Worth Knowing

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease’” (Genesis 8:20-22, ESV).

During the last national election in our country (Philippines), we could notice that even before the campaign period, some political candidates were trying already to engage in promotional campaign. What they were doing and what they were saying in their promises could give us an idea what they would do, or how they would behave once elected.

And before the day of election, the candidates would use their resources, effort and time to promote their credibility to hold the particular office. While the voters would also try to decide or decipher how a candidate would act or react to the challenges of the office. The more they know about the candidates, they could choose easily whom to vote.

In our case, who are elected even before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, what do we have in mind about the Holy One who elected us? What could we know about Him?

This time let’s learn at least two things about the Holy God in our topic, WORTH KNOWING, as we focus on our text (Gen. 8:20-22).

So, what at least two things that we could know about the Holy God?

In Genesis 5, we read that though men lived for hundreds of years, yet God’s judgement on them was still executed: they died. However, we also saw that when God chose someone to receive His grace, in the case of Enoch, not only he was able to walk with God; he did not also experience death.

In chapter 6, Moses related that God instructed Noah to build an ark. He would destroy all flesh by a great flood, for “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).

God told Noah to enter the ark along with his family and selected animals in chapter 7. For 40 days and 40 nights “rain fell upon the earth.” All men and animals and creeping things and birds were blotted out. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark were left. The waters prevailed on the earth 150 days (vv. 23-24).

In the early verses of chapter 8, it related that the waters had abated and God commanded Noah to “Go out from the ark…” (v. 15.)

Now, in our text in verses 20-22, we could see what Noah did as soon as he went out from the ark. At the same time, we could also learn at least two things about the Holy God. What are those?

I – HE COULD BE PLEASED (vv. 20-21A).

We read verses 20-21A, “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma…”

It’s very significant to note what the ark builder, Noah, did after he went out from the ark. He did not plan to build where he and his family could dwell. But, the text states, “Then…” or the next thing that he did was he “built an altar to the Lord…” The first thing that came into his mind was to worship God, so the ark builder built an altar. And he gave an offering of thanksgiving.

The last part of the passage states, “… the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma.” In other words, God was pleased. It’s “A figurative way of saying that the Lord takes delight in his children’s worship of him.”

He was not pleased for the aroma of the smoke per se.

When God is pleased for a person, because of his God-given faith, God is also pleased for his works of faith, or actions produced by his faith. Noah realized that his God is Holy and worthy of worship. And so he gave Him his priority. He made a way, so he could worship God by building an altar and “took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird,” so he could give an offering of thanksgiving. And God “smelled the pleasing aroma…” – actually, He was pleased for what Noah did.

Almost everyone will worship God. But not every worship is acceptable to the Holy God. Jesus spoke of people who worshiped “in vain” (Matt. 15:9).