Sarah Day 2: Trusting and Obeying

The first step toward forgiveness is to understand why we tell lies. Mark (Meadows, a sociology professor at San Diego's Union Institute,) says, "People lie for two reasons: to protect themselves or to protect others."....Abraham was afraid, but that didn't excuse his moral failure. It made it harder for Sarah to trust and obey him in the future.

We've seen that Abraham and Sarah were partners in their pilgrimage as well as in the promises of God. For the Lord to fulfill His covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation and bless his seed, Sarah had to be included in the deal. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango.

Heading in an unexpected direction caused Abraham to fear--and we know that fear is the opposite of faith. His lapse in faith put Sarah in a compromising situation. Sarah even agreed to a lie. Scripture is silent concerning how Sarah felt about the lie, but we know that God protected her while she was staying with Pharaoh.

But God can turn failures into bright futures. Remember,"God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28).

Today's scripture reading comes from Genesis 12:10-20.

1. Describe what happened "now."

A famine came upon the land where Abram and Sarai were living, so they journeyed to Egypt, where they could find food.

2. a. Explain what Abraham feared and how he handled it.

He was afraid that he would be harmed if they knew that beautiful Sarah was his wife. So he asked her to lie and claim to be his sister. That way, he wasn't harmed, and Pharaoh took Sarah into his home.

b. What does this teach you about him?

He didn't fully trust God to take care of them in Egypt. He put his own concerns about his safety over the desire to tell the truth, and therefore was not forthcoming to Pharoah, and therefore not forthcoming with God.

3. a. Recount what happened to Sarah.

Sarah was taken to Pharoah and lived with him in his household.

b. How might this have made her feel?

She might have felt that Abraham was more concerned with saving his own skin than taking care of her, even though she was supposed to be his beloved, and supposed to be one with him.

4. Contrast the lives of Abraham and Pharaoh during this season.

Pharaoh was rich and lived in splendor. Abraham was living on the road in a tent, in a caravan with smelly animals. Pharaoh had others at his beck and call. When Abraham entered Egypt, he only had Sarah and Lot, and those who they had acquired earlier. Though Abraham was married to Sarah, Pharaoh was the one who got to enjoy her beauty while in Egypt. Abraham was fearful for his life, but ended up faring well during this time. Pharaoh thought he had nothing to fear, but because of Sarah, ended up losing much within his household.

5.a. Who rectified the situation?

The Lord did through Pharaoh, when he cursed his household, which led Pharaoh to tell Abraham to take Sarah and leave the country.

b. What lesson can you learn for your life?

Things might seem to work out by telling lies and not trusting the Lord, but they would work out easier, and possibly quicker, with His plan and His help.

6. Put yourself in Sarah's place, and describe how you think this final outcome might have made her feel.

Sarah had to have mixed emotions. She had to have been fearful while with Pharaoh, but at the same time, may have felt betrayed by Abraham. She would be relieved to be back in his arms and happy that he had prospered while in Egypt, but may have been sorry to leave the splendor that she enjoyed while in Egypt.

7. True faith begins where human resources end. When food ran out, so did Abraham's faith. Journal about a time when one of your necessities dried up and how it affected your faith. What did God teach you, and how did you grow from the experience?

It has just now occurred to me how like Abraham's situation--and how I showed faith like Abraham--or the lack thereof to be honest, I was in the summer before I met Chris. I was employed, but the county I was working for did not pay over 12 months. They expected us to keep back enough paycheck to make it through the summer. Guess who didn't do that?? Yep, that would be me! Call me an inexperienced 20 something if you wish, but I still think that it was a ridiculous thing to propose to your employees! Nevertheless, that was the situation. Now add to this that I was being required to take classes toward becoming certified to teach a specific educational population, and that this county was offering me NOTHING in the way of assistance. Again, with my inexperience, that was probably part of the reason I didn't have anything saved for the summer, what with the cost of graduate level classes and books!

So I came upon summer with NO income, no place to stay in Charlottesville while taking classes, and no real way to pay for it. I did do one thing that the Lord prompted and applied for a loan through The United Methodist Church. But there is where my sense stopped. If I had trusted the Lord and paid UVA immediately what I owed them, I feel sure that the Lord would have better provided. But instead, I took matters into my own hands and used the money that had been loaned to me to pay such necessities as rent and food instead of for the classes. Then I had no money to pay for classes!

