The following study is one that I archived prior to understanding Messianic Christianity. This is a blend of Jewish teachings from the Old Testament and New Testament teachings which bring a fuller understanding of Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah (Christ). Replacement Theology has thrown out much of the Jewish understanding of the scriptures. In my opinion, it is nearly impossible to fully understand the scriptures without understanding Torah, or biblical instructions to the Jews in the Old Testament. I am working to rewrite my work in these studies and hope to eventually rewrite everything on this website. The task is enormous. As you read through the studies, keep in mind that I am editing them slowly. Once a page is edited, this disclaimer will be removed. Thanks for your understanding.

Genesis 8

June 30, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Philippians 1-2

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I am posting this study a day late, with the forced vacation that we are enjoying, we got back from the beach a little too late last night to work on the study.  It has been a great few days as our family has enjoyed much needed family time.

Genesis 8:1-22 (NASB95)
I am going to post a few notes concerning this chapter.  Consider the length of time that Noah was in the ark.  The last chapter indicated that he was in the ark just over 5 months where the water was at maximum flood stage.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary has an excellent chart on this subject, it will not copy and paste, so I will give you the highlights,

• Noah entered ark, 7:7-9
• 7 days: It began to rain: 7:10-11
• 40 days: Heavy rain stopped: 7:12
• 110 days: Water at flood stage, Ark came to rest on Mt Ararat: 7:24-8:4
• 74 days: Water receded until tops of mountains were visible 8:5
• 40 days: Raven sent out, dove sent out and returned: 8:6-9
• 7 days : Dove sent out a second time, returns with olive leaf: 8:10
• 7 days : Dove sent out and doesn’t return. 8:12
• 22 days: Water receeded(Remaining balance of the 150 days mentioned in 8:3.)
• Noah saw dry land, first month, first day: 8:13
• Land completely dry and Noah exited the Ark, second month, twenty-seventh day: 8:14-19
• Total time on the ark was 377 days, which translates into one year 17 days.

Consider that when you think about the righteousness of Noah, he was in the ark for a very long time.  Can you imagine what it was like when Noah exited the ark to find out that the entire world had changed.  The blanket of water that surrounded the earth was gone and for the first time he could see that the stars and the sun were more than just lights in the sky.

Noah’s first reaction was not to marvel at the new world, his first reaction was to offer a sacrifice to the Lord demonstrating that God was still first in his life.  He had spent an entire year cooped up in an ark which was covered, and emerged with the one thought on his mind of worship.  God had destroyed the entire world’s population of people, animals and birds, Noah and his company were the only people alive on the planet.

God’s response was to accept the offering, and to vow never to destroy the earth by water again. What is interesting in God’s response is that the heart of man did not change as a result of the flood.  God had wiped out the earth’s population, and did not change the heart of man.  I have often wondered if that was because of the mutations of man which may have taken place when the “sons of God” mated with men, or if man had become so evil that redemption was not possible.  Whatever the cause, it was a new world, God started earth over with a new set of parents, Noah and his children, and an entirely new set of animals.

God hates sin, this should be an eyeopener for all of us.  If He hated sin so much that He was willing to exterminate the entire earth’s population, then perhaps it is time that we take sin seriously in our own lives.  We stand as beacons of light in a dark world, yet how many of us consider our calling as followers of God seriously?  How many of us would consider God’s calling enough to build a rediculous ship on dry ground and wait for animals to mysteriously walk aboard?  How many would believe enough to store up provisions which would feed an incredible herd of animals and a small group of people for over a year? Hebrews points at Noah as being one of the original in the area of faith, we can learn from him.  We can learn that when God instructs us to walk, not to question and to walk as we are led.

It is up to us to follow the Lord, it is up to us to be beacons of light.  Praise God, we are the chosen ones of today, we are the Noah’s of today who stand for righteousness in a dark and dying world.  Each one of us stand accountable before God, the knowledge that we have and what we do with it are directly dependant upon our belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Are we ready to acknowledge God continually, as Noah did by offering sacrifice upon exiting the ark, or do we take God for granted, moving forward and letting each day take care of its self?

Father, as we consider faith, build in each one of us a desire to follow You closely.  Cause us to take a careful look at ourselves and to see if we really believe what we preach and stand for.  Thank You Father for providing salvation for us in spite of our wicked hearts.

In Him,

Joe Turner.