Series:
SUPPLANTING The LEGACY Of WICKEDNESS—Genesis 6:9—10:32
A—GOD’s REMOVAL STRATEGY—Genesis 6:9-22
Toward Removing the Legacy of Wickedness
B—GOD’s DESIGNED DESTRUCTION(& Salvation)—Genesis 7:1-24
C—SALVATION REALIZED(Getting to Normal)—Genesis 8:1-19
*D—EXPERIENCING The VICTORY(Man’s Response)-III—Genesis 8:18-22...
OR Rather--MANIFESTATIONS Of ACCEPTANCE-III—Genesis 8:18-22
E—POTENTIAL For RESTORATION—Genesis 9:1-19
F—SAME Ol’ SAME Ol’—Genesis 9:20-29
G—The NATIONS—Genesis 10:1-32
Noah exhibited a tell-tale acceptance of God’s salvation upon exiting the ark.
Salvation is made manifest in our acceptance of all that is associated with it.
What are some personal manifestations of God's salvation?
What manifestations of acceptance flow from salvation?
How do manifestations of acceptance flow from salvation?
3 manifestations of acceptance that flow from salvation.
We have found previously that
Acceptance of salvation is manifested in...
1. FREEDOM(:18-19)
2. WORSHIP(:20)
3—Acceptance of salvation is manifested in...
MERCY(:21-22)
Explanation:(:21-22) Decision/Promise—How do we live Mercifully?
:21—“And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
a.—God’s Delight/Pleasure(:21a)
“And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma.”
This is the only recorded instance of God’s actually enjoyably “smelling” a sacrifice. However Exodus, Leviticus, & Numbers, et al record that any of the burnt offerings(sacrifices) are intended & considered to be a “sweet aroma” to YHWH(Ex. 29:18, 25, 41; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, ,9; 3:5, 16; 4:31; 6:15, 21; 8:21, 28; 17:6; 23:13, 18, etc.)
Eph. 5:2—“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Php. 4:18—“Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.”
Noah’s sacrifice pleased God. It is as if God literally smelled the sacrifice & it pleased Him. It pleased God because it tangibly represented or gave evidence of Noah’s faith & trust in the God who had saved him. Noah had been obedient to his God from the heart. Thus God was both pleased with the sacrific-er as well as with that which was sacrificed. Certainly the ‘stench’ of wickedness had long offended God(6:6-8).
“Through the soothing offering(Hebrew=nihoah), God is brought to rest(Hebrew=nuah) by Noah(Lit.=’rest’, cf.-5:29).—NAC
Having witnessed the obedience of Noah(& his family?) we are now told of another(See 6:6) determination in God’s “heart.”...
b. —God’s Intent(:21b)
“Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”
*God promised Himself 2 things:
1)That He would “never again” bring a “curse” upon “the ground” because of what man would do.
2)God also promises that He will “never...again destroy” all other creatures along with man ‘as’ He had done by means of the Flood.
1)--That He would “never again” bring a “curse” upon “the ground” because of the sinfulness of mankind.(Probably cf.-3:17-19, but possibly 6:5). The curse came upon man because man’s “heart is evil from his youth.”(6:5-8)—Matthew Henry/NAC
The flood did not & cannot change that fact—Man in his free will chooses self. This obviously applies to Noah & his progeny as no one else is living on the earth. The very nature of mankind is such that given the choice between God or flesh, he will generally & willfully choose to satisfy his own flesh. Even though by God’s intention & design man is given ability to willfully counter that same flesh by the power of God thru Christ!
The family of man which will arise from Noah, though he himself is righteous, will be party to the very same freedoms & struggles with sin as had Cain(4:7) & all the pre-diluvian inhabitants of earth(6:5).
Thus the flood did not permanently remove man’s real struggle, which is the continual struggle with the sin within himself(Rom. 7:15-21).
Rom. 7:15-25—“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, & bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
The Flood(Noahic) merely removed the behavioral manifestations of his being surrendered/given over to sin’s grasp. This new world is an opportunity to again “do well” by God by voluntarily bringing God into our lives to such an extent that we are empowered by Him to “rule over sin” in our lives(Gen. 4:7).
Gen. 4:7—““If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.””
But if man is so created with those struggles, then one might reason, ‘Why does God still hold me accountable?! —or— ‘How can God rightly hold me accountable?!’
Rom. 9:13-24—“As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, & I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, & that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, & whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor & another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, & that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”
He holds you & me accountable because we must overcome these struggles by personal faith in Him!
So to reiterate, God promised Himself 2 things:
1)That He would “never again” bring a “curse” upon “the ground” because of what man did & would do.
2)God also promises that He will “never...again destroy” all other creatures along with man ‘as’ He had done by the same means(a world-wide Flood).