The situation worsened. I got hired in another county and had to go another month without a pay check. I just got deeper in debt, and didn't fully pay off what I owed to UVA. It took me several years to rectify the situation. If I had only trusted God, I'm sure it would have gone much better!

8. Fear and faith cannot coexist. One ultimately consumes the other. "Fear not" is a repetitive scriptural command. Place a check in the appropriate box th indicate the things that make you afraid.

YES Loneliness: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed" (Isaiah 41:10).

YES Weakness: "Fear not...I will help you" (Isaiah 41:14).

NO Insignificance: "Fear not...I have called you by your name" (Isaiah 43:1).

NO Enemies: "Be strong...do not fear nor be afraid of them" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

YES Embarrassment: "Fear not; for thou shall not be ashamed" (Isaiah 54:4).

NO Death: "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28).

Journal a prayer asking God to give you faith to overcome your fear. Tell Him that you will walk in faith despite your feelings.

How strange, Lord, that I fear things such as being lonely or embarrassed, when I know you are with me at all times! Give me strength to face these fears, and give me your peace while I face them and more. Remind me that you are with me ALWAYS, even in these things that I fear!

9.a. We reaffirmed that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). List some of the ways you are choosing to walk by faith and not by sight.
Asking about my new job, and then asking for money to help pay for it
Applying for school
Asking about this job, and taking it, though it means some unknowns
Devoting time each day to exercise and do Bible study even when I may not feel like it
Devoting 2 hours a week to pray for strangers that are connected to me through Twitter only

b. What scriptural promises are you holding on to, waiting to see their fulfillment?

Honestly, none, because I see their fulfillment in my life each day! God has lead me through many rough times, and though on days like today when I am fighting pain and frustration, I know that He has not brought this upon me. He is giving me a way to seek Him through the pain, and to witness of His love and kindness through it all. He is laying before me EXACTLY what I need, and granting me what I need before I even have the words or forethought to ask! He is wonderful and mighty, all-knowing, and He is KING!

Too late Abraham learned that it's impossible to run from your problems, because oftentimes YOU turn out to be the problem. In Canaan he was afraid of famine. In Egypt he feared foul play. One bad choice led to another--fleeing opened the way to fibbing.

Today's lesson ends with a powerful quote from George Muller:

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.

Sarah-Stand By Your Man

Day One: Leaving and Cleaving

As women we graduate from one relationship to another. We transition from being a daughter to becoming a wife. With this transition, our alliances also shift from father to husband. "Daddy's Little Girl" is transformed into her spouse's "better half." While one bond breaks, another forms into the tie that binds. Jesus said,"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate: (Matthew 19:5-6). In other words, you must stand by your man through thick and thin.

We learned through (Noah's wife's) life that anonymous does not mean inconsequential. Like many unsung heroes, she happily served behind the scenes as her husband and sons became renowned.

Sarah, Abraham's wife, is truly the matriarch of the faith. We'll see a complex woman who would at one moment exhibit a meek and quiet spirit and the next stand up to her husband when there was conflict in the home. As she walked through her life, she came to understand that the hand of God is more powerful than the wishes of man.

The scripture for today's lesson is Genesis 12:1-9.

1.a. List all that Abraham was asked to leave behind.

Abraham was asked to leave behind his country, his family, and his father's house.

b. How might that have made him feel?

I would think that it would make him feel uncertain, and unsure of what God wanted from him. He would definitely leave his place of security, where he understood the language and knew those around him. He may have wondered whether or not he was walking to his own death at the hand of those in another land.


c. What do you imagine Sarah felt about this?
I would think she might be wondering what she had gotten herself into by cleaving herself to Abraham! I'm sure this was unexpected, and she had to wonder if Abraham was going mad. Nevertheless, she followed him without argument, which shows her patience, faith, and loyalty to her marriage vows.

2. What phrase in God's instructions indicates that Abraham did not know exactly where he was going?

God tells him to leave it all for a land that "I will show you."

