Pride before the caduta! (Genesis 11:4)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
For the longest time I was always under the impression that the Tower of Babel was a story about the dangers of excessive pride, but after reading it carefully as an adult, it's a story of fear and disobedience. The problem was that God had just told Noah and his sons to "fill the earth (Genesis 9:1)." So after a few generations what do the people do? Freak out and gather all together in one place. They were not trying to build a tower that reached into the sky to be greater than God (some Bibles use the word "heavens" instead of "sky" which causes the confusion. In this instance they are interchangeable). The were building a tower to be a monument for people to know, find, and gather around. That way they could feel safe. God wanted them to adventure out and blaze the trails to the corners of the globe. They wanted to stay at home and huddle together where it was safe and warm.

APPLICATION
What spiritual journey are you afraid of that might scatter you all over the world? What things happen that get you lost in the crowd (safe and sound) instead of standing out? It's time for you to go on an ADVENTURE!

PRAYER
God,
Forgive us when we seek safety instead of your will.
Give us the boldness to step out on to an adventure with you.
Amen

Line 'em up, AGAIN! (Genesis 10:32)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
You may be thinking "We just had a genealogy five chapters ago! Why do I have to read another list of names?!?" Don't forget that Genesis was written by Moses hundreds of years after those events took place. Records were passed down through stories told to future generations. Family trees were important both historically and as status symbols. This is more than just a list of names to the people that heard these. Take a look at the Wikipedia page for "Sons of Noah" or "Table of Nations" and just take a little time clicking a few of the many, many links to see how far the connections of each individual name spreads.

APPLICATION
I see a major difference in these two genealogies. The previous list was our link to God. This genealogy connects us to each other. From a modern day perspective we seem so divided by nationality and race and language and any other difference we can try to make between ourselves. But the reality is that if you go back in your family tree far enough, we are all related. Every conflict that ever happened is really just an extension of sibling rivalry. When I was younger, I used to fight with my older brother all the time. Once I matured our relationship grew into a great friendship. In the same way we need to mature in out attitudes toward people that are "different."

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for your love of all mankind.
Help me to love others as much as you do.
Amen


If you can trace your family tree back to Noah:

Are we there yet? (Genesis 8:15-16)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
Some people have the misconception that Noah was on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights, but that's just how long the land was flooded. He was actually in the ark for over a year. Here's a rough timeline:

DAY 0: Noah, his family, and the animals enter the ark
DAY 7: Flooding begins
DAY 150: Flooding ends
DAY 230: Ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat
DAY 270: Noah begins releasing birds to look for dry land
DAY 285: Noah's bird releasing tests end showing land is dry
DAY 320: Noah opens the door and sees that the ground is dry
DAY 380: God tells Noah to go out

APPLICATION
So it seems that after 270 days Noah is trying to figure out when he can finally get out of the ark. However he doesn't leave the ark until God tells him too even though it takes another 100 days. Even after he has tested the land with birds and looked out at the dry ground with his own eyes, he still waits. This is an extraordinary amount of patience for a man cooped up with a bunch of stinky animals. The next time you're waiting on God and you see what seems to be your opportunity to act, have the patience of Noah and seek God before you pounce. What may seem like dry ground may still be sticky mud.

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for you're perfect timing with the plans in our lives.
Give us patience for your commands, courage to act, and wisdom to know the difference between the two.
AMEN

If you have trouble waiting in the 12-items-or-less line with only one person in front of you:

Speed dating for animals (Genesis 7:16a)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
This may be the most overlooked miracle in the Bible. Think about it. What is more unbelievable: A global flood? Or a pair (or more in some cases) of every type of animal on earth willingly congregating in the same location without killing each other. Many cultures across the globe record a history that includes a "flood myth." You hear about global warming everyday with Al Gore discussing it's affect raising global sea levels. When was the last time you heard anything about animals gathering peaceably for collection? You might consider the events preceding global disasters such as a tsunami where hordes of animals know long before humans to run for the hills, but the timeline in Genesis states that Noah was in the ark seven days before the flooding began. That's far too early for their flight instincts to kick in. There aren't specific details on exactly how it happened, but based on verse 13-16 it seems like every animal punctually showed up just as they were needed to enter the ark.

