From: January 3, 2024
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8 ESV).
Out of all the peoples of the earth, Noah “found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” The word “favor” might also be translated “grace” or “acceptance.” This “favor” says more about God than it does Noah. For although Noah was recorded as righteous and blameless, the most revealing attribute was that he walked in close fellowship with God.
Because of God’s favor, Noah and his family were saved from the floods of judgment by being found safe in the ark of God. The wrath of God was poured out on those outside and upon the ark itself, yet those within the Ark were saved.
The ark is a picture of Christ. Those in Christ have found favor with the Lord. Only those in Christ will be saved at the final judgment. For “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). In Christ, we have favor with God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that we can find favor with You in Christ Jesus. We confess our sins to You and thank You for the forgiveness we have in Jesus. O what joy we have knowing we are safe in the ark of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.
From: January 3, 2023
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2 ESV).
Have you noticed how many times the numbers three and forty appear in the Bible? Both numbers are significant in today’s One Year® Bible reading. The number forty generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or preparation. We see the number in both our Old Testament and New Testament readings today. Noah and his family were kept safe in the ark while God sent forty days and nights of rain to flood the earth (Gen. 7:12). And in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus was led into the wilderness for forty days of testing by the “Spirit.”
This time of Christ’s “temptation” points back to at least two events in the Old Testament: The Israelites forty years of wandering in the wilderness and Adam and Eve’s three-part temptation in the garden.
The forty days for Jesus marked his preparation for public ministry, just as the forty years for Israel marked their preparation for entering the promised land. And the 3-part temptation by the devil was familiar too. Notice the similarity between Satan’s temptation of Eve (Gen. 3) and later, of Jesus:
1) Temptation of the flesh: Eve: “It’s good for food;” Jesus: “Turn the stones to bread.”
2) Temptation of the eyes: Eve: “Delight to the eyes;” Jesus: “Let the people see the angels save you.”
3) Temptation of pride: Eve: “You’ll be wise like God;” Jesus: “Give your worship to me instead of God and I’ll give you the world.”
Of course, the difference is that Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, but Jesus overcame it.
The apostle John reminds us that in Christ, we can be “overcomers” too. In John’s first epistle, he listed the three temptations common to man, but follows with the strong encouragement we have in Christ: “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world… Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 2:16, 5:5).
PRAYER: Dear Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. And when we do encounter temptation, show us the way out that we might overcome it through Your Son, Jesus. For in Him, we are overcomers too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 3, 2019
HOW TO FIND FAVOR WITH GOD
Out of all the peoples of the earth, Noah “found favor with the Lord.” The word “favor” might also be translated “grace” or “acceptance.” This “favor” says more about God than it does Noah. For although Noah was recorded as righteous and blameless, the most revealing attribute was that “he walked in close fellowship with God.”
Because of God’s favor, Noah and his family were saved from the floods of judgment by being found safe in the ark of God. The wrath of God was poured out on those outside and upon the ark itself, yet those within the Ark were saved.
The ark is a picture of Christ. Those within Christ have found favor with the Lord. Only those in Christ will be saved at the final judgment. For “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
PRAYER: Lord, thank you that we can find favor with You in Christ Jesus. We confess our sins to You and thank you for the forgiveness we have in Jesus. O what joy we have knowing we are safe in the ark of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.
From: January 3, 2016
God seems to have favorite numbers. Both the number 40 and the number 3 are significant in today’s OYB reading. The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or preparation. We see the number in both our OT and NT readings today. Noah and his family were kept safe in the ark while God sent 40 days and nights of rain to flood the earth (Gen. 7:12). And in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus was led into the wilderness for 40 days of testing by the “Spirit.” This time of “temptation” points back to at least two events in the OT: 1) The Israelites 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and 2) Adam and Eve’s 3-part temptation in the garden. The 40 days for Jesus marked his preparation for public ministry, just as the 40 years for Israel marked their preparation for entering the promised land.
And the 3-part temptation by the devil was familiar too. Notice the similarity between Satan’s temptation of Eve (Gen. 3) and later, of Jesus:
1) Eve: “good for food;” Jesus: “stones to bread”
2) Eve: “delight to the eyes” Jesus: “let the people see the angels save you”
3) Eve: “wise like God;” Jesus: “give your worship to me instead of God”
Of course, the difference is that Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, but Jesus overcame it.
The apostle John reminds us that in Christ, we can be “overcomers” too. Notice the three temptations listed by John and then the promise.
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world… Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 2:16, 5:5).
From: January 3, 2015
There is much about the book of Genesis (From the Greek translation meaning “beginnings”) that troubles the modern mind. In today’s reading we encounter the incredible longevity of man (Methuselah lived to 969 years), the building of an ark to save Noah, his family, and a remnant of the animals of the land and air, and finally, a worldwide deluge. Some view these stories as myth or fairy tale, yet Jesus referred to Noah and the flood as a literal event. Both Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ words describing the “days of Noah” as a foreshadowing of the end times when He would return to judge the living and the dead (Matt. 24:37-38, Luke 17:26-27). If Jesus referred to Noah and the flood as literal past and predictive of the future, then so do I. That’s why I’ve decided to believe into Christ our Ark. for “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).