3. a. List the blessing that would follow Abraham's leap of faith.
Make you a great nation
Bless you
Make you famous
You'll be a blessing
Bless those who bless you
Curse those who curse you
All families will be blessed through you.

b. How might this promise have influenced him?

It had to be 'heady' to have this blessing made to you and to know that if he followed God's will, these things would happen! I'd say it would definitely impress upon him positively!

c. What might Sarah's reactions have been?

It had to make her feel good to know that these things could be done through her love! I know it had to make her happy to hear that she would have children as well.

4. List those who accompanied Abraham on this journey and what kind of supplies they might need.

Abraham left with Lot, Sarah, and all the possessions and people that they had gotten in Haran. They would have needed food, animals, tents, and other supplies for them to survive on their trip to the unknown place.

5. What places were included in their journey, and where did they finally set up camp?

They went through Sechem and the Oak of Moreh, Bethel, and finally set up camp between Bethel to the west and Ai to the East, and then Abraham traveled south to Negev.

6. Abraham did something twice. Underline the activity. Why do you think he did this?

He built two altars, to give God praise and glory for keeping them safe and leading them thus far, as well as for the promises He had made him. He also did this to show the Lord that he was keeping up 'his part of the bargain' and honoring Him in his travels.

7. Abraham and Sarah were asked to leave all that was familiar to them. Jesus asks the same of His followers. Rewrite the following passage into a personal prayer relinquishing all that you possess into God's hands. (Matthew 16:24-26)

Lord, I want to follow you, and let you be the One in charge of my life. If I am to do this, I rejoice in the troubles that I might face because they will show others how You are working in my life. I cannot do this alone, I must have You to show me the way. When I follow You, You will be revealed through me as I become the true person You desire me to be. Yes, I will lose myself, but I will gain myself in You!

8. Abraham would empty his arms only to be filled with the promises of God. So, too, as we deny all to follow the Lord, He fills our lives with great and precious promises. Read Galatians 3:26-29.

a. Who does God consider as members of His family, and how does this happen?

Anyone who has been baptized in the name of the Lord.

b. What divisions has Christ abolished?

God has abolished all divisions such as Jew or non-Jew, slave or free, or male or female.

c. What additional benefit does the believer experience in Christ?

We are all descendants of Abraham, and are heirs in his covenant promises!

9. This season in Abraham's life consisted of tents and altars. The tent was where he spent time with people, and the altar where he communed with God. In the columns below, list the places you lived and places you have worshipped. Then write about one memorable encounter you had in each of these places.

Worshipped:
Holston View: my true 'church home
Prospect: where I learned the love of those outside my family for me
Ft. Blackmore Camp: first experienced a love of nature
Vermont: where I accepted Christ into my life
Buffalo Mountain Camp: started learning about how BIG God is!
Trinity, Big Stone Gap: learned about love of friendship--and had my first kiss!
Jr. High Assembly: learned how I could learn from other Christians
McFarland: Learned about God's unconditional love
Sr. High Assembly: Learned to put my relationship into order--Jesus, Others, Yourself
Camp Lookout: selfless love
Emory UMC: love of community
Cherokee UMC: learned of Christ's love for me as an adult
Loudon UMC: learned about how people could love me without truly knowing me, but love me because I'm a part of the family of Christ

Lived:
Holston Terrace: the love of a family
Bloomingdale: how love can hurt, and that not everyone has been loved unconditionally as I have
in "Town": first experiences with romantic love
Mission Ridge Road: that my mother and I were more alike than I thought
Greenleaf: that God would help me if I only asked
MaWa: how to survive on my own
Brenda & Dale's: love of my nieces and nephews
Bonita Drive: that God would be there for me when no one else would or could
my cute little apartment: self-protection
Mom and Dad's house: my first home with my husband! That I need to care for ME
our home: the love of being a parent

Abraham might have been a baseball player who knew that you can't get to second base if you keep your foot on first. He willingly left his home and went where God told him. His beautiful wife Sarah left everything to go with him. There were some hits and misses on the journey, but God considered their pilgrimage a home run.

The lesson ends with a quote by Billy Graham:

Let your home be your parish, your little brood your congregation, your living room a sanctuary, and your knee a sacred altar.

