QT 8/6/2025 Gen 8:13-22, Getting serious about sin

Genesis 8:13–22 (ESV) —

13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

 

NOTE: Interestingly, Noah sees that the water has dried up, but still waits almost two months for God to tell him to go out. And in the previous passages there were already things growing, as the bird did not return the second week.

 

God says "man's heart is evil from his youth" and "I will never again curse the ground because of man." I suppose, this would be a regular thing if it was not for God's promise. For now, everything will remain. Earlier in Genesis we see that God had another plan -- a son of man who would crush the serpent (Satan). So why the need for the flood? Although Satan has convinced the world that the story is a myth, the flood shows us the deadly seriousness of God toward sin, as well as a common theme of extended grace.

 

We have a tendency to not take sin seriously. In Job, he says

 

Job 28:28 (ESV) —

28 And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

 

God is trying to get our attention, and he uses many events in our life. The real question is not whether the bible is true, but whether I want to listen to God, or am I intentionally ignoring his word to me?

 

PONDER:

1. What is God trying to get me to do?
2. What is God warning me to stay away from?

 

PRAYER: Father, search me and know my heart. Reveal my stubbornness to myself. I want to be serious in regards to sin. I do not want it to reign in my life.