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)—Genesis 8:18-22...
OR RATHER--MANIFESTATIONS Of ACCEPTANCE—Genesis 8:18-22
E—CONSTRAINTS Of RESTORATION-VII—Genesis 9:1-19
1. CONSTRAINTS For FRUITFULNESS(Success)—Genesis 9:1-7
2. GOD’s COVENANT With The EARTH—Genesis 9:8-17
F—SAME Ol’ SAME Ol’—Genesis 9:20-29
G—The NATIONS—Genesis 10:1-32
Attention:
There are certain constraints/limits/boundaries within which mankind’s restoration can be accomplished before God! If you/we will not operate within those constraints, then you/we will never reach the heights of God’s intent for yourself/ourselves.
Our Success as Christians is Constrained thru certain relationships & actions.
CONSTRAIN—‘To severely restrict the scope, extent, or activity of.’ OR--‘To compel or force toward a particular course of action.’
OR rather--for OUR/Today’s APPLICATION--‘To keep within God’s limits.’
Need:
The constraints attending mankind’s restoration may not be what you may imagine!
God blessed Noah’s family with a restoration based on relationship.
Man’s restoration is to be constrained/limited contained/determined thru relationships.
How do relationships constrain/determine our restoration?
Some relationships constraining/determining our restoration.
We have already found that ‘Our Restoration is constrained thru relationship with’...
1. GOD(:1a)
2. REINSTATEMENT(:1b-2)
3. CREATION(:3)
4. MAN(:4-7)
5. COVENANT(:8-19): as it concerns...
5a. GOD SPEAKS(:8)
5b. The COVENANT & SIGN(:9-14)
(CONT...)5c—Restoration is constrained thru relationship with...
COVENANT(:8-19) as it concerns...
•REMEMBERING(:15-17)
:15—“& I will remember My covenant which is between Me & you & every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
The “sign” will be for God’s use in particular. Yet, though it is not stated, “the sign” will be visible for all of God’s creation—man in particular.
The presence of the visible rainbow will cause God to “remember” His covenant with the earth. The Noahic covenant is again stated(:11) but very concisely here—“My covenant which is between Me & you & every living creature of all flesh.”
•Consider the summary statement of Genesis 19:29—after the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah—“And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, & sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.”
•Consider the 1st Passover of Ex. 12:7, 13—“‘And they shall take some of the blood & put it on the two doorposts & on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”.....“‘Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; & the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
•“God is certainly in no need of external evidence about the identity of the occupants of each house.” “The point is made” unquestionably, “that God’s promises are entirely believable.”—NICOT-VPHamilton
•Consider the remembrance of His promise to the children of Israel in Ex. 6:5—“And I[YHWH God] have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, & I have remembered My covenant.”;
& Ps. 106:44-45—“Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.”;
& “a book” of Mal. 3:16—“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened & heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.”;
& “books” & “the Book” of Rev. 20:12, 15—“And I saw the dead, small & great, standing before God, & books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”.....“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
“With the coming of the storm clouds, the bow would prompt his[God’s] assent to the vow.”—NAC-KAMathews
“The whole tone of the paragraph is accommodated to our need of simple reassurance.”—Derek Kidner in ‘Genesis’
This compels me to ‘remind’ you all of the eternal security which is in Christ Jesus alone.
The rainbow is for God because in this covenant, neither man nor animals(the very ones effected) play any active or real part in maintaining the covenant. It is a covenant based entirely on God’s willingness to fulfill it. Almighty God is ultimately faithful to His character & thus His promises(2Tim. 2:13)!
2Tim 2:13—“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
•God is not so much faithful ‘to’ you or me, as He is rather faithful to His design as it ‘involves’ you & me!
• “The rainbow” is ‘mediator’ of sorts between God, man, & animals.
• “The rainbow” is a reminder to mankind that God is ultimately gracious.
“Waters”—will come upon the earth which may threaten life & livelihood, but God will never allow these to “become a flood” capable of “destroying all flesh.”