Noah's Wife Day 5: Home Away from Home

When God entered into a covenant relationship with Noah, his wife, their sons, and their wives, He promised to give the family protection from the coming flood. Thus, we see God's character in providing a godly remnant of committed followers...God is more than willing to give each of us a new beginning. Don't wait for a flood of judgment or a vast calamity in order to cry out for God's help.

Today's scripture focus is Genesis 7:1-7.

1. What instruction did God give Noah and his household and why?

He instructed Noah and his family to board the ship.

2. What was Noah told to do with the animals and why?

Noah was instructed to take 7 pairs of every clean animal, one pair of every unclean animal, and seven pairs of every kind of bird to ensure their survival on the earth.

3.a. After how many days would the rain begin?

The rain would start in 7 days.

b. Why do you think God chose to wait?

I think He did this not only to give Noah and his family time to board and get settled on the boat, but also to give those who could observe the ark to turn from their sinful ways.

4. Describe what would happen as a result of the floodwaters.

God said that He would destroy the earth and make a clean slate of everything He had created. It would rain for 40 days and 40 nights.

5. What do you learn about Noah in this passage?

Noah follows God's commands even when he might think they don't make much sense!

6. What do you learn about Noah's wife in this passage?

She trusted her husband's judgment and his understanding of what the Lord has instructed Him to do!

7. Noah and his family were invited to come into the ark for safety. Read the following verses, and describe some of the blessings of answering the invitation to "come." Talk about whether you have personally experienced these blessings.

Matthew 11:28: God will give us real rest when we are tired, burned out, and fed up. He will help us recharge and recover our life. YES I've experienced this promise from God!

Matthew 16:24: If we want to come with Jesus, we must let Him be the leader. We must give Him the change to lead and follow Him. If we embrace the chance to suffer for him, He will show us our true selves.
YES, I've experienced this as well...and forget to do it too often!

Matthew 25:34-36:The Lord has prepared His kingdom for us because we have cared for Jesus when we cared for others in need.
YES, I've experienced these blessings of Jesus when I have been in need1

Revelation 22:17:Jesus tells us to come, all who hear and thirst, who are hungry, who have needs.
YES, I have answered this call and felt this blessing!

8. We know God instructed Noah to bring clean animals on the ark, looking toward the time he would make sacrificial offerings. We can make an offering of prayer. With this in mind, rewrite Psalm 51:10-11 into a personal prayer asking God to cleanse you of sin.

Lord, please cleanse me of my sins and keep them far from me. Please forgive me, and stay with me even though I have sinned against you! Know that I am contrite and sorry, and stay with me through Your Spirit!

9.a. There is no record of Mrs. Noah's response to Noah's encounters with God or the journey to new life on the ark. Try to put yourself in her place. How do you think she might have felt as her husband spent 120 years building a boat based on instructions from God?

Part of her HAD to wonder if he'd lost his mind! But she was committed to him, and she has to be commended for that. While everyone around her must be whispering or laughing aloud at Noah, she stuck by him through it all! It had to have made her a bit nervous and anxious at times.

b. How do you suppose the world treated her family during this time?

Like I said above, they probably laughed and thought Noah had totally lost it, or at the very least whispered behind their backs. They had to wonder about Mrs. Noah's sanity for sticking beside him, too.

c. What do you think she might have thought, felt, or done as she sat on the boat with her family seven extra days, waiting for the rain to come?

I can imagine her wondering if the rain really was going to come, and praying to the Lord to calm her fears and wonderings. She had to feel at least a bit angry and resentful because I'm sure the animals were starting to smell and be noisy!

d. What feelings might she have endured as she watched the floods devastate the world she knew?

I would think it would have brought on mixed emotions. She probably felt relieved that what her husband had said was going to happen was taking place, so he hadn't totally lost his mind! But it had to sadden her that it had come to this. She was watching the devastation of her home and the death of everyone she had known except for her immediate family.

e. How do you relate to Mrs. Noah? (Perhaps you've followed a husband who was called by God, been mocked by the world for your faith, waited for a promise that was late in coming, or watched as others faced the consequences for sin.)

