Small Group Cancelled

Small group will be cancelled on Sunday, April 28.

St. Patrick's Bad Analogies

This video does a great job of enumerating various trinitarian heresies as well illustrating the difficulty of simple explanations for the trinity.  Enjoy!

April 21st

I will be out of town on April 21st, so we will have no lesson.  The group may still meet, so look for an email.   Until we meet again I have posted a hilarious video about trinitarian debates and ancient church history.

Week 13 Homework

Read Genesis 11 - 12:3.  This is the story of the tower of Babel and the call of Abram.

Week 13 The Post Diluvian World

The Post-Diluvian World

Recap

-  In the first nine chapters of Genesis we have seen themes that will be prominent throughout the rest of the Bible.

-  Fall, Increasing Sin, Remnant, Judgment, Redemption through Judgment, New Heavens & New Earth.

-  In the Noah story, Noah functions as a picture of Christ, who through his obedience saves his family and sacrifices in faith bringing about a new heaven and new earth.

-  So already at the very beginning of the Bible, we see a picture of God’s ultimate plan for judgment and redemption.  

-  This is why when Peter looks back on the history of the world, he divides it at the flood and describes the time before the flood as “the world that then was” and the time now “the heavens and earth than now exist.”  

Introduction

-  God repeats much of the original commission God had given to humanity in the garden.

-  Humanity is told both in verse 1 and verse 7 to be fruitful and multiply

-  Humanity’s role as having rule and dominion over earth is repeated all be it with an emphasis on fear.

-  In Genesis 1:29 every plant yielding seed and every tree bearing fruit was given to humanity as food.  In 9:3 every moving thing that lives and the green plants are given as food.

-  Verse 6 states that man is still made in the image of God.

-  The language of blood in verse 5 & 6 seems to echo Genesis 4 where Abel’s blood cries out.

Q. What does this repetition of themes tell us?

-  God is continuing His plan for humanity despite the flood and despite sin.  

-  Capital punishment for murder because man is the image of God

-  It is significant that despite sin, humanity is still considered made in the image of God.  

Noaich Covenant

-  As humanity repopulates the earth, God will not inhibit humanity’s efforts with another flood. 

-  The rainbow is given as a sign.  Signs were a physical reminder of God’s promises just like circumcision was given as a sign of the covenant with Abraham and the sabbath was given as a sign of the Mosaic covenant.  

-  The word for rainbow is the same word for a bow that a warrior would use.  The image is that God has hung up His bow and will not continually attack humanity.  Think of a gunfighter who retires and hangs up his pistols for the last time. 

-  God’s wrath is abated and the natural order of the world will continue until the final judgment.

Q.  Who does God make this covenant with?

-  Everyone, it applies to those who are His people and those who are not

-  The covenant is with Noah and and all his descendants after him for all future generations.  It also with every living creature and even the earth.  

-  This is one reason I think it is a distinct covenant from the one mentioned in Genesis 6:18 which is only between Noah and his family.  

Q.  What are the conditions of this covenant?

-  There are no stipulations.  This is not a suzerain-vassal treaty but a royal grant.  God unconditionally gives the promise to humanity.  Included are those who are God’s people and those who are not so it common and theologians refer to this as common grace.

Fall 

-  The flood involved a decreation and recreation.  After the flood we have a new earth but we see sin creeps into this world as well.

-  Just as the fall of Eden involved fruit and nakedness, so Noah’s fall involves the same.  

-   Ham by his exploitation of Noah’s shameful nakedness shows himself to be the seed of serpent who had led Adam and Eve to a state of shameful nakedness.  

-  Shem and Japeth by contrast emulate God who clothed Adam and Eve’s nakedness in animal skins by covering their father.  

-  It is unclear what exactly is going on.  Its probably best not to speculate but to understand that by taking advantage of his father’s situation, Ham’s actions are disapproved.

-  The phrase “uncover nakedness” is used in Leviticus as a euphemism for sexual intercourse.  It is possible though it was not intercourse between Ham and Noah, but between Ham and Noah’s wife since the “the nakedness of the father” is equated with the father’s wife.

