Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Friday after the Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Genesis 6:9-22 (NKJV)
 
6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah.
 
Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
 
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
 
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
 
Devotion
 
Genesis 1:27 and 31 says “God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them…then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” This creation doesn’t sound like Genesis 6:5 where God sees “that every intent of the thoughts of his [man’s] heart was only evil continually.” Mankind had certainly fallen! God was certainly displeased that man would not listen to Him. And God was grieved in His heart.
 
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. “Noah was a just man, perfect (blameless or having integrity) in his generations. Noah walked with God.” It appears that Noah and his family were the only ones who continued to walk in the grace promised to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15. Verse 6:22 says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”
 
Today in this sin-filled world we still have those who hear God’s Word and do it. In Baptism “the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sin and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever” (Small Catechism). In these latter days God’s faithful Church, like Noah, is surrounded by an unbelieving world. And like Noah, it continues to listen to God’s Word, and according to all that God commands it, so it does.
 
We pray: O God, by the leading of a star You once made known to all nations Your Only-Begotten Son; now lead us, who know You by faith, to know after this life the fullness of Your divine goodness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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