Other than growing up in a parsonage, I don't think I've had to deal with things such as this. As I grow older and see the wisdom that my husband possesses for education, I wonder if he is going to start to have a wanderlust to lead elsewhere. If he does, I will follow him, because I know it will be through God's leading. I also know that it was not his original intention to feel such, so that gives me another indication that it might be of the Lord. If so, I will gladly go with him, though it would mean leaving my home and loved ones, because it would be following God's plan and also going with my best friend!

Though we don't know her name, we do know the person (Mrs. Noah)...She was a woman of faith who was saved from judgment. She steadfastly continued the work God gave her. She was probably kind. After all, her sons and daughters-in-law consented to being cooped up in the ark with her. She must have been a hard worker. Think about caring for all of those animals! And she must have been humble. She didn't say,"Make sure you spell my name right when you put this in the Bible." Though we don't know her name, Jesus may have had Noah's wife in mind when he said,"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).

The study ends with this great quote from Alexander Maclaren:

Meek endurance and meek obedience, the acceptance of his dealings, of whatever complexion they are and however they may tear and desolate our hearts, without murmuring, without sulking, without rebellion or resistance, is the deepest conception of the meekness which Christ pronounced blessed.

Noah's Life Day 4: All in the family

That God saves some while submerging others demonstrates His ability to balance judgment with mercy...Noah, therefore, foreshadowed another judgment that will come upon the whole earth. This reckoning will be introduced at the return of Jesus Christ. At that time He will rescue believers from a planet that is once again utterly corrupt. However, instead of water, fire will consume the ungodly.

Today's scripture reading is Genesis 6:17-22.

1. Explain how God would judge the earth. Circle the words that describe the full extent of this destruction.

God declared that he would bring floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh...everything that is on the earth shall die.

2. By contrast, what were God's plans for Noah? Who else was included?

God made a covenant with Noah to go into the ark with his sons, his wife and his sons' wives. 2 of every sort of all living things should go with them into the ark--a male and a female of each animal.


3. Underline the word kind in the passage, and then list the kind of creatures that would also inhabit the ark.

All the birds of their kind, animals of their kind, and every creeping things of its kind, two of every kind should come into the ark.

4.a. How would Noah gather the animals?

The passage says that Noah should gather them. A sidenote in the study says that possibly God made all the animal pairs aware of when they needed to gather to make this easier.

b. What was his responsibility to them?

Noah was to keep them alive.

5. Besides building the ark, what further task was Noah assigned to ensure survival?

Noah was also to gather the food that he would need for the people and animals--of all food that is eaten.


6. If you were God, what kind of report card would you give Noah regarding his assignment and why?

I'd give him an A+ because he put forth his best effort to follow directions and do as God instructed!

7. God made a covenant with Noah and his sons. He also made a covenant with those who believe in His Son. Read Hebrews 9:13-28.

a. Contrast the blood of goats and calves with the precious blood of Christ (verses 13-14 and verses 19-28).

The goats and calves are sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean to sanctify them so they are outwardly clean. In contrast, Christ was sacrificed once and for all to take away the sins of many and will come again not as a sacrifice, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

b. Who are included in the new covenant and by what means (verse 15)?

Those that are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

c. Describe what must occur for a testament to be "in force" (verses 16-18)?

If a will is in force, it can not take place while the person is living.

8. God caused the animals to cooperate with Noah as they gathered to the ark. Has God ever helped you do the impossible? Journal about a task He gave you to do and how He assisted in its fulfillment.

When I was working in a different job, I had to go for 2 weeks to Charlottesville for training. I was literally making NO money, so not only did I not have money to pay for the classes, I had no money to pay for housing and food. With God's help, I found someone to stay with by contacting a local Methodist church. It worked out beautifully!

9. We discovered that one of Noah's defining traits was complete obedience. Using the word OBEY as an acrostic, list some of the ways God is aking you to obey Him.

O: Observe His holy days, be Open to His will, fight against the Oppression of others, share His word and love with Others, keep my Options open so He can work through me

B: Be patient, Beautify His world, Behave in a way that He would find pleasing, Believe in His word, Bow in worship to Him regularly

E: give Him praise in Everything, Eat healthily to keep my body as His temple, Exercise for the same reason, Extol his great deeds, Enter His gates with thanksgiving

Y: teach his ways to Youth, Yearn to be in communion with Him, follow Him Year after Year, Yoke myself with others who believe in Him, say Yes when He calls

Just as Noah was a preacher of righteousness in his generation, we must evangelize the people of our time. Of course this is done through the way we live as well as the words we say....It's very likely that the only thing that comforted Noah as he witnessed his friends and neighbors drowning was the assurance that he had done everything he could to rescue them.

