Noah's Favor - Genesis 6:8-7:9

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring flood waters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 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. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 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. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. - Genesis 6:8-7:9

God is love. So, many people ask how a loving God could judge people by allowing sickness, disease, poverty or death among people. Often the Lord will allow calamity in the lives of people to cause them to turn to Himself. The Lord also allows hardships and difficulties to test the hearts of His people. 

Have you experienced difficult trials, setbacks or difficulties in your life recently? Will you turn to the Lord and ask Him what you need to do to escape the hardship that is in your life?

When our hearts are right toward the Lord, He blesses us with protection, provision and His favor. Have you experienced God's unearned blessing and favor? If so, will you thank Him for whatever He's done to bless you and your family today? Will you pray for others who are not experiencing the Lord's goodness, at this time?

Noah "walked with God." As a result, he experienced the favor and blessing of God. Do you have a relationship with the Lord. Going to church on Sunday is not the same as having a real relationship with God. If you want a real relationship with the Savior, confess your sins and ask Him to come into your heart and take control of your life. He will not turn you away, no matter how wickedly you may have acted in your lifetime.


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Devotion: God's Grief - Genesis 6:1-7

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them."  - Genesis 6:1-7

Angelic beings left their heavenly abode to marry and impregnate the "daughters of men." The Lord was grieved by the wickedness that was on the earth, and purposed to destroy every living thing from the face of the planet. God is long-suffering, not wanting anyone to perish, but He will not put up with wickedness indefinitely. Are you prepared for the Day when the Lord once again judges the inhabitants of this earth? If so, how do you know? If not, what are you doing to prepare for the Day of Judgment?

"Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord." We can grieve the Lord by willfully disobeying His Word (His will) and choosing to live our lives apart from His wisdom and counsel. God wants what is best for us. When we choose to live according to the dictates of our own limited understanding, the Lord must correct and/or judge us for the error of our ways.

Have you ever done anything that grieves the heart of God? If so, will you confess your error to the Lord, seek His forgiveness and be reconciled to Him today?

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The Righteous Seed

1 This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 

11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 

19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

After Cain slew Abel and was driven from His presence, God enabled Adam and Eve to birth a third son (Seth). Seth began a godly lineage through which our Lord Jesus Christ would be birthed.

True to His word, all men eventually died, as a result of Adam's sin. The notable exception to the curse was Enoch. Enoch had the testimony that he "walked with God." No one else in today's text shared that testimony.

Enoch was a prophet of God who preached about the end-times (see Jude 14-15). Enoch was a man of faith and, because of that, he pleased God (see Hebrews 11:5). Can the same be said of you?

Enoch was a type and shadow of the rapture, or the "catching away" of the saints to meet the Lord in the air, recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. Are you ready for that great Day, when we will meet our Lord in the air? If not, diligently seek the Lord on what it is that He would have you to do at this season of your Christian walk and do what He says!

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Cain's Unrighteous Descendants

16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived , and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged seven fold, truly Lamech seventy and seven fold. 25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she barea son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew . 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. - Genesis 4:16-26

For the first time, since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their descendants were separated into two types of people: the righteous and the unrighteous. Cain was separated from the presence of God and his lineage grew progressively wicked, throughout four generations. During their time on earth, Cain and his decendents built a city, raised livestock, played musical instruments and invented items made of iron and brass without once calling upon the Lord.

Lamech, the last recorded of Cain's descendants, bragged about murdering two men. Rather than expressing remorse for those murders he arrogantly assumed that he would be avenged seven times the vindication promised Cain by the Lord. In his ignorance, Lamech failed to understand that he did not  have any relationship with God and that the Lord had made no such promise to avenge him for his wicked deeds.

It was with the birth of Seth that the righteous lineage began.

Thinking about your own genealogy, have you heard tales of certain ancestors that were more given over to lawlessness than your other predecessors? How has their wickedness affected your own family, if at all?

There are such a things as generational curses and familiar spirits that can hinder a believer from living as a "new creation" in Christ Jesus. If you are dealing with besetting sins that you've been unable to be delivered from, you may want to consider talking with the older members of your family to determine if you are being visited with the sins of your predecessors. If you still aren't sure, confess and repent of sins that your ancestors may have committed that affect you at the present time.

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First Man Driven from God's Presence

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said , I know not: Am I my brother's keeper ? 10 And he said , What hast thou done ? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me . 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. - Genesis 4:9-15

"Godly sorrow leads to repentance." Cain never confessed, or repented of, killing his brother. He only became concerned when he considered that banishment from the Lord's presence could result in his own physical death. The wicked never confess or repent of their wicked deeds because they have no fear of, or reverence for, God. When we highly esteem the Lord, we will grieve over anything that we do that will displease Him. Our desire should be to please Him more than ourselves. The most acceptable sacrifices to God are "a broken spirit and a contrite heart."

Our first response to sin ought to be honest confession and repentance. Sadly, many of us will only confess the obvious sins, but rarely confess the less innocuous sins such as gossip, arrogance, lying or half-truths. The source of all sin is pride. When we believe that we know better than God how to live our Christian lives, we're destined to fall.

There are many Christians who do not understand the importance of spending time in God's presence more than one day a week, or one holiday a year. The less time we spend in God's presence, the more likely we are to live defeated lives as Christians. We need the Lord's presence, not only for protection against the enemy, but to grow as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you revere the Lord enough to spend time in His presence on a daily basis?