“Remember”—rkz zaw-kar'—Qal Perfect—1) To remember, recall, call to mind. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To mark(so as to be recognized), i.e. To remember; by implication--To mention; also(as denominative from rkz zaw-kawr’)--To be male.
“Waters”—Mym mah'-yim—1) Water, waters—1a) Water, 1b) Water of the feet, urine, 1c) Of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (fig.). Strong—Water; figuratively--Juice; by euphemism--Urine, semen.
“Flood”—lwbm mab-bool’—Noun Masc.—1) Flood, deluge.—1a) Noah's flood that submerged the entire planet earth under water for about a year. Strong—A deluge. Used 13X.?From—lby yaw-bal'—properly--To flow; causatively--To bring(especially with pomp); a primitive root.?•Some think Noah's flood was only local. However the description of it found in Gen. 6 through 8 makes this patently absurd. If it was local, Noah had 120 years to migrate out of the area to safe ground! Why waste all that effort building a ship? He only had to move less than 1500 feet a day to reach the farthest point on the globe! With the possible exception of Ps 29:10, this word always refers to Noah's flood. The real reason for insisting on a local flood is the acceptance of evolution with its long geological ages. Most holding that view are not willing to allow a global world wide flood to have happened less than 5000 years ago. To admit such eliminates the need for the geological ages for most of the geological column would have been rapidly laid down by Noah's flood.
“Destroy”(See :11)—txv shaw-khath’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Infinitive—1) To destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay—1b) (Piel)—1b1) To spoil, ruin, 1b2) To pervert, corrupt, deal corruptly(morally). Strong—a primitive root; To decay, i.e. causatively--Ruin(literally or figuratively).
:16—“The rainbow shall be in the cloud, & I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God & every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Why is this rainbow so important a concept for God?...
Because God is continually reminded by mankind that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually(:5). God’s pain, at man’s trust in finite flesh, is indeed ever-present before Him(6:5-6).
God knows(omniscience) that man’s way will remain corrupted(6:12) even as before the Flood(but dust).
Man’s sinfulness remains & God’s perfection remains. The “rainbow” ‘reminds’ or calls specific attention to God’s perfection. It is a reminder of the trials brought upon every created thing & God Himself, thru the ‘perfection’ of built-in limitation.
The “rainbow” is an ever present reminder to God’s perfection, that ‘imperfection’ is a result of His own intentional creation of freewill.
Ps. 103:13-18—“As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, & it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.”
•[NASB95]Ps. 103:14—“For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
God will not destroy mankind, but rather, He will bring in His harvest.(cf.-Mat. 9:37-38).
Mat. 9:37-38—“Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
“Look on”—har raw-aw'—Qal Perfect—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To see, 1a2) To see, perceive, 1a3) To see, have vision, 1a4) To look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out. Strong—a primitive root; To see, literally or figuratively(in numerous applications, direct & implied, transitive, intransitive & causative).
“Remember”—rkz zaw-kar’—Qal Infinitive—1) To remember, recall, call to mind—1a) (Qal)--To remember, recall, 1b) (Niphal)--To be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind, 1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To cause to remember, remind, 1c2) To cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance, 1c3) To mention, 1c4) To record, 1c5) To make a memorial, make remembrance. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To mark(so as to be recognized), i.e. To remember; by implication--To mention; also(as denominative from rkz[Noun Masc./Adj.])--To be male.
“Everlasting”(See :12—“Perpetual”)—Mlwe o-lawm’—Noun Masc.—1) Long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world. Strong—properly, Concealed, i.e. The vanishing point; generally--Time out of mind(past or future), i.e. practically--Eternity; frequentatively adverbial(especially with prepositional prefix)--Always. Used 439X.