And with a quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the lesson closes:

Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God, obeys God.

Noah's Wife Day 3: Houseboat

In truth, a home should be a haven from the world around us. It's the place where we feel safe from pressures clamoring on the outside. Inside its four walls, we find acceptance from the people whose opinions truly matter. When our hearts are overwhelmed, like Dorothy, we may also lament,"There's no place like home."...Whether you live in a single story, a duplex, or a trilevel ark, it's not the house that makes a home. It's the people who dwell in it. You have to admire Mrs. Noah for going along for the ride.

We'll discover that the ark would be shaped in a way that was perfectly suited for floating rather than sailing. This is a beautiful illustration of God's sovereignty....Imagine the kind of trust that Noah and his family must have had as they climbed aboard and realized that there was no navigational system. But isn't that similar to our journey of faith? God wants us to sit back and allow Him to route our course.

Today's scripture is Genesis 6:11-16.

1. Underline the word earth in today's text, and describe the earth's condition in Noah's time.

The earth was filled with violence. It was corrupt.

2. Circle all the references to God in the text. How did God respond to the earth's condition?

God decided to destroy the earth, except for Noah and his family.

3. Reread the text, and explain how the earth had become corrupted.

It was filled with violence and corrupt because the persons who inhabited it were corrupt. The earth was also filled with violence through them.

4. Who did God include in His plans? Look back to yesterday's lesson, and explain why he was included.

God included Noah in His plans, because he was just and righteous, and walked with God.

5. Describe the means of deliverance from the coming destruction and who was intended to use it.

Noah was to build an ark for himself--no one else was included in these particular verses. God gave Noah specific measurements and directions for how to build this ark.

6. Highlight the word make in the text; then describe the details of the vessels construction.

God told Noah to make himself an ark of gopherwood with rooms in it. He explained exactly how to make it: the length should be 300 cubits and width 50 cubits, and height 30 cubits. He instructed Noah to make a window for the ark, and a door in its side. He should also make it with lower, second, and third decks.


7. What do you learn about God from Genesis 6:11-16, and why is this important for us now?

Though God was very disappointed with how humanity had turned out, He did not give up on us completely. He provided a way out for this creation of His, and described exactly how it could be redeemed. Because Noah followed God's instructions to the letter, we as a species were saved, as were each animal of the earth, sea, and sky.

8. The people in Noah's day were violent and corrupt. List some ways people today behave in the same ways.

People today are violent and are also not obeying God's laws. They are sexually immoral, their business practices are corrupt, and they care about no one but themselves.

9. According to Hebrews 11:7, Noah had a plan of salvation for his household. With this in mind, write about some ways you can lead your family to the Lord.

I can seek, listen to, and heed God's instructions in order to raise my family up in His ways. I can be in this world but not of it, and can prayerfully instruct my family in this manner of living as well.

Rather than being women who point a finger at the corruption, let's offer the only solution to the problem. We can point the way to the cross. Just as Noah was known as a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5), be known as one who spends her time loving the unlovely, sharing the gospel, and "redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16).

This lesson closes with a quote by William Bennett:

We have a real problem in this country when it comes to values. We have become the kind of society that civilized countries used to send missionaries to.

This is a scary thought!

Noah's Wife Day 2: Family Values

After the fall, humanity experience an enormous population boom but continued on a rapid moral decline. The depravity reached such depths that God regretted creating humans... It seems contradictory to think that a perfect God would repent of anything. However, the true meaning of repent helps us to understand God's frame of mind...How tragic that God's crowning glory became His greatest regret. That we could be a disappointment to God is sobering, for God intended humans to be his greatest joy...

Today's scripture is from Genesis 6:5-10.

1. Describe what the Lord saw.

He saw humans who were only involved in wickedness and evil instead of being in a relationship with Him. Noah, however, was the exception!

2. How did the Lord feel about this?

He regretted creating humankind, and it hurt His heart that humans were so evil.