APPLICATION
In Genesis, God gives Noah specific instructions on how to build the ark. After which He ends with a comment that Noah is going to bring every kind of animal with him. If Noah was anything like me, his immediate response would have been, "Okay, I get the boat part. I can do that, but how am I supposed to get all those animals?" I can imagine Noah hard at work sawing the gopher wood into nice cubit-sized lengths when all of a sudden... CA CAW! CA CAW! "What's this? An orange-bellied parrot! I've never seen one of those before. I better catch it to bring on the ark with me!" And off he runs in hot pursuit still holding his saw. As night falls, Noah returns home empty handed and no work completed on the ark for the day.

As you look back to God's instructions, He gave Noah detailed blue prints on how to build the ark because that was the work Noah was to do. It was God's responsibility to bring the animals so Noah need not worry about it. Noah probably only needed to know about the animals so he could build the ark properly to hold them. Noah did his part and God did His.

Today we can face the same problem. We know what God has told us to do, but there are many complications that come with our task. Do your part, and let God do His.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your ever present help in times of need.
Guide me in the plans you have for me and peace of mind to let your do your part.
Amen

If you train your pets to line up two-by-two to get on your boat just to freak people out:

Pew-fume (Genesis 6:8a)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
According to this chapter, our actions evoke emotions from our Heavenly Father just as they would an earthly father. Chapter 6 begins by describing the wickedness of the people breaking God's heart. Then we have the contrast of Noah bringing God pleasure. Noah followed God even though no one else was. I would expect that when Noah was a boy, there were many people following God. But as the wicked people gain worldly success, the Godly people were drawn into their ways. Maybe they heard that voice inside saying "Why be good when everyone else is being bad? Just let that one issue slide and you'll be better off. Everyone else is doing it and see how well it's going for them? Besides there are people much worse than me." By the time Noah grew up, all the other Godly people had fallen away. Noah followed God all the time, not because it was popular, but because it was right.

APPLICATION
A pastor visiting our church named Caleb McNaughton gave us this illustration: Our culture is like a pot of boiling water. When we are placed into that pot of water we have three options:
(1) We can be like a carrot. When placed into boiling water a carrot becomes soft. Like a carrot, we could absorb the culture and become soft and bend and give in to what the culture wants.
(2) We can be like an egg. When placed into boiling water an egg becomes hard. Like an egg, our hearts could become hard to society. We could stop caring and just avoid all confrontation.
(3) We can be like a bag of tea. When placed into boiling water the contents inside of the bag of tea flow out into the water and change the water. We can let the Spirit of God inside of us flow out into our our surrounding culture, and through us God can change the culture of where we live.
Be that bag of tea!

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the change for the better you have made in my life.
Work through me to influence those around me to see your grace and righteousness.
Amen

If your musk has a hint of freshly baked pastries:

Who's who of begats (Genesis 5:1)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
My fiancee and I recently watched through the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. The common theme was the test of society's disposition. When put under pressure would people choose to do good or evil? If we lived in a world with no consequences you would be shocked at the monstrosities people would commit, yet in the worst of times some people always take a stand for what is right even at the cost of their own lives. How can the human race as a whole be evil and good? The answer begins in the spiritual warfare of your DNA. You are a descendant of Adam and, as stated in Romans 5:12, you have inherited his sinful nature. Yet as a descendant of Adam, you are also created in the image of God. Therefore you are reflection of God's peace (Philippians 4:7), love (1 John 4:8), holiness (Leviticus 11:45), and all of the most wonderful attributes we know about. You are a constant battle ground of the spiritual nature. As long as you are alive your struggles between good and evil will not end. The more closely you pursue God, the easier it is to live in His nature. If you aren't intentional in establishing the foundation of your moral compass, it will lead you astray.

