Lexzie in Christ

Disclaimer: Everything presented here is in Bible Study format. Please understand that I do not have any formal theology instruction. I ask that you pray first, and read the verses for yourself. Should God ever convict me of errors in my understanding, I will add a note.

Verses: Genesis 6 (NIV)

Passages: “Wickedness in the World”

Recap:

Because of the widespread wickedness in the world, God became troubled and regretful over His creation. He decided to destroy the earth, and all of its inhabitants, via flood. But first, he selected Noah – described as righteous, blameless and having found favor with God – to build an ark. He instructed him to take his wife, his sons and their wives, two of each animal, and enough food for all. Later chapters describe the aftermath of the flood – and Noah’s stay in the ark – as having lasted over a year.

Common Rendering vs. Gospel Rendering

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COMMON RENDERING

Common Rendering:

I don’t recall ever hearing this passage preached. Nor, have I delved into it in any Bible Studies or small groups. I know it well from childhood and from my own personal studies whenever I’d start a re-read of Genesis. Still, I’m well aware of how this passage would be preached in many churches. And, of course, I’m familiar with my typical interpretation.

In many teachings and studies, you might hear something like this: God knows what lies ahead. When He sends you a warning, take heed, and follow His explicit instructions. Don’t take or do any more or any less than what He instructs. After all, Deuteronomy 4:2 states, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it.”

This passage might be used as a lesson on obedience: You need to yield to God even when you don’t fully understand the reasoning.

It might also be used to showcase God’s protection from the storms of life: A testament to the idea that your obedience will warrant you unprecedented protection.

This passage might delve deeply into Noah’s character; explaining that he was blameless and that he walked faithfully with God. That he found favor because of his righteousness. Noah’s character may be used in an attempt to usher us into a more upright walk with God. The call for uprightness could potentially be a genuine one. Or, it could be a subtly deceptive “prosperity gospel” teaching which essentially promises that good behavior will garner you more favor and protection from harm.

A reminder: I do believe that God, via the Holy Spirit, can take what you glean and use it to usher you forward in your faith walk. Remember, God can use anything “for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” So, if you’ve heard this passage preached this way and it has encouraged you to continue upwards and onwards in your faith walk, then that is amazing. This has happened for me many times with Eisegetical preaching. [“Eisegesis is the process of interpreting text in such a way as to introduce one’s own presuppositions, agendas or biases.” – Wikipedia]

Still, we have to take greater care when reflecting on the text. Some of what I wrote as a “common rendering” is intrinsically problematic. Other statements are surface, at best.

What’s wrong with the common rendering?

Let’s start with what’s actually dangerous: Anything related to a “prosperity gospel” teaching is dangerous. I always thought that “prosperity gospel” referred solely to issues of wealth-related greed behind the pulpit. In actuality, it’s way more deceptive than that.

If someone tells you that you can “win more favor or blessings” through good works, finances, tithes, etc. – it is either teetering-on or it is a full-blown prosperity gospel teaching.

Our ultimate blessing is found in our accepting Christ. We are seen as righteous in God’s eyes, through Jesus alone. We are not righteous in our own merit. When we try to shine a light on our righteousness – or when we feel entitled to certain outcomes – we are really only proving how self-righteous we are. You cannot manipulate God into blessing you more heavily. And, likewise, you are not going to call down damning curses on yourself if you step out of line. It is dangerous to suggest otherwise. It is subtly deceptive and it gets into your spirit.

There is freedom in Jesus. Not freedom to sin, but freedom to rest in Him. There is protection in Jesus. And we don’t lose that protection because we make a mistake. We repent and we remain in His word and in prayer.

Let’s talk about what’s wrong with the surface stuff: Now, I personally love any and every reminder that I am in God’s hands. But let’s look at this from the viewpoint of various members of any given congregation. Particularly, members of evangelical and seeker-sensitive ministries, whose goal is to reach lost souls. (An undeniably important mission.)

Let’s divide this into the three groups likely to be led astray by this preaching style:

The first group is comprised of people who don’t yet know if they believe in God.

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And, the second group are those who only come to Him when they’re in a trial.

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When you preach that “God protects us from the storms of life,” what happens to those unconverted souls in the first and second group who are engrossed in battle and feel unprotected? They either start to question if God exists, or they’ll begin to wonder if they’re unworthy of His protection. If they do currently feel protected, they may feel a “high” for God’s love in the moment… but is there any guarantee that they’ll continue to lean on Him once delivered from the storm?

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And then, there’s the third group. I was in this group. This group is comprised of those who love, revere and trust God – despite their circumstance. They know how to logically and verbally speak about Christ. They truly have a deep, unshakeable love of God…

…but they lack a regenerative understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, salvation and our purpose as Believers.

Many of us sit under this preaching style for years, and all we learn is “how to handle our problems in a Godly way.” We continue on the “seek first the answer to our problems” path. And, gradually, our defense of our faith becomes dependent on personal testimonies rather than Scripture.