Cain only bemoaned the loss of the Lord's presence when he thought that his life would be endangered  by being outside of the Lord's presence. Why do you spend time with the Lord?  Do you seek the Lord's presence to please Him or to fulfill your "religious" duty?

Spending time in the Lord's presence involves much more than a sacrifice of time, talent or treasure whenever it's convenient for us. Time spent in the Lord's presence involves the daily study of His Word and time spent in daily prayer to ask Him to meet our needs, to confess and to repent of our sins and to praise and thank Him for who He is and what He has already done in our lives. As we spend more quality time in His presence, He transforms us to be more like our Lord, Jesus Christ.

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The First Response to Temptation is Always Wrong!

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth ? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well , shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well , sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. - Genesis 4:6-8


Just as He does today, the Lord God was providing Cain the way of escape from the trap that the enemy of his soul had laid for h

im. The spirit of offense can ensnare even the most sainted believer.

James 1:13-15 provides an illustration of how sin is conceived and the result when it is not dealt with swiftly. Sin begins in the human heart when we are: (1) drawn away from God, and (2) enticed by our own ungodly desires. The passage goes on to say that: (3) desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and (3) when sin is full-grown it brings forth death.

The Lord expects His people to rule over their negative feelings and to do so swiftly. Such negative emotions as anger, lust, bitterness, jealousy and hatred (to name a few) are not to rule over us. It's our choice. We choose to follow self-centered emotions (i.e., our flesh) or the Spirit of the Living God! Following the Holy Spirit always leads to the positive fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control.

What temptation are you facing today? Will you rule over the ungodly feelings that tempt you to disobey the Lord, or will you allow those ungodly feelings to rule over you?

At the root of Cain's problem was "pride". Pride is the key that opens the door for the enemy to "sift us as wheat". Are you given over to feelings of pride? Do you believe that you can do whatever you want without depending upon God? If so, be prepared for a fall.

1 Peter 4:8-9 warns us to "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him..." If we do not resist the evil thoughts and desires that are within us it is certain that the evil one will rule over those emotions, making us captive to him and adversaries of our Lord and God.

There are many ways that we "murder" people, knowingly and unknowingly. We can murder (destroy) a person's character, or reputation, with gossip. We can destroy an individual's self-worth by by acting as if their thoughts, words or deeds

are inconsequential to our lives. We murder our brothers and sisters with venomous words intended to inflict wounds to their hearts that only the Lord can heal.

It is important to note that any destructive actions that we take against another will have reverberations in our own lives, including lost blessings and/or the Father's chastening. We always "reap what we sow". This is why it is so important that we make amends to those we have offended before we ever attempt to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.

How have your words and/or deeds diminished or devastated the people in your life? Have you sought forgiveness for your actions? Have you attempted to make amends to those you may have offended through your ignorance or malice?

Cain slew his brother because the Lord did not accept his sacrifice, but accepted Abel's sacrifice instead. The most pleasing sacrifice that we can offer our Lord is confession that leads to repentance (i.e., an inner change in our mind and hearts)!

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The First is not Always God's Best!

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived , and bare Cain, and said , I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect . And Cain was very wroth , and his countenance fell .  Genesis 4:1-5

With every new event (e.g., first job, first marriage, first child) comes eager anticipation and hope. The Lord God had declared that the offspring (or Seed) of the woman would crush Satan's head. Most certainly, after giving birth to her first male child born, Eve remembered God's promise and considered that perhaps the child would be the fulfillment of the Lord's promise. The first child was named "Cain." What important "first" are you looking forward to? Are you willing to wait for God's "best"? What will you do if things do not go exactly as you planned?

We never know what our children will grow up to be, or do, with their lives. The first man born of a woman, grew up to work the earth, which the Lord had cursed (Genesis 3:17). The second man became a shepherd. The birth of the first male child, as promise-filled as his birth had been, was eclipsed by a weightier and more sobering reality: man had become capable of harboring sin in his heart as a result of the sin nature that began to progressively corrupt humankind, as a result of the fall.

In the garden, there was no strife or discord. However, the consequences of sin was becoming more obvious with time. Strife, bitterness, anger and division had entered into man's heart. Cain was obviously very jealous of the fact that the Lord accepted his brother's offering, but did not accept his. What anger, bitterness, or  lack of forgiveness are you harboring in your heart? Will you give your negative feelings to the Lord? "A broken spirit and contrite heart, God will not despise."

There has been much discussion about why the Lord accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's. There are those who say that Cain offered the Lord fruit from the ground; ground which the Lord had cursed. Also, since his sacrifice came forth from the ground, his offering cost him a great deal of sweat and hard labor.

It's human nature to believe that the harder we work to please the Lord, the more acceptable our sacrifice will be. But, in truth, God is not impressed by our "works" of the flesh,  our ministry, our good deeds, or anything else that we do for Him that is tainted by self-determination and self-effort (i.e., the wrong motives). The Lord doesn't care about what we do as much as he cares about who we are (i.e., the condition of our hearts).

According to Hebrews 11:4, Abel's offering (a slain lamb) was accepted because it was made in faith by the man who trusted that the Lord would be satisfied with the best he had to offer (i.e., that which the Lord had provided). Have you sacrificed time, talent and/or treasure to the Lord? God is not pleased by what we sacrifice, as much as He is interested in why we sacrificed it!

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