Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Danny Saavedra

“God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.’” Genesis 6:12–14 (NLT)

As we saw a few days ago, God saw the immense, reprehensible, and irredeemable corruption that had spread throughout the people of the earth. It was so bad that in Genesis it literally says, “everyone on earth was corrupt.” Everyone, that is, except for Noah: and by extension, his family. So, God, in His mercy and love, decides to spare Noah and his family. 

And so, the Lord revealed His plans to His obedient, faithful servant. He says, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!” What would it be like to receive this news from the Lord? How do you react to the news that everything you’ve known for your entire life is about to change? I don’t know about you, but I feel like I would have started hyperventilating. 

Has the Lord ever impressed something crazy, difficult, and scary upon your heart? Has the Lord ever revealed something to you that you didn’t understand, that you maybe, kind of, sort of weren’t 100% on board with or ready for? Has He ever called you to do a work that is so daunting and much larger in scale than you feel equipped to handle? What did you do in those moments? How did you react to this call or command? Did you react like Jonah or Noah? 

I personally imagine Noah was probably a little shocked when he heard the Lord’s plan. But do you see him argue? Do you see him tell the Lord he was too old to build a boat, or claim that the Lord’s command was impossible? No. Because Noah, a man of faith (Hebrews 11:7), understood that faith and faithfulness are inseparable. If you want to walk “in close fellowship with God” as Noah did, you must embrace this, too! 

And so, as Jameison, Faussett, and Brown wrote, “Yet, persuaded the communication was from God, through faith (Hebrews 11:7), he set about preparing the means for preserving himself and his family from the impending calamity.”

We don’t always have to understand God’s call in order to be obedient to it. But we’re expected to honor it, because we trust that He knows more than we do, that His ways are greater than ours, and that He will never lead us astray. If He calls you to it, He will lead you through it!

DIG: Has the Lord ever impressed something crazy or called you to something you didn’t understand? How did you react?

DISCOVER: How have you seen the Lord accomplish things in your life or the lives of others that you never thought possible?

DO: Ask the Lord to reveal His will for you today. Even if it’s impossible, uncomfortable, or difficult, ask Him to lead you through it and be your strength as you seek to carry out what He has set before you.