APPLICATION
Live in God's design and not Adam's nature. It's easy to be good when everyone else is living peaceably  It's when you are mistreated when you show your true nature. Don't let your sinful reactions take over. Seek God's help to act in His nature when someone has hurt you. How do you apply this? Start with something simple to identify but difficult to do. Do not retaliate. By definition, retaliation is an evil act in return for someone else's evil towards you. An evil action is never the correct action. For example, the next time some driver flips you off because they almost hit you while they were running a red light, tailgating them for the next mile yelling all the way is living in our sinful nature.

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing qualities you have created in us.
Help us to live in these amazing qualities and turn away from our sinful desires.
Amen

If reading a list of names makes you want to blow up Gotham Stadium:

187 (Genesis 4:7)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION

Cain brought to God an offering, but God did not except it. The Bible does not tell us why Cain's offering was rejected. Maybe he didn't bring God the best of his crops? Maybe he brought his first fruits but he did it in a begrudging way? How Cain made his mistake is not as important as what he did after he made the mistake. Cain became dejected and angry. God warned him that his anger would hurt him, but if he just did what was right he would find joy. Cain instead choose to be angry and in his anger he killed his brother. As a result he was banished as a fugitive and forced to wander the rest of his life.

I would like to think that in some way Cain reconciled with God later in life because in verse 17 he founded a city. Yet his sins were far reaching. It would seem that his anger was passed down through his family to his great-great-great-grandson, Lamech, who committed the second murder recorded in the Bible. Cain's descendants are in stark contrast to those of Adam and Eve's new son, Seth, who's descendants where noted for calling on the name of the Lord. 

APPLICATION
Admit your mistake as soon as you become aware of it and then correct it. In Cain's sin, his brother's blood called out to God from the ground. Likewise you may be able to hide your mistake for a time, but the truth will come to the light.

The difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that a Christian is perfect and everyone else is evil. Christians are filled with just as much sin. However, a Christian has admitted his mistake to God, reconciled through the sacrifice of Jesus, and turns from sin with God's help. A true Christian stands out not by pretending to be perfect, but when he openly admits his mistakes and fixes them. 

PRAYER

God,

Thank you for your grace when I fail.

Convict me of my mistakes and lead me to the best outcome.

Amen.

If the primary method of fixing all your mistakes includes duct tape:

I just wanna bang on the drum all day (Genesis 3:19)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
The "Fall of Man" can be such an abstract concept to us. We've never known life that didn't contain struggle, pain, and death so it's easy to overlook that these things are the punishment of the very first sinful act. The one curse most Bible enthusiasts remember is painful child birth, but the primary curse for women appears to be in the end of verse 16. Perhaps because she wanted the knowledge for power, her punishment was that she shall always desire for her husband to rule over her. It seems Adam just went with the flow when he took the fruit from Eve so as his punishment he now has to struggle for every little scrap of food.

Before now I hadn't really considered that my punishment inherited from Adam is the curse of struggle in work. You might be thinking about people stuck in a job they hate, but even in a dream job many tasks are undesirable job requirements. It's important to note that according to Genesis 2:15 man was designed to work the garden. I believe this is why we often find joy in work. Our curse is not the work, but that the work would be a struggle.

These punishments are far surpassed by the more abstract concept of sin. The true curse in the "Fall of Man" is our separation from God. These struggles that we experience now are a minor reflection of consequences of choosing a life without God. Everyone will struggle in this life, but those that choose not to follow God will struggle far worse after death.

APPLICATION
If you are beaten down by your responsibilities at work, remember that it is your curse inherited from the original sin, BUT do not let it overwhelm you. Ephesians 2:8-9 shows that it's not your works that will save you but by the grace of God. Remember that God is in control and your struggles are only temporary. Persevere through your struggles but do not dwell on them any more than is absolutely necessary.

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for your saving grace.
Help me to focus on You rather than the sins of this world.
Amen.

