genesis: chapter 9... he's so wasted!

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So God blessed Noah and his sons... (9:1)

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. (9:22)

Ham happened upon a drunken, passed out Noah and what did he do?  Did he cover his father's indignity? The man who saved his life and the life of his family? He did not. He sneered at him and went directly outside to tattle and maliciously damage his father's reputation. He felt the thrill of his father's sin, the electric shock of superiority we feel when we have a chance to put someone else down and lift ourselves up. That's exactly what it does, this sneering gossip. It falsely elevates us by putting another person down. Why are we as a race so ready to put ourselves forward, to judge the faults and iniquities of others? It's sickening, really.

Shem and Japheth are my heros in this story. I imagine them turning away from their brother, Ham, in concern over what he had just told them. I imagine them quietly conspiring about how to best walk in and how to hold the cape and how to cover him up so they won't have to at all look at Noah in his indignity. They cover him up with their faces turned away, never having to see his nakedness- showing the deepest respect for their father.

This is the kind of person I would like to be. Not the kind that sneers, not the kind that laughs, not the kind that thrills over a sister's sin. The kind that will do everything I can to cover her, to help her, to show compassion and respect even if what I do there might never come to light. Even if I might not ever receive acknowledgement or thanks or the same treatment in return. I have too often been the one who whispers and sneers and secretly thrills. I have too often been the one who needs forgiveness, let alone the one who needs covering up.

genesis: chapter 8... good choice

Then God remembered Noah... (8:1)

Noah's in the ark and all he can think about is how much longer? How much longer? How much longer? Why else would he be sending out ravens and doves all over the place every 7 days for as long as it took? He sent out the raven first- it being a bird that can survive on a broad range of food types, and then the dove, a much pickier eater. The raven kept coming back and forth, to and fro until the waters had dried up. Did Noah cry the first time the first time the dove returned? Did Noah monitor what the raven ate when she flew back to him? Did the raven increasingly eat less and less at home and the less she ate the more hopeful Noah became? When the dove failed to return, Noah knew the time was soon. Why didn't he get out then?

I love that he didn't get out. The Lord told him when to go in, and the Lord told him when to get out, and Noah wasn't going to move until he heard the word.

Genesis 7:1 “Come into the ark...”

Genesis 8:16 “Go out of the ark...”

So what were the birds for? Not much. Well what else was Noah going to do? Maybe he needed a little bit of hope. A little bit of of time to prepare. A little bit of news to go back and talk to his wife about. But really, it didn't matter whether he sent out those birds or not, God was still going to call Noah out of the ark when He decided to call him out... which wasn't until the earth was completely dry. The last torturous 2 months when the ground looked dry, but before the Lord had spoken...

The first thing Noah does after all that waiting and waiting and waiting? He worships God. He gives to God. He remembers God.

What a patient, obedient man. What a lover of the Lord. What a craftsman, what a hard worker, what a good husband/father/leader of his family. This is the man God chose to begin life again. Good choice.

genesis: chapter 7... waterlogged

Then the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark..." (7:1) 

According to people who study these things and like to add numbers together, Noah and family were on the boat just over a year all told. That is an incredibly long time to take a cruise to who knows where taking for who knows how long. I hope one of those wives brought along a deck of cards. Of course, Noah probably had a feeling it was going to take a while. I mean he was building that boat for years. Did Noah's mind need a year on the water in order to release the lost world? For Noah to travel from experiencing the death of everything he knew to establishing life (literally) in a new place? After being held safely captive for a year, Noah must have been overcome to simply see, stand, and touch dry earth again. Standing in the mountains of Ararat, the old world would have been a hazy memory to him after so long.

The more I ponder this absolutely monumental act of God, the more I see the wisdom in using flood waters to drown, decay, and ultimately wash away the filth that existed in population, round one. In fact, the flood was perfect. The perfect way to annihilate all the people on the earth save eight. How else could God have killed so many people without leaving a stinking graveyard lying around?

If a body is buried in a coffin deep in the ground, for example, it could take as long as 50 years for all of the tissue to disappear. But if it is exposed to the elements, it will decay very quickly. The most important factor in decomposition time is how much exposure the body has had to bacteria. Bacteria need oxygen to survive and are generally found in heavy concentrations in water. Therefore, exposure to air or water will speed up the process of decomposition dramatically. Animals and insects will feed on the tissue if a body is exposed, also quickening the process. http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/take-dead-body-to-decompose

Noah and his family had to stay on the boat that long because it took that long for the dead to die, be eaten by marine life and bacteria, and quickly decompose. They didn't have to deal with the bodies of the dead, or the stench, or even the burial, since the receding of the waters would have washed most everything away like the drain in a kitchen sink. It was perfect.