3. What did He decide to do about this and why?

He decided to destroy man and all the animals on earth, sea, and air, for he was sorry that he had made them.

4. Who caught the Lord's attention and why?

Noah caught the Lord's attention, because he was a just man who walked with God. He was 'perfect in his generations'--those who came after him were also righteous.

5.a. What four phrases describe Noah's character?

just, perfect, walked with God, found grace in the eyes of the Lord

b. Which of these phrases would you most like to describe you? Why?

I would most like people to describe me as walking with the Lord. If they did, this would mean that it was evident in the way that I live my life that I am a follower of Christ.

6. List Noah's sons. If you know the story of Noah and the flood, explain why they become important later.

Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japeth. They would be responsible for repopulating the earth after the flood.

7. God's description of humanity's depravity is devastating. Read 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to discover some of the sins that antediluvians (people living before the flood) were engaged in. Using the word EVIL as an acronym, list some of the ways you see people sinning today.

E: Excess, not Exercising restraint, lack of Empathy, Eating too much, Extending themselves beyond their means, Extolling themselves as their own gods.

V: Violence, Victim mentality, Vetoing God's role in their life, Very selfish, Vanity, Vile language, Violating God's law, Violating children

I: Irresponsible, Irreverent, Ignoring God's law, Ignoring society's laws, self Importance, Implying to others that God isn't needed

L: Lazy, Lack of responsibility, Lack of empathy, Lacidasical in work, Lonely for God's love, Loveless, Living beyond their means, Lying

8. We've discovered that our sin caused God to grieve. Use Ephesians 4:29-31 as a template to write a personal prayer asking God to forgive you for the ways you have brought Him sorrow.

Lord, I'm so sorry for gossiping and not using my mouth and words only to lift others up, especially those I love and that I am charged to be a role model for. I have done this far too many times. I have been blessed by you in more ways than I can even recall, and I too often take you for granted. I have denied my need to spend time in Your word. I've put other things before spending time with You. I've used ugly speech, including cursing, more times than I should. In fact, I NEVER should! Please forgive me for this, Lord, and I desire your help to change my ways. Help me to not judge others and look down upon them. Help me to treat others with the grace and the unconditional love that You have shown me--over and over and over.

9. Noah's qualities foreshadowed the steps to salvation. In the space provided, talk about a time when you've walked in Noah's footsteps to faith:

I found grace in God's eyes when...(Ephesians 2:8)

...He gave me chances over and over, especially when I made poor choices. He forgave me before I even asked!

I knew I was justified when...(Romans 5:1)

...even when I was mad at Him and upset for Him 'letting' me be treated badly when I had made poor choices, but my faith in Him stood strong, and He led me to forgiveness.

I knew God saw me as perfect when...(James 1:4)

...I loved people despite their poor treatment of me.

I walk with God when...(Ephesians 4:1-3)

People take notice of the gifts that He has bestowed upon me with which I can serve Him!

One person's negativity can influence the atmosphere...sin is highly contagious.

And to end this lesson, a quote by Albert Einstein:

Evil is the real problem in the hearts and minds of men. It is not a problem of physics but of ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.

Week 2: Noah's Wife

Day 1: Girls Behaving Badly
Quote from Lord Thomas Dewar:

The road to success is filled with women pushing their husbands along.

Mrs. Noah is mentioned 5 times in Genesis. She had to have been a righteous woman to have entered the ark. We can safely assume that she was also a godly mother and mentor.

Girls were behaving badly as they crossbred with men of suspicious backgrounds. As humanity spiraled out of control, God was compelled to intervene....While the rest of society was raunchy, they were righteous....Imagine how difficult it must have been for Mr. and Mrs. Noah to raise their children in a society bent on sin...We can learn much from their example as we teach our children to be in this world but not of it.

Today's Bible reading is Genesis 6:1-4.

1. The word now places us at a point in time. Read Genesis 5:30-32, and describe when this story takes place.

Noah was born when his father Lamech was 182 years old. By the time he was 500 years old he had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japeth. The Message interpretation adds that Lamech said that having Noah would give them a break from the hard work of farming the ground that God cursed.

2.a. What does the text say about "the sons of God"?