“Covenant”—tyrb ber-eeyth’—Noun Fem.—1) Covenant, alliance, pledge—1a) Between men—1a1) Treaty, alliance, league(man to man), 1a2) Constitution, ordinance(monarch to subjects), 1a3) Agreement, pledge(man to man), 1a4) Alliance(of friendship), 1a5) Alliance(of marriage), 1b) between God & man—1b1) Alliance(of friendship), 1b2) Covenant(divine ordinance with signs or pledges); 2) (phrases)—2a) Covenant making, 2b) Covenant keeping, 2c) Covenant violation; Strong—A compact(because made by passing between pieces of flesh).?From—hrb baw-raw'—Verb—To feed, eat, consume(in the sense of cutting [like arb baw-raw'—Verb—to create, shape, form]).?*LXX very consistently replaces—tyrb ber-eeyth’ with—diayhkh—Noun Fem.—1) A disposition, arrangement, of any sort, which one wishes to be valid, the last disposition which one makes of his earthly possessions after his death, a testament or will; 2) A compact, a covenant, a testament—2a) God's covenant with Noah, etc. Strong—properly, a disposition, i.e. specially--A contract(especially a devisory will). Used 33X.?From—dia—1) Through, With, In, Throughout, During, By, By the means of; The ground or reason by which something is or is not done, By reason of, On account of, Because of for this reason, Therefore, On this account. Strong—Through(in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional).—&—tiyhmi—To place(in the widest application, literally & figuratively.
“Between”—Nyb ban—Noun Masc./Fem.—1) Between, among, in the midst of(with other prepositions), From between. Strong—(sometimes in the plural masculine or feminine); Constructive—properly--A distinction—the constructive form of an otherwise unused noun from Nyb[to separate mentally(or distinguish), i.e. generally--understand]. Substantive Masc.—Between(repeated before each noun, often with other particles) & used only as a preposition; also--Either...Or—as a conjunction. Used 32X.
“God”—Myhla ‘el-o-hiym’—Noun Masc. Plural—1) (plural)—1a) Rulers, judges, 1b) Divine ones, 1c) Angels, 1d) Gods; 2) (plural intensive - singular meaning)—2a) god, goddess, 2b) Godlike one, 2c) Works or special possessions of God, 2d) The (true)God, 2e) God. Strong—plural of hwla ’el-ow-ahh[a deity or the Deity]; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used(in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; Occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; & sometimes as a superlative.
“And Between”(See above)—Nyb ban—
“Every”—lk kol OR--lwk kowl—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
“Living”—yx khah’-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive—1a) Green(of vegetation), 1b) Flowing, fresh(of water), 1c) Lively, active(of man), 1d) Reviving(of the springtime). Noun Masc.—2) Relatives; 3) Life(abstract emphatic)—3a) Life, 3b) Sustenance, maintenance. Noun Fem.—4) Living thing, animal—4a) Animal, 4b) Life, 4c) Appetite, 4d) Revival, renewal; 5) Community. Strong—Alive; hence--Raw(flesh); Fresh(plant, water, year), Strong; also(as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural)--Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.?yx corresponds to Greek—zwh. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient principle only, distinguished from, B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh,—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
“Creature”—vpn neh’-fesh—Noun Fem.—1) Soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion—1a) That which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man, 1b) Living being, 1c) Living being (with life in the blood), 1d) The man himself, self, person or individual, 1e) Seat of the appetites, 1f) Seat of emotions & passions, 1g)Activity of mind—1g1) dubious, 1h) Activity of the will—1h1) dubious, 1i) Activity of the character—1i1) dubious. Strong—properly--A breathing creature, i.e. Animal of (abstractly)vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense(bodily or mental).?vpn corresponds to Greek—quch. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient principle only, distinguished from, B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh,—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
“Flesh”—rsb baw-sawr’—Noun Masc.—1) Flesh—1a) Of the body—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of animals, 1b) The body itself, 1c) Male organ of generation(euphemism), 1d) Kindred, blood-relations, 1e) Flesh as frail or erring(man against God), 1f) All living things, 1g) Animals, 1h) Mankind. Strong—Flesh(from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also by euphemism--The pudenda of a man.
:17—“And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me & all flesh that is on the earth.”
This completes & concisely reiterates the framework of the covenant with its sign. These have already been “established” by God Himself & they concern a limiting relationship(“covenant”) “between” God & “all flesh” upon “earth.”