Before you know it, you’re living your life in a good and decent way… for you. You think you’re a good person, and you may be. You think you’re living for God, but you’re not. You’re living for you.

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What do all three of these groups have in common?

Each one is told that God protects. But whom does God protect? And why?

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This is why you need to preach the Gospel.

GOSPEL RENDERING

Gospel Rendering:

This passage is so rich when you point it to the Gospel. Immediately in Genesis 6, we learn of some of the depraved behavior occurring on earth. We learn in 6:5 that, “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”

We find God grieved by the wickedness of the human race. Genesis 6:7 records Him as saying, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” And 6:8 says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

After this, we receive a description of Noah’s character and, eventually, we learn of God’s instructions regarding the ark and all that are to enter.

Bible Study Questions:

How is the enemy present in this passage? The temptation and ideology of the enemy was woven into the hearts of the people, so much so that they were consistently turned toward evil thoughts and behaviors.

How did God respond? He’d become so grieved by His creation that He decided to destroy the earth via flood.

How is Jesus foreshadowed? God used Noah – who He found to be both blameless and righteous – to select some of His creation for preservation. This included two of each animal, as well as Noah’s family. In Genesis 6:18, God says, “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.”

How are Believers foreshadowed? Although the Scripture does not refer to the rest of Noah’s family as “righteous,” they are saved by God, through Noah. This foreshadows the New Covenant – established by God, through Christ. Believers are grafted into the Kingdom as co-heirs with Jesus Christ. He is righteous, and we are saved through Him.

Other Parallels or Gems:

1. In Genesis 6:20, God says, “Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.”

Parallel: In Christ, we receive eternal life.

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2. In Genesis 6:21, God says, “You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

Parallel: The basic human need for food is seen throughout Scripture. In a literal sense, God always ensures that His people are fed. The most glaring Old Testament example, for me, is the sending of manna for the journeying Israelites. During Jesus’ ministry, the two instances of the “feeding of the multitudes” come to mind. In Matthew 15:32, Jesus says, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

In a spiritual sense, the Genesis passage may foreshadow fact that Jesus is the Bread of Life. In John 6:35, Christ says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

My most important takeaway: God revealed these parallels so rapidly during my studies. As He brought me to “feeding of the 4,000” in Matthew 15, I continued reading on a bit. I landed on Matthew 16:5-12, titled: “The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

After the feeding, the disciples had accidentally left the bread behind. So, when Jesus said to them, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” they assumed that He was somehow admonishing them for forgetting the bread. Really, He was talking about something different entirely. He was trying to warn them about guarding against false teaching.

This leads to one usage of the often quoted statement, “Ye, of little faith.” Here is the full passage, verbatim.

“⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.“

-Matthew 16:8-12 (NIV)

There are multiple instances of Jesus saying some iteration of “Ye of little faith.” All instances deal with the issues of the disciples remaining focused on their literal circumstances rather than keeping their eyes set on Jesus.

And so, when we think back to the earlier conversation about the “prosperity gospel” we can compare that mindset against Jesus’ teaching.

Prosperity preaching tells you that “greater faith equals greater blessings,” and if you haven’t received your “blessing,” it may be due to your lack of faith. These teachings keep you focused on your circumstance and is in direct contradiction with Jesus’ command to keep your eyes set on Him.

When you’re in a storm:

1. When you’re in a battle, turn to prayer first. We need to lay our problems, desires and real tangible issues at the feet of Jesus. We need to – first and foremost – set our eyes on Him. Jesus is full of compassion. (When I’m struggling in an area, I often ask that He shoulder the heavy emotions that I’m dealing with so that I can hear Him more clearly. And He really does.)

2. We then need to submit to Christ by following his commands which are recorded all throughout the New Testament. We need to be reminded of how He’s commanding us to behave. And, many of these instructions will go against our fleshly, worldly inclinations.

3. We need to also remember that God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit and He will guide us and empower us in our next steps. Our ability to remain “alert and sober minded” will help us to hear from Him more clearly and He will strengthen us to accomplish the tasks He’s set out before us.

4. We need fellowship with other Believers – who can lend an ear, be representative of God’s loving presence, and who will encourage us to be strong and to not sin in our weakness.

5. This Christian walk is not meant to be robotic. You will not have all the answers. And God’s instruction to you, may not look like His instruction to another. The only template for navigating this life is to accept Christ as Savior and to follow His teachings and commands.

So if you ever hear the Noah’s Ark passage preached, just remember that it should point to the Gospel. It is the most drastic display of – but just one of the (many) times when – God showcased His judgment on His creation. It is a reminder that God’s wrath and judgment will eventually be poured out over the earth. His ultimate promise is that He will save all those found in Christ. There is no amount of favor or righteousness that you can garner on your own outside of Christ. He will lead you in your individual battles through prayer, Jesus’ teachings as recorded in scripture, and via the Holy Spirit.

Allow each Old Testament passage to exist as a means of deepening your knowledge of the faith, reinforcing the truth about God’s nature, and of pointing always to the Gospel Of Jesus Christ. Jesus is to be present in our lives at all times.