GENESIS 8-11: DAY 16 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
January 16, 2023
GENESIS 8 – 11
DAY 16 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
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Focus Verse: Genesis 11:3-7
Continuing our journey through the book of Genesis, we look at Noah and his descendants. God floods the earth because of evil, however, Satan, the root of all sin, is not destroyed and humanity returns to its worship of sin.
Before reading Genesis 8-11, pray for understanding of today’s reading. Read Genesis 8-11. Let’s journey!
Genesis 8-11: God chose Noah to build the ark to save him, his family, and two of every animal from the coming flood. Our reading for today begins with everyone, and everything, in the ark, waiting for the rain to stop and the water to recede. We see how Noah knew it was time to open the door of the ark, releasing the animals to repopulate the earth. God makes a covenant with Noah, a covenant that still stands today, a covenant of which we are reminded every time we see a rainbow. We also see that sin remains, as Noah gets drunk. This is serious because his drunken state led to the actions of his youngest son Ham (Canaan) who Noah cursed. (See 9:20-28) Canaan eventually became Israel’s primary enemy. The genealogy of Noah and his sons is recorded. In defiance of God’s commands, the people attempt to build a tower to the heavens. The people are punished.
Our focus verse for today
3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:3-9, NIV)
Where the “Tower of Babel” was built was apparently a center of secular enlightenment governed by Nimrod, the first world dictator, and descendant of the cursed son of Noah, Ham. The people of Babylon decided to build a tower to the heavens to let everyone know just how enlightened a people they were. How enlightened were the people when their enlightenment led them into direct conflict with the Lord? Have you behaved like the people of Babel and taken pride in your self-professed enlightenment? How does that enlightenment align with the Word of God?
Godspeace!
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