When God determines something, it is as if it has already happened...as if that which is promised really exists presently in reality...it is because it actually is reality!
What beauty of God’s intention, we would exhibit/exude/express, were we to respond to our world with such positive confidence!...That is, if our ‘Yes’ would be ‘Yes’ & our ‘No’ would be ‘No’(Mat. 5:37; Js. 5:12).
“Sign”(See :12, 13)—twa 'owth—1) Sign, signal—1a) A distinguishing mark, 1b) Banner, 1c) Remembrance, 1d) Miraculous sign, 1e) Omen, 1f) Warning; 2) Token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof. Strong—A signal(literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.
“Established”(See :9, 11)—Mwq quwm—Hiphil Perfect—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up—1e) (Hiphil)—1e1) To cause to arise, raise, 1e2) To raise, set up, erect, build, 1e3) To raise up, bring on the scene, 1e4) To raise up, rouse, stir up, investigate, 1e5) To raise up, constitute, 1e6) To cause to stand, set, station, establish, 1e7) To make binding, 1e8) To carry out, give effect to. Strong—a primitive root; To rise(in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive & causative).
“Between”—Nyb ban—Noun Masc./Fem.—1) Between, among, in the midst of(with other prepositions), From between. Strong—(sometimes in the plural masculine or feminine); Constructive—properly--A distinction—the constructive form of an otherwise unused noun from Nyb[to separate mentally(or distinguish), i.e. generally--understand]. Substantive Masc.—Between(repeated before each noun, often with other particles) & used only as a preposition; also--Either...Or—as a conjunction. Used 32X.
“Flesh”(See :4, 11, 16 thruout)—rsb baw-sawr’—Noun Masc.—1) Flesh—1a) Of the body—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of animals, 1b) The body itself, 1c) Male organ of generation(euphemism), 1d) Kindred, blood-relations, 1e) Flesh as frail or erring(man against God), 1f) All living things, 1g) Animals, 1h) Mankind. Strong—Flesh(from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also by euphemism--The pudenda of a man.
Argumentation(:15-17):
2Pet. 1:12-15, 19; 2:1-3—“For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know & are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.”.....“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts;”.....“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, & bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, & their destruction does not slumber.”
•Remember who & Whose you are!(Js. 1:19-25).
Js. 1:19-25—“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness & overflow of wickedness, & receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, & not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word & not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, & immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty & continues in it, & is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
Illustration(:15-17):
My iPhone Calendar Application/It reminds me of things that are looming on the horizon of my time/It keeps me current with activities/Some things on the calendar I am only indirectly involved with, or I have the option to choose to be involved or not/However in other calendarized things my interaction is necessary...my input is necessary, but not until the time arrives on the calendar!/Relationship with...COVENANT(:8-19)--•REMEMBERING(:15-17)
Application:
? Is Your Restoration constrained thru Relationship with •REMEMBERING(:15-17) tied to God’s COVENANT?
? Is Your Restoration determined by God’s desire...or your own?
5d—Restoration is constrained thru relationship with...
COVENANT(:8-19) as it concerns...
•OUTCOME(:18-19)
:18—“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, & Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.”
In an aside from The allowance to eat meat, the prohibition against murder, & The Flood covenant(:8-17), there is a return to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing upon Noah & his progeny to be fruitful & multiply, & fill the earth(:1).
Here it is restated(8:16-18) that “the sons of Noah” “Shem, Ham, & Japheth” exited “the ark” after the water had receded & the earth had sufficiently dried(8:12-14).
“And”...
In a further aside, it is specifically stated that “Ham was the father of Canaan.”
This information about Canaan may seem an anachronism but it prepares Moses’ audience—Moses being the writer of Genesis, & the audience being the sons of Jacob, the Jews. Moses is preparing the ‘sons of Israel’ for becoming the ‘nation of Israel’, & thus subduing the land of Canaan(cf.-chapt. 10).
The text we are looking at(Gen. 9:18-19), concerns a time before Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob were on the earth.
Here God informs us that the progeny which would arise from those miraculously saved—thru the Flood by God’s grace—would eventually & inevitably produce enemies of that very saving grace!
