Fri.’s Devo - After the Flood

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23
When the waters flooded the earth they came from the springs of the deep and the floodgates of heaven. So they were like jets on the floor and the ceiling. The waters began on the 17th day of the 2nd month and had gone by the 17th day of the 7th month when the ark rested on Mt. Ararat which means “the curse reversed”. The curse was the rain which now rain is a blessing that stands for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God promised to never curse the earth again because of man even though every inclination of his heart was evil from childhood. After the flood, things changed. Even what they ate changed. Before, man was told to eat herbs and plants but now he was told he could eat meat. For the first time, God put the fear of man in the heart of animals so that they would protect themselves from being killed. They were not to eat meat of an animal that was still alive. Neither were animals to eat living creatures; they were to make sure they were dead first.
God said, “just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” This is a picture of the millennial reign where everything will be ours to eat. They were told to be fruitful and increase in number and multiply on the earth. God placed the rainbow, the glory that shines around his throne, as a picture of his covenant he made with us never to destroy the earth with water again. God was bringing a piece of heaven to earth. It is comical that the homosexual community uses a rainbow as their logo. God will not share his glory with darkness.
Noah had three sons and from them the world repopulated. Shem was the oldest and the Syrian, Hebrew, Arab and Assyrian nations came from him. Ham’s name means “black”. He was cursed by his father for dishonoring his father and uncovering his nakedness. His descendants build Babylon and lived in Arabia and Ethiopia. Japheth was responsible for the Celts , the Medes, and the Ionians or Greeks.
Once John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus began preaching John’s message of repentance. Jesus chose his first two disciples which were brothers: Simon Peter and Andrew. They were fishermen but Jesus called them to catch something more important than fish. They would now catch men. The next people he chose were also brothers and fishermen: James and John. The four of them left everything to follow Jesus.
Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching and healing every disease and sickness and his name became known.
Our Psalm is man crying out to God and our Proverb is God calling out to man.
Lord, may we respond to your call as you are always responding to ours.