Year One, January 12

The End of All Things Is at Hand1

At first people lived for hundreds of years, but a few generations of long-lived people was enough to make the human race very wicked. When the holy descendants of Seth intermarried with the graceless race of Cain, the people of God changed for the worse. The salt lost its taste and the whole earth became corrupt.

  

Genesis 6:5-22

5The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (What a charge against mankind. It is still true of all of us.)

6And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (What a blessed “but” that was. In the midst of wrath, the Lord remembered mercy. Even in punishing sin he remembers Christ and all those who are of his family. The distinction was made as a result of grace. It is not said that Noah deserved to be saved, but that Noah found favor, or grace.)

9These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. (In this he was a worthy descendant of Enoch.) 10And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. 

11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. (Those who are corrupt toward God are sure to be violent toward others.) 12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits (about 450 feet), its breadth 50 cubits (about 75 feet), and its height 30 cubits (about 45 feet). (We must follow God’s directions in everything we do. If our religious practices do not have, “Thus says the Lord,” written over them, they will be worthless.) 16Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. (Noah must make the ark according to God’s plan. Those who expect to be saved must receive salvation in God’s way. God’s word must be our guide, not what we may think is right, or “feels” good.) 17For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

18“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and sons’ wives with you. 19And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. (Noah was the saver of lives. So is Jesus. Noah became the new head of the saved race. Our Lord is the Head of his church, who are those he saved out of the world.)

21“Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”  22Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. (Noah’s faith caused him to obey. If we are to be saved from the destruction that is coming on the world, we must submit ourselves without question to the commands of our Lord Jesus. We will not be saved by keeping the commands of God, but if we have true faith we will prove it by following the Lord’s directions.)

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¹ I Peter 4:7