Eccl. 1:9-11—“That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.”
“Shem”—Mv Shem—Shem = “name.”—Noun Proper Masc.—1) The eldest son of Noah & progenitor of the Semitic tribes. Strong—Shem, a son of Noah(often including his posterity). Used 17X?The same as—Mv shem—Noun Masc.—1) Name—1a) Name, 1b) Reputation, fame, glory, 1c) The Name(as designation of God), 1d) Memorial, monument. Strong—An appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication--Honor, authority, character.
“Ham”2X—Mx Khawm—Ham = “hot”—Noun Proper Masc.—1) 2nd son of Noah, father of Canaan & of various peoples which were inhabitants of southern lands; 2) in late usage--A collective name for Egyptians. Noun Proper Locative—3) The place where Chedorlaomer smote the Zuzim, probably in the territory of Ammonites(Gilead) east of the Jordan. Strong—Hot(from the tropical habitat); Cham--A son of Noah; also(as a patronymic)--His descendants or their country. Used 16X.
“Japheth”—tpy Yeh’-feth—Noun Proper Masc.—Japheth = “opened”—1) The 3rd son of Noah whose descendants after the flood settled on the coastal lands of the Mediterranean spreading north into Europe & parts of Asia. Strong—Expansion; Jepheth, a son of Noah; also his posterity. Used 11X.?From—htp paw-thaw'; a primitive root; To open, i.e. Be(causatively, make) roomy; usually figuratively(in a mental or moral sense)--To be(causatively, make) simple, or(in a sinister way)--delude.
“Canaan”—Nenk Ken-ah’-an—Canaan = “lowland”—Noun Proper Masc.—1) The 4th son of Ham & the progenitor of the Phoenicians & of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine. Noun Proper Locative—2) The land west of the Jordan peopled by the descendants of Canaan & subsequently conquered by the Israelites under Joshua. Noun Masc.—3) Merchant, trader. Strong—Humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also The country inhabited by him.?From—enk kaw-nah'; a primitive root; properly--To bend the knee; hence--To humiliate, vanquish.
:19—“These three were the sons of Noah, & from these the whole earth was populated.”
That Shem, Ham, & Japheth are Noah’s sons has been clearly stated on other occasions:—5:32; 6:10; 7:13.
cf.- 6:17-20; 7:7, 23; 8:16, 18.
By means of Noah’s three sons—along with their wives—the entire earth today has become populated by or with humanity.
Thus all(“whole earth”) men, women, & children, boys & girls are descended from Noah & his wife thru their sons—Shem, Ham, & Japheth.
“From these”(See above)—hla el’-leh—Pronoun/Particle Demonstrative—1) These—1a) used before antecedent, 1b) used following antecedent. Strong—These or those. Used 20X.?Prolonged from—la ’el—These or those; a demonstrative particle(but only in a plural sense).
“Whole”—lk kol OR--lwk kowl—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
“Earth”—Ura eh’-rets—Noun Fem.—1) Land, earth—1a) Earth—1a1) Whole earth(as opposed to a part), 1a2) Earth(as opposed to heaven), 1a3) Earth(inhabitants), 1b) Land—1b1) Country, territory, 1b2) District, region, 1b3) Tribal territory, 1b4) Piece of ground, 1b5) Land of Canaan, Israel, 1b6) Inhabitants of land, 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under)world, 1b8) City(-state), 1c) Ground, surface of the earth—1c1) Ground, 1c2) Soil, 1d) (in phrases)—1d1) People of the land, 1d2) Space or distance of country(in measurements of distance), 1d3) Level or plain country, 1d4) Land of the living, 1d5) End(s) of the earth, 1e) (almost wholly late in usage)—1e1) Lands, countries—1e1a) Often in contrast to Canaan. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth(at large, or partitively a land).
