Rejoice:

Read:

Gen 5-6

So Genesis five has a genealogy which Jayme talked about last Sunday. In short, the names all had a meaning in the Hebrew culture (similar to today’s culture). If you look at the meaning of each name in a row you’ll see an actual message! I know right, it’s like those spy books but real!! Jayme pointed out how God hides Himself in the details, and truly this was a good example. I am including a link HERE so that you can look over those things yourself 🙂 It is truly interesting!! Here is a photo with summation of meanings lumped together so that you can see the message.

The next chapter, only six chapters deep, God starts to push the reset button on humanity. God had given them the opportunity to create more humans in God’s image but they have tainted it and now have had children “in their own likeness, in their own image” chapter 5 specifically points out. In chapter 6 we see how much the sinful nature has ruled over humanity… just like God said it would to Cain if he didn’t seek doing the right thing. God’s plan for redemption is THROUGH humans, so Satan is working hard to push humans to destroy themselves and strip themselves from any connection to God. Here we find ourselves in chapter six. Humanity has no choice, should be receiving harsh judgement for openly disobeying, and is actively working against God’s plan to rescue them. Yet death and sin cannot win!!

We find Noah, someone who is faithful to God and GOD favors due to Noah’s faithfulness. God gives Noah a task, one that led him to mockery and shame among men because his mission seemed foolish. Most people denied God’s call through Noah and in fact the only saved people were Noah’s family who trusted him and joined him on the boat. Though the boat was an unusual implementation of God’s plan a choice few were saved because they trusted Noah as he spoke God’s truth.

Noah’s family, saved because of Noah’s righteousness.

What a beautiful image of Christ: Through one man who sought the Lord others were saved. God keeps putting these little pictures of his overall plan. God spent Genesis 1-4 exhibiting how broken and evil man is. Then in chapter five He gives a hidden blueprint for His long term plan and then proceeds to carry out a physical representation of it right in plain view of mankind in chapter 6. For centuries the Jews who read this Bible year after year and memorized it looked at these stories as just stories because they chose to ignore the fact that the Messiah was also the suffering servant (the one who was beaten according to Isaiah 52). God hid His plan right in plain sight for so many years.  As Jayme mentioned in service: Proverbs 25:2 says that it is the glory of God to conceal a alter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. God hid this and now that we have seen it unfold we can retroactively look at the Word and see how it was there! We can seek out these gems and ultimately see how God was so faithful that He gave us these very Words to prove (after it happened) that He was in total control. How merciful He is!!

Respond:

Lord, thank You for hiding in plain sight truths about You that we can dig out of Scripture. Thank You for helping us know You so that we can trust You. Thank You for not just commanding us to obey but You even reached in to help us by giving so much information about Your character! I pray you help me to desire to seek out Your hidden messages too! Amen.

Relate:

God found it pretty important to redeem people… that should be pretty evident now by this masterpiece He crafted to show us His plan. I wonder, is that of the same importance to you? Is your career more important? Is your safety more important? Is your future stability more important? God has called us to devote our lives to His mission and He promises to provide everything from there forward… So, maybe you have a reason to worry? If you aren’t committing your life to following Him then of course you need to worry… so I guess continue? Or… maybe change so you don’t have to worry anymore? Give God control, which means be obedient and put the Gospel as your priority at ALL TIMES. That means during disciplining your children, the Gospel is the center. When you’re at work, the Gospel is the center. When you’re with friends, the Gospel is the center. God has called us to focus on Him and commit our entirety to Him.

Sounds anxiety producing eh? The good news is God is gracious and merciful so if you’re faltering and anxious about it don’t let the enemy put you there! God is merciful and meets us where we are. So don’t get caught up in comparisons or standards that you’re placing on yourself. Instead just turn your eyes, heart, and desires towards Him and trust Him to do the rest. Maintain direction and He will guide your path.