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the promised one :: lesson four

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. It is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate for sure. We have been busy hanging out with family this week so I asked Julie to cover lesson four today. I am so thankful to have friends who are seeking God and who challenge me. It is a blessing. I was challenged and encouraged by what Julie had to say and I know you will be too!

I know there has been a lot covered so far, so if you are a little behind we would still love to hear your thoughts on each lesson (I am a little behind on responding to comments too!). You can still go back and leave a comment anytime! We are so thankful for those of you who are taking this journey through Genesis with us. God is teaching me so much…I hope you are hearing Him speak to you too!

The account of Noah and the flood is so much more than a cute children’s story. As a mom, I have often focused on the “easy” parts of the story: Noah’s obedience to God’s word, the unique animals God called to board the boat, and His promise to never flood the world again (rainbow). But as I studied the Scripture this week, I saw that I have been glossing over the divine judgment, death, and destruction involved in Noah’s story and feel an urgency to make sure that part of the story is not deleted.

Noah was living in a corrupt and violent culture; humanity had become thoroughly evil and God’s heart grieved. Consequently, He determined to wipe mankind from the face of the earth . . . but not all of them. God chose to save, protect, and preserve Noah and his family. It was God’s grace that empowered Noah to live righteously and to walk with God. Noah did not earn God’s favor, but received it as a gift.

God told Noah his plan to put an end to all people and directed Noah to build an ark. God’s instructions to Noah made little sense and required a “radical reliance on the word of God” (p. 102).

While building the ark, there were many voices in Noah’s culture that were inviting him to live like the rest of the word. Voices that suggested he should not build the ark. Voices that ridiculed his lonely stand against the world. But Noah listened to one voice—the voice of God giving instructions and making promises (p. 99). What a challenge for us today to make sure that it is God’s voice we are listening to.

When Noah and his family were safely in the ark, the flood came. All the people who rejected God and had refused to listen to Noah’s warnings were swept away. It’s a horrific picture, but is not one we can gloss over because it “prefigures what will happen to all who refuse to enter into the safety and protection provided in Christ. The day is coming when all those who have rejected Christ will be destroyed although next time it won’t be by flood but by fire (2 Pet. 3:7).” (p. 104).

Many people today refuse to believe that judgment really is coming. It’s uncomfortable. It seems so harsh and possibly “old-fashioned.” Many people may laugh at the idea. But it’s truth, and it’s dangerous to delete it from the story. “The story of Noah and the ark shouts to all those who persist in living apart from God about what is to come. It invites all to accept God’s offer of protection and safety found only by being united to Christ” (p. 104).

These chapters left me with questions and caused me to wrestle with some of the content; but, as I saw Noah and his family and the animals protected inside the ark, I gained a deeper understanding of how the ark symbolizes our salvation through Jesus Christ. All who “hide” in Christ will be protected from judgment. The ark bore the judgment of God in the form of the flood. Noah didn’t escape judgment but was protected in it. Likewise, Jesus bore our sins on his body so that we can be saved. We won’t escape judgment, but are safe and secure because Jesus took our punishment on the cross. Ultimately, I choose to trust God’s character and sovereignty and thank him for his grace.

Your turn:

 As you made the connections between the ark and how it pictures Christ, which aspects were most meaningful to you and why?

This is an online study of The Promised One by Nancy Guthrie.

You can find all the study information here and here.

Past lessons can be found here: lesson one

lesson two

lesson three

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  • Selena Bragg - Great post… thanks for the reminder. Love your sweet heart… and your family, too! 🙂

    Enjoy your weekend!ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Selena-Thank you!

  • PK Harmon - Hi Jes,
    I ave never met you it I always read your blog. You inspire me to be a better person and to be thankful. I lve yor family! I was just wondering if you had ever read the blog “EB”Ing a mommy? I just think you could help this sweet girl with a few things. Thanks for looking.ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    PK-I hadn’t ever read her blog before…thanks for letting me know!

    • Jess - PK-I hadn’t ever read her blog before…thanks for letting me know!ReplyCancel

  • Jamie - It’s comforting to know that Christ will protect us from the coming storm, just like the Ark shielded Noah and his family from the flood. You are right, it’s uncomfortable to think of the judgement that will come someday. In fact, I have a hard time talking about it with my husband because it seems so far fetched. He’s a pretty skeptical person and I don’t think I do the Bible justice when I explain the stories to him.

    One other piece that struck me this week was on page 102, when it’s talking about God’s grace. It’s by God’s grace that I am opened up to my own sinfulness. That was a huge step for me in really truely believe what the Bible is saying about sin. Nobody likes to think they are doing anything wrong or sinning. But I thank God everyday that He did open up my eyes and gave me a heart of repentance.

    Sorry I missed last weeks study! That was a tough one with lots of concepts that I think I skimmed over too fast and I need to go back and reread. Sorry this is late too! My baby girl was baptized today in our church and we were busy busy this weekend. Can’t wait for this coming week’s lesson! I really love digging into Genesis with this study. There are so many important parts of the story that a person misses when they just think of how Genesis is portrayed from childhood stories.ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Jamie-Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your heart. Praise God for how His grace is transforming you by giving you a heart of repentance. I loved how Nancy said, “God’s grace in your life transforms you into a person who loves the world around you less even as you have an increasing affection for God. Most significantly, grace gives you faith to believe in the Promised One”. I long for God’s grace in my life to transform me too.

    Jess Reply:

    Jamie-AND congratulations on your sweet baby girl. What a special weekend!

    • Jess - Jamie-Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your heart. Praise God for how His grace is transforming you by giving you a heart of repentance. I loved how Nancy said, “God’s grace in your life transforms you into a person who loves the world around you less even as you have an increasing affection for God. Most significantly, grace gives you faith to believe in the Promised One”. I long for God’s grace in my life to transform me too.ReplyCancel

    • Jess - Jamie-AND congratulations on your sweet baby girl. What a special weekend!ReplyCancel

  • Sarah D. - I have just a bit of the lesson to finish, but I want to comment anyway. I have been thinking a lot about the ark and how beat up it probably was by the time it rested on dry land again. Even so, it kept its’ inhabitants safe and dry. I was so struck by the verses Nancy had us look up to see how the ark points us to Christ– 1 Peter says that it is because of Jesus’ wounds I am healed. I never want to get over the fact that Jesus’ scars keep me safe in the palm of His hand. What God did for Noah and his family in the ark was just a foreshadow of something so much bigger, more amazing, –not to mention personal and life-changing to me.ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Sarah-I was so struck by how the ark points us to Christ and the safety we find in Him as well. There were so many connections that I had never made before. So many. You are right. It is just a foreshadow of something so much bigger and life-changing to ME. I never want to get over the fact that Jesus’ scars keep me safe in the palm of His hand either. Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Jess - Sarah-I was so struck by how the ark points us to Christ and the safety we find in Him as well. There were so many connections that I had never made before. So many. You are right. It is just a foreshadow of something so much bigger and life-changing to ME. I never want to get over the fact that Jesus’ scars keep me safe in the palm of His hand either. Thanks so much for sharing!ReplyCancel