“Populated/Came The People/Overspread”—Upn naw-fats’—Qal Perfect—1) To shatter, break, dash, beat in pieces—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To shatter, 1a2) Shattering(infinitive); 1b) (Piel)--To dash to pieces; 1c) (Pual)--To pulverize; 2) To scatter, disperse, overspread, be scattered; 2a) (Qal)--2a1) To be scattered, 2a2) Dispersed(participle). Strong—To dash to pieces, or scatter; a primitive root. Used 22X.
Argumentation(:18-19):
•Remember what you are headed for(to honor Christ), & what you will leave behind!(Rev. 14:9-13; 1Cor. 15:57-58).
Rev. 14:9-13—“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast & his image, & receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, “he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire & brimstone in the presence of the holy angels & in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever & ever; & they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast & his image, & whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God & the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, & their works follow them.”
Ps. 116:15—“Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.”
1Cor. 15:57-58—“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
COVENANT:
Mat. 5:45—“... He makes His sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust.”
Lk. 6:35—“...For He is kind to the unthankful & evil.”
Lk. 15:11-32—Prodigal son parable—“Then He[Jesus] said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, & there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, & he began to be in want. Then he went & joined himself to a citizen of that country, & he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, & no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough & to spare, & I perish with hunger! I will arise & go to my father, & will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven & before you, & I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ “And he arose & came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him & had compassion, & ran & fell on his neck & kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven & in your sight, & am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe & put it on him, & put a ring on his hand & sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here & kill it, & let us eat & be merry; for this my son was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found.’ And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field. And as he came & drew near to the house, he heard music & dancing. So he called one of the servants & asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, & because he has received him safe & sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry & would not go in. Therefore his father came out & pleaded with him. So he answered & said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; & yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ‘But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, & all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry & be glad, for your brother was dead & is alive again, & was lost & is found.’”
Parental love is similar to God’s ‘rainbow covenant’/No matter what the child or children do, they are still loved by the parent/Even if a parent has to watch their child rightly go to jail, they are still loved/The love is different, but it is still waiting for the child’s return/Relationship with...COVENANT(:8-19)
Illustration:
For :18b—How many of you here have raised your own children to love the Lord, BUT they(or some of them or one of them) turned away from the Christian faith?—Not that they have so much turned away from the ‘tenets’ or doctrines of Christian faith(head-knowledge/mental agreement), but rather that they have not been convinced that Jesus is worth living for?/Relationship with the Covenant’s OUTCOME
A Christian parent is always saddened & grieved when their children do not follow God/The make poor & life-changing decisions/Their reputations become questionable/Their potentially simple life is encumbered/It broke our hearts when our oldest daughter began dating a young man by the name of Billy Bob(name changed to protect the innocent)/He promised her things which he couldn’t bring about/He brought her a puppy(which we adamantly told her that she couldn’t have!)/Discovered he was an impulsive liar/Typical teenage guy after...you know what/Relationship with the Covenant’s OUTCOME
In Seminary, I took a ‘student pastorate’ in a ‘family chapel’ church, ‘in the middle of nowhere’, NC. That church had a deacon who believed that black people(African Americans) were literally descended from apes!(I kid you not!). So rather than believe that all people were descended from Adam & Eve thru Noah & his sons & daughters, the man had blindly bought into a secular evolutionary framework of descent/*That particular man got his belief system from somewhere other than the Bible!/Relationship with the Covenant’s OUTCOME
Application (:18-19):
? Is Your Restoration constrained thru Relationship with OUTCOME(:18-19) that flows from God’s COVENANT?
? Is Your Restoration determined by God’s desire...or your own?
?Do Christians physically destroy those who disagree with them?--No!
The wheat & weeds grow together. It is up to the ‘wheat’(God’s people) to outgrow the ‘weeds’(Satan’s people) so the weeds won’t bear fruit!
•Now what does this say to you about the distinctions & separations we make based on race?...About bi-racial marriage?
Commercials today have an abundance of bi-racial couples.
Commercials today also have an abundance of homosexual couples.
*Thus a ‘moral affinity’(homosexuality) is juxtaposed with a ‘non-moral affinity’(racial) in an attempt to justify rank immorality!
•I think of the slogan of American abolitionists & slaves in the late 1780s—“Am I Not A Man & A Brother?”