2)2Pet. 3:1-13—“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, & of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord & Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, & saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, & the earth standing out of water & in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens & the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment & perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, & a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, & the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth & the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness, looking for & hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, & the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens & a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Though the creation’s innocence suffers under the strain of our sin(until the final destruction), it must wait for those who are faithful to God to be & do what God intends for all mankind to be & do(Rom. 8:18-22). We are to be separated by the Savior.
Rom. 8:18-22—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now.”
So though God promises not to end the world ‘in the same manner’ as He had with the/a worldwide Flood, this does NOT mean that He will forego bringing this current working of the world to an end(Mat. 12:41-42; Lk. 10:10-16).
‘The Judgment’:
Mat. 12:41-42—“The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation & condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; & indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation & condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; & indeed a greater than Solomon is here.”
Lk. 10:10-16—“But whatever city you enter, & they do not receive you, go out into its streets & say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ “But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre & Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth & ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre & Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, & he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
Heb. 9:27-28—“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Nor does it mean that God will cease to judge & separate the world’s self-reliance thru some other means.
God will yet spare them so they may enjoy His blessings of mercy & grace. He will intentionally raise up a people(Israel, believers, Christians) & prophets who will keenly seek to satisfy God’s desire(Moses, Christ Jesus—obviously being the Divine Prophet, Priest, King, Savior, & Lord).
“Smelled”—xwr roo'-akh—Hiphil Imperfect—1) (Hiphil)--To smell, scent, perceive odor, accept—1a) Of horse, 1b) Of delight(metaph). Strong—a primitive root; properly--To blow, i.e. Breathe; only literally--To smell; or by implication--Perceive; figuratively--To anticipate, enjoy.
“Soothing/Sweet/Pleasing”—xxyn nee-kho'-akh—1) Soothing, quieting, tranquilizing. Strong—properly--Restful, i.e. Pleasant; abstractly--Delight.
“Aroma/Savor”—xyr ray'-akh—1) Scent, fragrance, aroma, odor. Strong—Odor(as if blown).?From—xwr roo'-akh(See above).
“Heart/Himself”—bl leb—1) Inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding. Strong—The heart; also used(figuratively) very widely for: The feelings, The will & even The intellect; likewise for The centre of anything.
“Curse”(See :8, 11—“Receded”)—llq kaw-lal'—Piel Infinitive—1) To be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light—1c) (Piel)—1c1) To make despicable, 1c2) To curse. Strong—a primitive root; To be(causatively--make) light, literally--Swift, small, sharp, etc.; or figuratively--Easy, trifling, vile, etc.
“Imagination/Intent/Inclination”(See 6:5—“Intent”)—ruy yay’-tser—Noun Masc.—1) Form, framing, purpose, framework—1a) Form—1a1) Pottery, 1a2) Graven image, 1a3) Man(as formed from the dust), 1b) Purpose, imagination, device (intellectual framework). Strong—A form; figuratively--Conception(i.e. Purpose).
“Evil”—er rah—Adj.—1) Bad, evil. Strong—Bad, or as noun--Evil(natural or moral).
“Youth”—rwen naw-ouwr;--OR--ren na`ur naw-oor’; &-- (fem)hren neh-oo-raw’; OR--(plural)Myrwen neh-oo-reem—1) Youth, early life. Strong–properly, passive participle from ren[(concretely)a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication--a servant; also(by interchange of sex)--a girl(of similar latitude in age)] as denominative; (only in plural collectively or emphatic form)--Youth, the state(juvenility) or the persons(young people).?From—ren nah’-ar—concretely--A boy(as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication--A servant; also(by interchange of sex)--A girl(of similar latitude in age).
“Destroy”—hkn naw-kaw'—Hiphil Inifinitive—1) To strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill—1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust, 1c2) To smite, kill, slay(man or beast), 1c3) To smite, attack, attack & destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage, 1c4) To smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy. Strong—a primitive root; To strike(lightly or severely, literally or figuratively).
:22—““While the earth remains, Seedtime & harvest, Cold & heat, Winter & summer, And day & night Shall not cease.””
c.—CONSTANCY(:22)
God’s promise from the depth of His “heart” concerns the time in which the “earth” itself exists. This implies—& is borne out in various other parts of Scripture—that there will be a future time in which the earth(at least as was then known)—from Noah’s salvation till even now—will not be. There is a promise of a new heaven & earth:
Rev. 21:1-2—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
“This promise is dependent upon the goodness of God & not the righteousness of humanity, for humanity will always languish in sin.”—NAC
But we should not make the limited constancy of earth into deity. We should not suppose it to be forever, & thus consider it a god!
Four identifying marks of the earth’s status as “remaining” & thus under the promise are:
1)Seedtime & Harvest
2)Cold & Heat
3)Winter & Summer
4)Day & Night
1) “Seedtime & Harvest”(Planting/Wet & Harvesting/Dry seasons)—As long as the physics of this physical world are intact, there will remain both “seedtime & harvest.” Seasons represent the boundaries of both “seedtime” as well as “harvest.” The seasons do not shift.
