Rejoice:

Oh my… Enjoy the Lord with this beautiful worship BEFORE you read 🙂 Maybe you cannot focus on worship for the whole song, but try to spend at least a minute or two in it before you jump into reading! Listen, thank Him for these truths!! This song has some powerful truths about our Lord!

Read:

Gen 11

So… yesterday we talked about how God did a couple things out of his merciful deliverance

1) He promised to never flood the earth again and destroy man… so they didn’t have to be afraid of this intense judgement coming in this fashion again.

2) He gave them a second chance to fulfill His calling “be fruitful and multiply AND spread across the face of the earth.” A second chance though every thought and intention of mankind was evil.

The character of God we have seen so far is

1)He is merciful beyond belief (I probably would have been a bit harsher on Cain). Could you imagine having this incredibly beautiful plan  and knowing your first kid would try to ruin it? Yet we also saw how when Man obeys God responds.

2)God, as I have said more than once already, truly adores when mankind obeys Him and walks in faith.

Now in chapter 11 we see the character of an reiterated. We are seemingly unable (as a whole) to obey what God has said and show even the smallest sign of TRUST in Him. Yet somehow we arrogantly feel our sin should not be punished. Man is told to spread out and fill the earth. Yet now they are sticking to one area and trying to make a name for themselves… the very same thing Satan wanted (we will learn this later in these lessons). It seems like they are afraid of being forgotten, and perhaps even secondarily looking for an escape of any potential future floods. Many scholars feel this is the reasoning behind it being taller. A tall tower would indicate immense power because it would be useful in thwarting one of the most traumatic natural disasters and threats mankind had seen.

I know the answer may seem apparent now -that’s the purpose of this book- but what do you think God’s response will be? Honestly… I couldn’t hear you answer. I was waiting and then realized you would likely took a long time to answer… since you wont be able to read this until I post it… Again, what do you think God’s response will be? If you said: Miraculous judgement that doesn’t seem to be as bad for us as our disobedience and it would be accompanied with significant mercy/deliverance… YOU’RE RIGHT!

Instead of destroying all these humans who are obviously being disobedient, or allowing them to continue in their disobedience and end up being totally ruled by it, He got them out of it. They weren’t even desiring to be removed from their sinful ways, no desire to be righteous, but God produced righteousness in them. He caused them to be obedient so that their future generations could receive deliverance from their death’s judgement.

I hope you’re starting to see God’s purpose of Scripture: God’s pattern is being laid out, along with the character of each party (God and Man) so that when we reach Christ what happens next should be anticipated!

Respond:

Lord, this is awesome. I am so thankful that You always place judgement on us that is far less that we truly deserve and that You mercifully give us deliverance from our sin. I pray that I can see areas in my life where I am displaying the characteristics of mankind that you have made clear: disobedience and doubtfulness. Help me to be more like You! 🙂

Relate:

Go build a tower to Heaven. Just kidding. I want to remind you that you’re reading these devotions about God not only to build your own intellectual understanding of the Lord but also to grow deeper in love with Him. Hopefully as you see how He is faithful and merciful you throw yourselves on Him and thank Him. Likely that will turn into Him reminding you that there are many who have not received that same mercy yet. You need to be sharing these truths. Not this devotion maybe, but the truth you are learning! YOU are a minister of righteousness. YOU can bring freedom to those who are currently held captive by the enemy!