Leviticus 18:7-8

- Elsewhere in the Old Testament, having intercourse with a man’s wife was seen as usurping his position.  For example, Absalom sleeps with David’s concubines, Reuben sleeps with Jacob’s concubine Billah, and Adonijah tries to marry David’s wife Abishag in an attempt to show they and not their father was in charge.

-  Perhaps Ham was trying to establish himself as ruler of the new heaven and new earth by supplanting Noah.  

Post-Fall Revelation

-  Noah pronounces curses and blessings on his three sons.  These curses and blessings are in poetic form indicating their importance.  

-  God’s creation of man, Adam’s naming of the woman, the post-fall judgment, and Lamech’s boast are in the form of poetry.

-  This is the first time a man utters a curse or a blessing.  The words are given divine force and a spoken as though they have authority.  

-  At the fall of Adam and Eve it was God that pronounced curses and blessings.  Humanity’s role seems to be somewhat expanded after the flood.  God was the one who punished Cain  and promised vengeance if Cain were harmed.  Now after the flood, humanity is given the power to address murder.  

-  The flood has changed other things as well.  Before the flood, humanity’s depravity was the basis for judgment by God.  However, because of the sacrifice of Noah, humanity’s depravity is the basis for God’s mercy. Noah and Ham’s actions do not lead to another flood, but instead they have been given God’s graceful assurance of security.  

-  Ham’s descendants are condemned to servitude just as the serpent is cursed to crawl on its' belly and eat dust.

-  The big question is if Ham is at fault why is Ham’s son Canaan the one cursed.  Two points make sense of this:

1.  Though Shem and Japeth are blessed directly the blessings seem to really be about their descendants.  

2.  If the fall of Noah is parallel to the fall of Adam and Eve, then there should also be a parallel to the seed of woman and seed of the serpent. 

-  So it would make sense that the seeds receive the curses and blessings. 

-  The meaning of the names of the three sons is also important.  Canaan sounds like the Hebrew word for subdue.  The word is even used in Deuteronomy 9:3 to describe the defeat of the Canaanites by the Israelites.  

-  Shem is the Hebrew word  for name.  Remember that name is a recurring word in these chapters pointing to its significance.  Earlier the Godly line of Seth is known as the people “who call upon the name of the Lord.”  Shem’s descendants will be also people who call upon the name of the Lord, which explains why “The Lord, the God of Shem” is blessed and not Shem himself.

-  Japeth sounds like the Hebrew for open.  The text literally reads yapath japeth.  This verb for open is rarely used in the rest of the Old Testament.  

-  We are set up for this, before the flood there was the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent with Noah representing the righteous line and the rest of humanity the unrighteous line that brought violence and corruption to the earth.  Just after the flood, before any of the above events, the three sons on Noah are listed and the text specifically mentions that Ham was the father of Canaan.  

-  The Canaanites are clearly outside of the line of promise and so the text has already set us up to see these two groups reemerging.  

-  There are some differences, whereas there were two camps, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent after the fall of Adam and Eve, now there are three camps, the descendants of Canaan who are cursed, the descendants of Shem who are blessed because of their association with YHWH and the descendants of Japeth who are incorporated into the family of Shem.  

-  Later Isaiah will pick up this prophecy concerning Japeth concerning the incorporation of non-Jews into God’s kingdom.

1.  Isaiah 26:1-2 “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

        We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. 

        Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

2.  Isaiah 60:11-12 “Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.  For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.”

3.  Isaiah 54:1-3 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor!  For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the Lord.  Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.  For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities."

Week 13 Prayer Requests

1.  Samantha continuing to have complications after brain surgery

2.  The Church Committee, specifically that they would achieve clarity on the key issue effecting the church.

3.  Visitors 

4.  Karen's brothers situation involving his divorce.

5.  Gary's tricep

6.  Allison Blake's stressful work situation 

Week 12 Homework

We will meet again Sunday, April 14 at 6:00.  Read Genesis Chapter 9 in preparation.

Week 12 Noah & the Flood

Recap

-  We have focused on the avalanche of sin that runs from the fall through Cain and Lamech ultimately culminating in the sons of god.  

-  However, there is another community that runs through the line of Seth.  This is the believing community of God that call upon the name of the Lord.

-  Just as Lamech represents the epitome of the Cain line, Enoch represents the epitome Seth line.  The parallel is made stronger by noting they are both the fifth in their respective lines.

