out all kinds of blessing and kindness on His people and those who hate or ignore Him.
-Consider the MANY blessing He has poured out on you: earthly and spiritual blessings.
-Temptation to think hard thoughts of God in pain, perplexity, trials, waiting
-Let the truth of God’s kindness anchor your soul and ground you.
2. God’s Kindness in the Gospel
-Titus 3:4-7
3. God’s Great Kindness to us Now, and into Eternity:
-Eph 2:7 “in coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
