Wed.’s Devo - God’s Covenant

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 God sent a wind to dry the ground and finally a year later, Noah was able to exit the boat. Noah released the animals and sacrificed to the Lord some of the ones he had seven. God promised to never curse the ground again because of the human race even though everything they think and imagineer is bent toward evil from childhood. God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply. God put in the animals and the fish a fear of man because from then on, they would be food for man. God would require the blood of anyone who took another person’s life. Even if a wild animal killed a person, it had to die. If a person took the life of a man, then his life would be taken by a man. Never again would a flood destroy the earth. As a sign of God’s covenant, he gave them his rainbow in the clouds. Year later, Noah reaped the grapes from his vineyard he had planted. He made wine and got drunk. He lay naked in his bed and his son Lot saw him. He came out of the tent and told his brothers Shem and Japheth. They covered their father without looking on his nakedness. When Noah awoke and found out what had happened he cursed Ham’s son Canaan to be a the lowest of servants. He blessed Shem and Japheth and said that Ham’s descendants would be their servants. Japheth, Ham and Shem’s lineage is given. Japheth’s descendants settled in Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxine. The sons of Ham went southward into Arabia, Canaan and Mizraim in Egypt. Nimrod is mentioned as a famous warrior. He was know for killing wild beasts which gained him the public gratitude and was exalted as a hero. He founded the first kingdom in the world. Nimrod headed an army that went into Assyria and conquered some of the land of Shem fulfilling the meaning of his name “rebel”. Nimrod also built the town of Nineveh and other towns. Shem was the father of Eber, the ancestor of the Hebrews. Aram was the countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia and Syria. Included in his land was Shinar and the country of Eden. During the life of Peleh the earth was divided probably by an earthquake. All the nations came from Noah’s descendants. In Matthew, Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been arrested and went to his territory and encouraged all of John’s followers continuing his teaching repentance because the kingdom of God had come near. Jesus called brothers Simon Peter and Andrew from their boat to come and follow him. He then found James and John, also brothers, who were mending their nets and called them to follow him. They all did. Jesus spoke in the synagogues in Galilee announcing the Good New about the Kingdom of God. He healed every kind of disease and illness. People from as far as Syria heard and brought their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus healed them and set them free. Lord, may we do the works that you did and set people free.