•And as late as 1968, black sanitation workers were striking carrying signs proclaiming—‘I Am A Man’...the truth of which we should all consider. They were still suffering under the remnants of ‘Jim Crow’ laws—white entrance, ‘negro’/black entrance; ‘negro/black’ water fountain, white water fountain, etc.
When I, you, we, treat others(people group) or another person as a lesser person than myself, then God’s truth & design is shamed!
•Call as witness—India’s ‘caste system.’
Do people’s belief systems & resultant lifestyles cause me to treat them differently...Certainly!
Does the shade of their skin cause me to treat them differently?...Certainly NOT!
Argumentation:
Mal. 3:1-6—““Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner & a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold & silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah & Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years. And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners & widows & orphans, And against those who turn away an alien-- Because they do not fear Me,” Says the LORD of hosts. “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
God has set the boundary of ‘being consumed’ versus ‘not being consumed’, to be decided by individual & personal faith. Absolute faith that trusts in the revelatory God completely & without hesitation is what saves!—including His Son, the Christ(the anointed Messiah peace bringer), Jesus(the Savior, the Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of the whole world”(Jn. 1:29)). *Why is that true?...because God is a Covenant/promise keeping God!*
1Thess. 5:11-24—“Therefore comfort each other & edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, & are over you in the Lord & admonish you, & to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves & for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; & may your whole spirit, soul, & body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Heb. 10:19-23—“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new & living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, & having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience & our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
1Cor. 1:4-9—“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance & all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2Thess. 3:1-5—“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly & be glorified, just as it is with you, & that we may be delivered from unreasonable & wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you & guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do & will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God & into the patience of Christ.”
Illustration:
As a kid, I spent a great deal of those years playing in & around the creek that meandered around about 100 yards beyond our house/One summer day, in my wanderings, I found & collected three baby snapping turtles(each w/shells ~ 2 1/2 in. long)!/I had never seen a newly hatched snapping turtle before!/I remember naming one of them Otis/I was fascinated by the prospect of raising them to ‘snapper adulthood’, So I tried to replicate their home environment in a large galvanized washtub which Momma & Daddy let me keep beside the porch near the kitchen window/I collected small gravel from the area where I found them/I would also lug a few gallons of creek-water to the washtub turtle habitat to change-out the water every few days—not too deep, not too shallow/I brought in a few larger rocks, the surface of which would stay above the water level, so the turtles could rest on them/I would catch bugs & flies & put them in the water for the turtle’s food, which they would readily snap up!/I made a promise to the turtles that I would take care of them!/I worried about them when I was away at school/I hoped nothing would hurt them when I asleep at night/I worried about whether they were getting enough or the right stuff to eat/I soon became concerned about the temperature because it was getting to be fall in NC/One night it got really cold & I knew the turtles would soon freeze to death in the above-ground metal washtub with shallow water/So, first thing in the morning, I gathered up Otis & his two buddies & took them back to the creek where they were born/I set them all free there/They happily crawled & swam off never to be seen again/I had kept my promise to take care of them,although my part in their livelihood was short-lived/Relationship with COVENANT
Application:
? Is Your Restoration constrained thru Relationship with COVENANT?
? Is Your Restoration determined by God’s desire...or your own?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
There are specific constraints within which mankind’s restoration before God can be accomplished!
Action:
Our Restoration is constrained thru relationship with...
5. COVENANT(:8-19) as it concerns...
•5c. REMEMBERING(:15-17)
•5d. OUTCOME(:18-19)
5a. GOD SPEAKS(:8)
5b. The COVENANT & SIGN(:9-14)
1. GOD(:1)
2. REINSTATEMENT(:1b-2)
3. CREATION(:3)
4. MAN(:4-7)
5. COVENANT(:8-19):
5a. GOD SPEAKS(:8)
5b. The COVENANT & SIGN(:9-14)
Pt#s 5c(:15-17) & 5d(:18-19) Presented 03/08/2020am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave(SE Ave. A).
Carrabelle, FL 32322