When I think about those people in the ark, and how they were forced to learn grief, and patience, and trust, and hard work, and inaction, and how they must have wanted so many times to scream, or cry, or jump over the side just to get off of there... you better believe that when I am in a similar situation- where I have to stop and wait and let go of everything I ever knew and only just look ahead, you better believe I am going to do my best to prepare, and listen to Him, and do exactly what He says to do because I want to land smack-dab on top of a mountain, too.

genesis: chapter 6... smelly garbage

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them... (6:1)

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (6:5).

STOP. If you are a Christian that verse is a matter of routine. Yep, they were bad, they deserved to die, go forth, next verse. But if you are an unbeliever, a non-Christian, a pagan- whatever you like to call yourself, this statement could be highly offensive. This statement could be calling YOU evil. All those people were killed in the flood, only God saved Noah and his family, because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (6:8). If you lived back then, would you have been in Noah's family, or not in Noah's family?

I remember the process in which I accepted my own depravity. I had heard and rejected countless gospel messages and after one of them I crowed proudly and laughingly to a pastor's sweet daughter, "Totally, I'll admit it, I'm a born sinner!" She gently and naturally replied, "Yes, we all are."  Yikes. Right. Yes, of course. That's the point, isn't it? We all are. It wasn't the monumentally destructive partying, or the cheating, or the deception, or the cruelty. It was all of it, rolled up into everyone else's own truck full of smelly garbage that brought Jesus here. Not for sin, but for love.

This is a daily exercise, but the more I admit my own depravity, the more freedom I have. I am not alone in this. The sisterhood I share with boundless numbers of women across the globe who call themselves Christ-followers depends on the gorgeous fact that we not only share the same Holy Spirit within us, but we have all finally admitted that we have done, are doing, and will continue to do some bad things and we need someone to help us with that. We can stop trying to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we are right and good all the time. We can walk naked again before the Lord, admitting our sin and being washed by His forgiveness.

Because the Lord flooded away all of the filth and violence and evil intent (like He does with His Spirit), we all descend directly from the line of Noah, whose heart wasn't evil continually. I'm glad about that. Imagine if God had left the world the way it was, with the multitude of evil people running around, and then I was born unto and among them. There would be exponentially more violence and cruelty in this world than there is now, and I would be exponentially more horrified than I am now, probably at myself most of all...  for the earth is filled with violence through them (6:13). So for the flood, and His cleansing every day, I am glad.

genesis: chapter 5... that's my dad.

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam... (1:1)

It's the proven line generation by generation from Adam to Noah. Let's keep this one short and easy.

• I learned how to spell geneaology. it has an "a" in it. Who knew?
• Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (5:24). Common assent is that Enoch flew straight up to Heaven. Lucky duck.
• Methuselah lived longer than anybody else ever: he died at 969 years old. Bible trivia!
• Noah's dad named him that because I guess Noah means "comfort" and his dad said "this one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands" (5:29).  That's nice. We named our girl Phoebe because in Romans 16:1 there was a Phoebe who was a helper of many (plus Phoebe Caulfield is my favorite character in any book). Elliot Abraham is our son's name. Elliot is the French form of Elijah which means "Jehovah is God", and Abraham is the father of our faith. Names are cool.

 The funny thing is, all these people are listed in this book but they are just names in black and white there. Each one of these people had a long life on a new-ish planet. Did they think they were noteworthy?  I think they're pretty noteworthy even if we don't know anything about them. Their name is in the BIBLE. The ACTUAL BIBLE. So I try not to skim those parts. I mean, it's in there, and they were alive. I should give them their due respect.

genesis: chapter 4... jealous much?!

Now Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." (4:1)

Cain brings a lame offering to the Lord and gets the smack-down for it. What is his response? He kills his brother. What kind of reaction is that? What did Abel have to do with it? Nothing. But Cain decided that he himself no way couldn't possibly be the problem- it must be his brother. Cain even had the chance to cop to it before God but did he do it? Nope, he just got angrier and angrier. That's how people get when they don't want to admit their crap. They just get angry. Its pretty funny in a super-sad kind of way.

What, did Cain think he was special? That he didn't have to play by the rules? Bad call. Not one of us is special- we're all created exactly and totally equal in the sight of God. So if any one of us fails to heed the rules nothing we try to give to God will be accepted by Him. Not worship, not prayer, not service, nothing except an in the dirt confession. Why don't we just admit what we do? Why is it so hard? Why are we so slow to repent?

The really sad part is that because of his misplaced jealously, Cain lost the best friend he was ever gonna have. I know a little bit about that. Looking around at what she has and what she has and what she has which is none of my ding-dang business instead of  looking straight into the eyes of the Lord and walking my own walk with Him. I might not murder you but I might wish you were dead, or at least that you would move to Indiana.