For all those in the cleaning industry with a daily perspective of "To dust you shall return":

Better than CPR (Genesis 2:7)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
The second chapter is a summary of the creation that was just described. Except this time around the focus is entirely on the creation of mankind. God took the dust of the ground and formed it into the body of man. He then breathed life into it to make it a living person. This iterates that the basic building blocks of humans are common everyday elements. Now you make be asking, "Wait a minute! In the last chapter you focused on how valuable we are to God. Just a few paragraphs later and we are nothing but dust?" We are valuable otherwise God would not have breathed life into us. However the value isn't in the container but in the filling.

Think about it like a balloon. The part we can see is a tiny bag of rubber. It's not until the balloon is filled with this invisible gas that it grows and floats into the air. The balloon is designed for a special purpose, but it cannot be fulfilled until the balloon has been filled. Likewise a person is just a shell until the breath of life enters.

As a little bit of perspective the Hebrew word ruach, literally meaning "air in motion" is translated to breath or spirit or life. John 3:6 Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit give new life from heaven. We need the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, to fill us so that we may live with God.

APPLICATION
Pray for the Spirit of God to fill you.

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for this life you have given me.
I acknowledge that my physical body is just a vessel. Fill me with your Spirit that I may live to the fullest.
Amen.

If you hadn't heard that chest compression is the most important part of CPR:

In the beginning,,,the Prequel (Genesis 1:27)

SCRIPTURE

OBSERVATION
Some would argue that it's not scientifically realistic to believe that the universe was created in seven days. Others claim the seven days represent undefined periods of time and not a literal 24-hours. Ultimately your belief in the origin of the universe relies on faith. Do you have faith that a loving God created everything or do you have faith that, given an unlimited amount of time, scientific laws can eventually produce self-sustaining life?

The interesting thing in the first chapter of the Bible is that the heavens and the earth where created in verses 1 and 2 which is prior to the first day of creation that starts in verse 3. My point is that the Bible was not written to explain the origin of the universe. God skips over the details beyond our planet and focuses on the basic elements that every man, woman, and child physically encounters every day. God sets the tone for the entire Bible right here. It's not about facts. The focus is on the connection between God and man.

APPLICATION
Remind yourself every day that you were purposefully created as a reflection of God's glory. How do you make this practical? Build the foundation of your self worth on God. Don't place your value in relationships with your family and friends. These are vital, but not of the utmost value. People are always fallible and your relative value will drop in kind. Don't stand on your accomplishments. Success is not eternal and failure should lead to your demise.

You can not properly grow as a Christian until you plant your roots in the solid ground of your Creator. Set God as the sole determining factor of your self worth. The best part is that the almighty God has placed a value on you higher than any person or achievement can hope to match. Yet somehow as the troubles of this earth come crashing in on us, it is so easy to forget. Remind yourself daily.

This may seem minor to some grizzled veterans of Sunday morning church, but until you set your foundation you can not build higher.

PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing value that you have placed on my life.
Help me to fully commit to setting my foundation on You.
Amen.

If you were around for In the beginning the original:

SOAP!

With the new year I'll be adding a new style to my repertoire. My next series will go chapter by chapter in the book of Genesis using the SOAP devotional journaling method. As you already probably guessed, SOAP is an acronym for a four step process. Here's the process as I was taught it:


S: SCRIPTURE

Carefully read one chapter each day. Be vigilant to take your time to read and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Highlight. Underline or place a mark in the margin of your bible next to the scriptures that stand out to you. When you are done, reread the verses you marked, look for one that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal. (In my case, I'll be illustrating the words of the verse. You'll soon find out just how this is different than what you've seen from me so far.)

O: OBSERVATION
Write down observations about the scripture you just read. You may want to write your own summary of the passage, but more importantly, think about what God has to say to you in it.

A: APPLICATION
Personalize what you have read by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation of a new promise or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write how this scripture can apply to you today.

P: PRAYER
This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two-way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say!


I always thought of the book of Genesis as a spectacular collection of early stories, but I was surprised to find just how relevant it can be for us today.