Walking with God

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. (Genesis 6:5-22, NLT)


REFLECTIONS:
In the short term, the story of Noah is fairly simple: he builds a boat large enough to hold himself and his family, along with seven pairs of every clean animal and bird, and one pair of every unclean animal that lives on the dry land of the earth. After the boat is done, the people and creatures go inside and God shuts the door. "All the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:11-12). The waters rise, and the ark floats on the surface. "After 150 days… the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat" (8:3). Approximately three months later, Noah sends out birds to find out if there is any dry land—first a raven, then a dove. On the day that the dove doesn't return, he knows that "the floodwaters [are] almost gone." Two months later, it is totally dry (8:14). "So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair" (8:8-19).

In the long term, however, the story is much more complex. The count in Scripture describes Noah's world as a place where wickedness flourished and where the thoughts and inclinations of mankind's heart were "consistently and totally evil" (6:5). It doesn't take much imagination to create a picture of that continual and unrestrained evil—covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, gossip, slander, idol worship, insolence, pride, rebellion, and so on—all and probably more than the apostle Paul lists in Romans 1:29-31. In the middle of the culture is Noah, a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). Those of us who have been around people who choose not to acknowledge God and be answerable to God for their actions know that they carry their antipathy over to God's representatives. Their reaction to preachers are predictable: they demean them, call them hypocrites, portray them as fools. We can imagine that Noah's neighbors had the same reaction toward him when he called on them to repent and follow God.

And then God commands Noah to build an ark. Not only does he ask Noah to build a ship in the middle of a desert, but God asks for much more than a simple rowboat. Depending on the length of the cubit, the ark is said to be as long as a medium-sized cruise ship or military destroyer (450 to 600 feet), twice as wide (75 to 100 feet), and taller than a four-story building (45 to 60 feet). Each of the three decks is to be at least 1 1/2 times the length of a football field (minus the end zones), and approximately half as wide. In addition, Noah's family and the creatures need enormous amounts of food to sustain them for the months they were to be cooped up inside the ark. To secure the wood and pitch to make the ark and procure and store food for themselves and the creatures would have been a huge task that their neighbors would have watched and, undoubtedly, ridiculed.

………

Several traits in Noah help us understand why he is described in the Bible as having "walked with God." First and foremost, Noah had an unshakable faith in God. Noah believed God. The author of Hebrews writes about him: "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith" (11:7). He is listed in that "Faith Hall Of Fame" as a person who had faith, the "hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (11:1). All of Noah's other traits follow from his strong faith.

Secondly, Noah was obedient. Four times the word "commanded" is used when describing Noah: "Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22)… "And Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him" (7:5)… "[Pairs of clean animals] came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah" (7:9)… "The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah" (7:16). Noah was obedient to the call of God not only to be a herald of righteousness, but also when God asked him to do something that would make him look like a fool to the rest of the world.

Next, Noah was steadfast and patient. Building the ark was no small task. With hundreds of people working on it, the construction of a steel ship the size of the ark takes several years. The Bible suggests that it took Noah and his family twelve decades to build and stock the wooden ark. That is the supreme example of steadfastness and patience.

Lastly, to do what he did, Noah had to be completely reliant on and secure in God. There could be no wavering, no faltering from doing the task at hand. It makes us wonder if Noah knew before he started building how big the project was that he had been commanded to undertake! Many of us have worked on one small part of a big project but would be totally overwhelmed if we were responsible for doing the whole thing. We aren't secure in our knowledge or abilities because we rely on ourselves. Noah didn't have to rely on himself because he knew that God was in control and would help him. For Noah, walking with God meant relying on God, trusting God, and most of all, believing in God.

………

Walking with God is the goal of all Christian life. It is the goal of all the ways we connect with God. Over the last several days, we have looked at a number of different ways God communicates with us as we live with him. All of these means of communication, from praying to sensing God's presence to experiencing him in dreams and visions, are tools to help us better walk with God. Walking with God is spending time in his presence, moving forward with him in a spirit of companionship, but also of apprenticeship, being willing to go where he leads. The ever-progressing relationship must always be the focus of our attempts to connect with and open ourselves to God.

But walking with God is not easy; it takes time and experience to reach this intimacy with God as we journey through life. Some of us are beginners, others are further down the path. But all of us know where to look for instruction: Jesus was the only human who achieved perfect intimacy with God. Although the exact wording is never used in Scripture, no one could have been said to walk more closely with God than Jesus, God's Son, and a member of the Trinity.

All we need to learn about walking with God we can find in Jesus' life. He spent time with God in prayer, often going off alone to do so. His knowledge of the Scriptures was formidable, but he also knew that the letter of the law was not the most important thing, as exemplified by many stories about him, such as his healings on the Sabbath. He demonstrated a love for all people, including those thought untouchable and especially those who occupied the lowest rungs of society—orphans, widows, and the poor. In all things, he pointed to God the Father.

Truly, he exemplified Micah 6:8— 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly with your God. 

Can we desire to do no less?

 

 

POINT OF ACTION:

Reflect upon this hymn by William Cowper. What does it teach you about walking with God? 

"Walking with God"—Genesis 5:24

 

Oh! For a closer walk with God,

A calm and heav’nly frame

A light to shine upon the road

That leads me to the Lamb! 

Where is the blessedness I knew

When I first saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refreshing view

Of Jesus and his word? 

What peaceful hours I once enjoy’d!

How sweet their memory still!

But they have left an aching void,

The world can never fill. 

Return, O holy Dove, return!

Sweet messenger of rest!

I hate the sins that made thee mourn,

And drove thee from my breast. 

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be,

Help me to tear it from thy throne,

And worship only thee. 

So shall my walk be close with God,

Calm and serene my frame;

So pure light shall mark the road

That leads me to the Lamb.

 

PRAYER:

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.

“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am so incredibly thankful for all of the rain we have received recently! Thank you, God, for such a refreshing and replenishing gift!

 

Please note: We will not have a devotional published tomorrow. Over the last two weeks, we've highlighted several ways of connecting with God. Why not take some time tomorrow to experiment with one or two of the spiritual practices we've discussed?