-  Enoch walks with God.  The stem used for walk typically takes on a judicial meaning.  That means that Enoch could be holding the rest of the world to God’s judgment as a prophet would.

-  The line of Seth is similar to the Cain line in that the phrase “and he died” is repeated.  

-  Enoch breaks this pattern by being taken by God and not dying.  It is a hint that death may not be the final word.

-  In Genesis 5:28-29, Lamech interrupts the flow of the genealogy by naming his son Noah.  

Q.  Where have you heard this language before, and what do you think it means?

-  The language of the cursed ground is from the post-fall judgment in Genesis 3.  

-  Lamech names his son in the hope that he would be the one to reverse the curse.  

-  Lamech demonstrates his faith by clinging to the promise of the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent and free humanity from its toil.  

-  In contrast, the sin has reached a point where every intention of the thoughts of humanity’s heart was only evil continuously.

-  Genesis 6:12 has God seeing the earth and his judgment is that it was corrupt, whereas in Genesis 1 God saw the earth and judged that it was good.

Q.  What thoughts do you have on the Noah story?

God remembers Noah

-  The literary structure of the passage follows the rising of the waters and the falling of the waters.

-  Noah waits on the flood for 7 days, then enters the Ark and waits for 7 days.  For 40 days and 40 nights the rains come until the water prevailed over the high mountains.  This lasted for 150 days.  

-  So we have increasing numbers as the water covers the whole earth.  After 150 days the water begins to abate, and the ark rests on Mt Ararat for 40 days until Noah sends out a raven and a dove, he then waits 7 days and sends out another dove, then Noah waits another 7 days.  

-  Now the numbers are decreasing just as the water is decreasing.  

-  The whole story can be set up as a chiasm.  

-  By viewing the story as a chiasm, we can see the central point is verse 8:1 - God remembered Noah.

-  The word remembered is used in conjunction with a covenant.  To remember to a covenant is to make sure its stipulations have been faithfully executed.

-  For example in Exodus 2:23-24 we are told that God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the series of events that lead to the Exodus begins.

Covenant

Q.  What covenant is God remembering?

-  God had made a covenant with Noah in 6:18.  

- The flood is a reversal of creation.  The earth returns to formlessness and void where the waters cover the deep.  

-  After it rains for 40 days and 40 nights the God makes a wind blow over the earth and the waters subside.  This recalls Genesis 1:2 when the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  The word for spirit and wind is the same word in Hebrew - ruach.

-  At this point, God is recreating the earth - there is a new heaven and new earth.  

-  This is a picture in miniature of God’s plan for the world, God will save his people through judgment.  

Redemptive Judgment

-  In 2 Peter 3:2-7, Peter compares the final judgment that will come with the second coming to the   flood.  

-  Therefore we can view the flood as not only a picture of salvation, but of the final judgment.  

-  So the flood is a foreshadowing of the final judgment, and therefore it is legitimate to draw a parallel with the book of Revelation.

-  There is a parallel between the judgment of Noah’s flood and the final judgment of Revelation.

-  That is why last week I brought in Revelation even though some of you probably thought I was going off in left field.  

-  The same forces are at play with man attempting to be God, to rule as divine, and to reject the Kingdom of God.

-  The line of Cain builds their cities and stakes out theirs claim that the world belongs to them.

-  By contrast the line of Seth claims God as the ultimate authority.  

-  This battle reaches a crisis where only Noah remains faithful and so God must intervene and save his people to show he is change.

Q. Where are some other places in the Bible where God intervened to save his people through judgment?

-  Pharaoh has no respect for God (Who is this YHWH that I should listen to Him?) and so God intervenes to save His people and to show Pharaoh who is in charge.

-  God does this through a series of plagues as well as the incident at the Red Sea.  Both the plagues and the red sea experience make a distinction between God’s people and those who are not God’s people.  

-  The same waters that destroy the Egyptians are salvation for the Hebrews.  

-  This is how redemptive judgment works.  A distinction is made between those who belong to God and those that reject God. 

Noah as a Christ Figure

Q.  The reason God saves Noah is because he finds favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Later in Genesis 7:1 God says that in contrast to the rest of the earth that Noah is “righteous before me in this generation.”  Does it make you uncomfortable that God saves Noah because he is righteous and found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

-  We are very uncomfortable, because this seems to teach salvation by works.

