Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Covenant

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 God caused a wind to dry up the earth and the waters were abated. The ark landed on top of Mt. Ararat which means “the curse reversed”. It had been 150 days since the flood started. *** Noah and his family ended up staying on the ark over a year. He had entered at the age of 600 and it was the 17th of the second month. He exited at the age of 601 on the 27th day of the second month. He set the animals free then offered God a sacrifice of the animals he had brought for that purpose. God accepted the offering and said he would never destroy every living thing again. As long as the earth remains there will be seasons. *** God blessed Noah and told them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He put fear of man in the heart of all the animals and told him that he could now eat meat. The only stipulation was that the animal had to be dead first. Any animal or man who killed another man, would by man be killed because man was made in the image of God. *** God covenanted with man and animal that he would never destroy the earth with a flood. He set his rainbow in the cloud as a sign of this covenant. *** Noah and his three sons planted a vineyard and Noah drank wine from it and got drunk. He lay in his tent drunk and naked. Ham saw it and told his brothers. They took a cover and walked backwards so they wouldn’t see their father’s nakedness. *** When Noah awoke he knew in his spirit what had happened. He cursed Ham’s descendant which was Canaan. He would be a servant to his brethren. The prophesy came true when the descendants of Shem took the promised land and made the people of Canaan their servants. *** Shem’s descendants were the Syrians, Persians, Lydians. They represented those that would become the true worshipers of God which now represent the true Eklesia of Christ. They were the children of Israel who took the promised land. *** Japheth’s descendants ended up primarily in Europe and Asia. They included the Greeks, Medes, Scythians and upper Turkey. *** Ham’s descendants became the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Philistines, Egyptians and Africans. We get all the notable sinners in his group like Nimrod, Babel, Babylon, and Nineveh. *** In Matthew, Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been put in prison. He left where he was and went to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali to Galilee which was the land of the Gentiles. He began preaching John’s message of repentance. *** While Jesus was walking along the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew casting their net into the sea. He told them to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him. *** Jesus then came upon another two brothers who were mending their nets and told them to follow him. They immediately left their nets and began following him. Jesus went all around Galilee teaching in the synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He healed all kinds of sickness and disease and became very well known. He delivered those who had demons and freed the epileptic and set free the paralyzed. Many people followed Jesus. *** Lord, may we be as willing as the first disciples to follow you wherever you take us. May we not be afraid to cast out demons and set people free.