Wouldn't it be easier just to own up to my own sin and leave you out of it? Let me take my eyes off of everybody else and permanently fix them on the Author and Finisher of my life. May I only wish my sisters the best the Lord has for them, loving them with a supernatural love that comes from a more humble heart than I could ever muster on my own without Him who in His wisdom puts me in my proper place. Every time He does it, I thank Him for it.

genesis: chapter 3... earmuffs!

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made... (3:1)

... and the kids listened to Him. Because they listened, they saw. Because they saw, they ate. Because they ate, they hid from God.

Mama was right: bad company, baby. Eve didn't even really check out the Tree of Knowledge until the serpent sweetly pointed it out to her, convincing her it was for her benefit. Once she got her eyes on that fruit, she couldn't look away, and knew she could never again be satisfied with the gorgeous variety of edibles readily available to her at all times.

But it wasn't really the fruit she was after.  She wanted the result of the fruit. That she would be like God... she would be like God... she would be like God (3:5). She really blew it, too. Imagine the freedom of not knowing good and evil. Imagine walking totally naked- mind, body, and spirit, with the One True Living God. Imagine not trying to hide your sin from Him... just enjoying Him. Just enjoying Him.

I don't even want to start listening to people who tell me sin is okay for some reason or another. I don't ever want to doubt the loving and freeing commands of God. Who is the voice whispering in my ear? Who am I listening to? Who am I following? Who really loves me? Am I doubting what God says? Am I denying His commands?

Lord, let me look to you alone for guidance. Give me eyes for only what you have given me, which is more than enough, Lord. Give me ears only for your words. Give me a thankful, contented spirit, inspiring the people around me to good deeds and not to sin. In the matchless, holy name of Jesus- amen.

genesis: chapter 2... undiscovered mercy

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished... (2:1)

I like how God emphasizes that He finished the job. I'm a great starter, but not so great a finisher...

Adam and Eve are in this amazing place and there's one thing there they can't eat but they do anyway and it makes me so mad. I mean, they had it all and then some. They weren't even ever gonna die and they lived in the absolutely best place in the world going cowboy all over the place and were they satisfied? No. They weren't satisfied. They had to have what they couldn't have.

No surprise there. The apple doesn't fall too far from them. No matter where we are, what we do, who we are with... temptation will exist. I could be an oscar-winning actress living on a ranch outside of austin with peach trees in my backyard and there would still still still be some sin that I wanted to commit, some temptation that lured my eyes away from the goodness of God. When we do act on some vile sin, small or large, it is never to be truly recovered from. Redeemed, maybe. A vehicle for God to show His mercy, but never truly recovered from. Because of their greedy mouths,  Adam and Eve had to move, work, experience pain and disease, and ultimately die. But God showed His goodness in clothing them, still feeding them, and providing a Savior to save them from eternal death. Prior to that, God's mercy had yet to be discovered in their perfect world.

Let my eyes and my heart realize over and over the consequences of deliberate sin are not worth the quick pleasure of them. I need self control and greater faith to call upon the Lord when I feel myself falling into habits I know are un-glorifying to God. I praise God for His mercy but let me not test it, Lord. Let me not unduly rely on your goodness to pardon my blights.

genesis: chapter 1... tidy up!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...  (1:1)

...and everything in between.

He is so specific, and so organized and distinctive. In Genesis: Chapter 1 everything He created He separated, categorized, organized, divided, distinguished- creating not vague formless things, but making incredible detailed choices about color and size and place and aroma and taste and whether something can fly or swim or be eaten or belongs to the day or the night. Everything He created has a form, a function, a place in the order of things. He created the grass and seeds and fruit trees very early so they would be ready to consume for humans. He created humans separately and immediately blessed them and told them to have sex (1:28) and eat (1:29). He saw everything He had made and He saw that it was very good (1:31).

I should be more organized. In my home, in my car, in my purse, on my calendar, in my writing, I should be able to take stock of it all, see what is there, and see that it is good. Instead of being afraid of being attacked by flying books in my basement, I should donate everything that doesn't fit on the four bookshelves we have down there. Instead of an avalanche of downy freshness falling upon me every time I open the linen closet, I need to divide and conquer the 37 extra pillowcases I keep on hand just in case. I mean, in my house, everything is in such a jumble I can't SEE anything. God could survey his work because He was lovely about it. He knew where everything went and what it did and how it fit together with everything else. It was good. I want to look around my house and my stuff and say: this is good.

Lord help me stop winging everything into cupboards and junk drawers and closets and baskets. I want to be more organized and specific about what is around me. From the beginning I want to have a place for everything and make my surroundings as lovely as I can. Grace me with your power to not slack in this area.