--Thus, the still future ‘new earth’(Rev. 20-21) ‘may not’ have seasons particularly as currently experienced(See below).
2) “Cold & Heat”(Temperature--North & South extremes)—As long as the physics of this physical world are intact, there will remain both “cold & heat” as the earth has North & South poles.
--There will ‘probably’/‘possibly’ be no extremes of “cold & heat” in the new earth will not exist. Man will experience a perfect temperature everywhere in the ‘new earth.’ Temperature at that time will not be a function of current physical interactions...
Rev. 7:13-17—“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, & where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, & washed their robes & made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, & serve Him day & night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them & lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.””
3) “Winter & Summer”(Cold & Hot seasonal cycle)—As long as the physics of this physical world are intact, there will remain both “winter & summer” as the earth tilts away from & toward the sun seasonally.
--There will ‘probably’/‘possibly’ be no seasonal extremes experienced on the ‘new earth’ as they are presently. If they will be then they will not be wrought thru the current physical workings of planetary interaction, etc.
4) “Day & Night”(Daily Light & Dark extremes)—As long as the physics of this physical world are intact, there will remain both “day & night” as the earth turns on its axis on its trip around the sun.
--There will be no separation of light by darkness in the new earth as there will only be light.
Rev. 21:1, 5, 23; 22:5—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”.....“Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true & faithful.””.....“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”.....“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever & ever.”
These things will be constants until the last days of this current earth.
“Cease”—tbv shaw-bath’—Qal Imperfect—1) To cease, desist, rest—1a) (Qal)--1a1)To cease, 1a2) To rest, desist(from labour); 2) (Qal)--To keep or observe the sabbath. Strong—a primitive root; To repose, i.e. Desist from exertion; used in many implied relations(causative, figurative or specific).
Argumentation:
?HOW do WE live MERCIFULLY?
Isa 1:9-17—“Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, & the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity & the sacred meeting. Your New Moons & your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”
Mat. 5:7—“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”
Mat. 12:1-8—“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, & began to pluck heads of grain & to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he & those who were with him: how he entered the house of God & ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, & are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy & not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””
Mat. 6:12, 14-15—“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”.....““For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Lk. 10:25-37—“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up & tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered & said,” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, & with all your mind,’ & ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this & you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered & said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, & fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, & departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came & looked, & passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him & bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil & wine; & he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, & took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, & said to him, ‘Take care of him; & whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go & do likewise.””
Rom. 11:30-32—“For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their[Israel’s] disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all[Israel] to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”
Rom. 12:4-8—“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, & individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Though some may have a special spiritual empowerment to render Mercy to others, All Christians are to learn from that giftedness & extend the same mercies we have received as witnesses to God in Christ.
Eph 2:4-7—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Php. 2:1-2—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
Jude 20-23—“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion[lovingly guide], making a distinction; but others save with fear[strongly confront], pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
Illustration:
While living in the Crescent Community of North Carolina, our house had an in-ground pool/From the pool, I would frequently(most every day) rescue crickets, toads, frogs, voles, centipedes, earthworms, snakes, etc. from the basket of the ‘trap’—They are there thru no real fault of their own/None of those things appreciates the effort I made toward rescuing them because they are incapable of it—That is one aspect of what makes us different from animals in general/You & I are capable of returning loving thanks to the One who has rescued us—& thus capable of extending the same mercy we have received to others thru our accepting lifestyle/Acceptance of salvation is manifested in MERCY
One of our sons has a dog named Nola/Nola & Abbie(his other not so agile dog) have a large fenced-in area in which to live/Now suppose Nola catches sight of a squirrel outside her fenced-in area/And suppose she jumps over or thru the fence to chase the squirrel—she’s done so before/Suppose she catches her leg between the slats of the wooden fence & could not extricate herself & was in the process of injuring herself further by struggling/She deserved her situation because she wasn’t supposed to jump over the fence/But because of Matthew’s ‘love’ for her he would free her/God made dogs with a small degree of commonality with humans, so Matthew would free her, expecting her(within reason regarding dogs) not to run off into the woods to chase more squirrels, but rather expecting her to return to him recognizing to some degree His care for her/Acceptance of salvation is manifested in MERCY
Application:
?Acceptance of God’s Salvation Manifested in Your MERCY, Pleasure & Constancy?
?Acceptance of God’s Salvation Manifested in You?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Acceptance of salvation is manifested in...
3. MERCY(:21-22)
1. FREEDOM(:18-19)
2. WORSHIP(:20)
Pt.#3 only! -END SERIES- Presented 12/02/2018pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-3 Presented 04/22/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