It says that "the sons of God" saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and took them as wives.


b. What is your reaction to this account of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men"?

This is a bit confusing to me. Were these people that God created in addition to the original creation of Adam and Eve? Where did they come from? Were they created in sin when Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden?
According to some commentary, (both in my devotion book and in what I'm looking up online) says that angels, possibly fallen angels, marrying human women. From these marriages could have come the giants to which are referred. Another interpretation is simply that godly men joined in an unequally yoked marriage with ungodly women.

It is distressing that it was the ungodly women who seemed to corrupt the godly men, but at the same time, the men chose them of their own free will....

This intrigues me, and is something I'm going to look into further!

3. What did the Lord decree and why?

The Lord decreed that men/people would not continue to live forever. He would limit their life span to 120 years. As to why--thanks again to the side notes, God was going to strive with, as opposed to judge, men for 120 years. That would give Noah time to build the ark and for sinners to repent before the flood.

4. Describe the giants--what they were like and how they came into being.

The giants were there around the same time and after the sons of God and daughters of men married. The humans saw them as men of renown, though they were not of God.

5. Read Numbers 13:32-33, and describe the inhabitants of the land of Canaan many centuries later.

The inhabitants were described as giants who made them look like grasshoppers. They were huge!

6. What does the presence of these "giants" tell you about the world in which Noah and his wife lived?

They certainly weren't the only people around, and seemed to be different in that they were living a righteous life instead of a sinful one. This refutes the thought that I have always had that the world was populated a little bit at a time strictly through the lineage of Adam and Eve. This speaks more like other people were also around, but their specific stories weren't told. However, reading some of the commentary online, it also could be that these were the offspring of different persons mentioned thus far in the Bible, too.

7.a. We've looked back as far as Noah's father and sons. Let's climb a little higher in his family tree. Read Genesis 5:21-29. What repeated phrase describes Enoch's (Noah's great-grandfather) unusual departure?

Enoch walked with God. In The Message, it says that he walked steadily with God

b. What record does Methuselah (Noah's grandfather) hold, and how old was Methuselah when he died?

Methuselah was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, mentioned man in the Bible. He was 969 years old when he died.

c. Why did Lamech (Noah's father) give Noah his name?

He named him Noah, meaning this one will give us a break from farming the ground God cursed according to The Message. In the NIV, it says that "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."

8. God's Spirit strove with the population in Noah's day, hoping they would repent and be saved from teh coming judgement. Isaiah said,"Woe to him who strives with his Maker!" (Isaiah 45:9)
a. Describe a situation in which you argued with God.

That's 'easy' to answer--the first thing that comes to mind is when the Lord was telling me to step back from assisting with the youth. I didn't want to do so, for several reasons: I knew Brenda and Dale needed the help and that they would want us to continue working with them, I felt guilty for stepping back, and didn't know who would pick up the slack. God kept telling me, though. I was unhappy working with them. It was a burden instead of a joy. I wasn't giving them what they needed because it wasn't my niche at that point in my life. It took me quite some time to vocalize this, however. God kept at me until I did!

b. How did the argument end?

God won out! He kept at me until I saw that His way was the only way I was going to get any peace. The peace that He gives is far better than anything I could say as to why my way was better!

c. What did I learn?

God isn't going to give up. He's going to keep at me until I do what He knows I need to do. Sometimes He needs us to trust Him enough to let go, even though all our human senses say it is the wrong thing to do, or even though it is difficult.

9. Today we've seen various theories regarding the giants. The fact is that all of us face giants of one sort or another. Journal a prayer asking God to help you conquer any "giant" that you face.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I've faced giants for years now, with Your help. Whether it be depression, anxiety, or the most recent 'heading' of fibromyalgia, I know that You are bigger than anything that satan can throw at this earthly body. If I trust in You and listen to the cues you give me, I know I will walk through any fire that comes my way. I am so blessed by you every day, Lord, in all my abilities and gifts that you've given me. Thank you especially today for my wonderful husband and our sons. You are so good to me!!

As you observe our society, it's logical to assume that God will not strive with us much longer. We will all face a day of reckoning. The Bible has thrown you a lifeline--take hold of it before it's too late.

This ends with a quote by Billy Graham:

If God doesn't judge America for its immorality, then He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.