Sun.’s Devo - Be Fruitful and Multiply

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 Noah and his family were on the ark for over a year. When the earth was finally dry, God told Noah to leave the boat and release all the animals. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord using the animals and birds that he had brought just for that purpose. God told him he would never curse the ground because of man again no matter how evil they become. He would never destroy all living things. While the earth remains there will always be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night. *** God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. Now, the animals, the birds and the fish would fear man because they will be food for man just as grain and vegetables had been up to this time. Man was never to eat meat from a live animal. It must be dead, first. *** Any person who takes the life of another must die by human hands. Any animal who kills a person must die. The reason being, man was made in God’s image. *** God confirmed his covenant with Noah and his sons and all the animals and birds on the earth. Never again would he destroy the earth with a flood. The sign of his covenant with them was a rainbow which is seen after a rain. It is there to always remind us of his promise. *** After the flood, every person came from the lineage of Noah. They began to cultivate the ground and planted a vineyard. One day, Noah drank so much wine from his vineyard that he became drunk. He lay naked in his tent and Ham saw that he was naked. He told his brothers what he had seen and Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it over their shoulders. They walked backwards and covered their father without looking at him. In this way, they honored their father where Ham had not. *** When Noah sobered and heard what Ham had done, he cursed Ham’s son, Canaan and blessed the descendants of Shem and Japheth. He prophesied that Ham’s sons would always be servants of Shem’s descendants. Shem and Japheth would be prosperous and have much territory. Years later, God would give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. *** In reading their genealogies, Ham’s was full of names like Cush, Nimrod, Babylon, Assyria, Nineveh, the Philistines which were all enemies of Israel. Ham’s descendants also included all the “ites” in the Promise Land that God told Joshua to destroy. Japheth settled in Europe and Asia. Abraham came from Shem’s descendants who possessed the land of Canaan. Canaan’s descendants also settled in Egypt and Africa. *** In Matthew, Jesus heard that John had been arrested and he returned home to Nazareth. From there he went to the area of Galilee and began preaching John’s message to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven was near. *** While walking on the shores of Galilee, Jesus called two brothers, Peter and Andrew to stop their fishing and come follow him. He promised to show them how to fish for men. They immediately left their fishing and followed him. Later, he met another set of brothers, James and John. They were with their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and they immediately came with Jesus. *** Jesus took them throughout the region of Galilee teaching in the synagogs proclaiming the Good News about the Kingdom. He healed every king of disease and illness. The news spread and many came to him and were healed and delivered of demon possession. *** Lord, thank you for your promises never end. Every time we see a rainbow were are reminded that you are the same yesterday, today and forever.