-  The King James and the New King James actually translate favor as grace, because the translators are so worried this may come across as salvation by works.

-  However it is clear that grace is not the proper translation if we look at some other places this word is used:

1.  Deuteronomy 24:1

2.  Proverbs 3:1-4

-  The way we understand this is to see that Noah is functioning as a picture of Christ.  

-  Just as Christ earns salvation for his people through His righteousness and obedience, Noah earns salvation for his family through his righteousness and his obedience building the ark.  

-  Noah is the obedient vassal who fulfills the stipulations of the covenant and therefore earns the reward.  Jesus is also the obedient vassal who fulfills the terms of the covenant and earns the reward.

-  Remember that there are three levels to the ancient near east model of kingship.  The king, the vassal, and the vassal’s subjects.  God is the suzerain, Jesus is the vassal, and His followers are the subjects.  

-  We have the same model with Noah.  God is the suzerain, Noah is the vassal, and his family and the animals are the subject.

-  We can see this further by noticing that in Genesis 6:5-6 we are told that the reason for the flood was because the wickedness of man was great and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously.  However, after the flood, in Genesis 8:21, God says “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.  Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 

- So God sends a flood to destroy everything because humanity is evil, but then he promises not to destroy the earth because humanity is evil.  

Q.  How do we explain this?  What changed?

-  Noah the righteous man makes a sacrifice.  There are several things that make this sacrifice special.

-  First, it is called an “olah” or whole burnt offering, this is the most special of the sacrifice, it symbolizes total dedication. 

-  A sacrifice is a substitute for the offerer.  It other words the sacrifice takes the place of the offerer.  For example, the lamb at passover is the substitute for the Israelite first born.  The angel of death required judgment.  In the case of the Egyptians it was the first born, in the case of the Hebrews it was the lamb.  

-  This sacrifice was no easy sacrifice.  It required faith, there were not many animals left and so sacrificing the animals and burning them whole would have required a significant amount of trust that God would provide more animals.

-  The take home message is that the sacrifice of a righteous man in faith will satisfy God’s wrath leading to a new heaven and new earth.  

-  Now Noah is a sinner just like us and ultimately his righteousness does not bring him salvation.  However, even though Noah was saved through the flood he still died.

-  The flood is only a picture of judgment and Noah is only a picture of Christ.  

-  Bible has a system that tells us about the plan of God and the Bible repeats this point using different stories.  

-  So here at the very beginning of Genesis we have a great picture of how God works.  He promises deliverance for his people and delivers his people through judgment through the faith and sacrifice of a righteous man leading to a new heaven and new earth.

Flood & Baptism

1 Peter 3:20-22  

- Peter draws a parallel between baptism and the flood.  In fact the word for correspond to is antitype.  So Peter is saying that the flood and baptism is an antitype.

Q.  Does anyone from our Hebrews study remember what type and antitype mean?

-  The type is a model or symbol, while the antitype is the reality the type refers to.

Q. What are some examples of types and antitypes?

Q.  How do baptism and the flood relate to each other?

-  We often think about baptism as if it only a washing away of sin, but baptism is more than that.

-  There is also an aspect of baptism that symbolizes judgment.  

-  We think of water as something positive but for the Israelites water represented the forces of chaos and disorder.  It was not safe.  That is why Jesus’ miracle of calming the storm was so significant.  

-  In Luke 3:16-17, notice John describes Jesus’ baptism is symbolizing more than cleansing.  

-  Baptism is a passing through God’s judgment trusting that only God can allow the believer to pass through successfully.

-  John 5:24 tells us the same thing, the Christian passes through judgment from death to life.

-  Isaiah also makes this connection between the new life of resurrection and the flood in Isaiah 26.

Week 12 Prayer Requests

1.  Randall's son is trying to sell house and move to Alamance County

2.  Samantha is back in the hospital with an infection and possibly other complications after

     her brain surgery.

3. Kristen's coworker's wife is having radiation for thyroid cancer.

4.  Rick Warren's son who committed suicide.

5.  Austin's house fire.

6.  Allison Blake's long hours because of staff shortages.