Alone in the Crowd

Genesis 6:5-8

Verse 5  The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

    It didn’t take long for sin to run rampant in the new world.  By the time the 10th generation came along violence was running rampant.  In fact it says in our key verse for the day that their thoughts were evil all the time.  What a horrible world that must have been.  We get frustrated with the evil we see in our day, but at least we can say we know some nice people.  It was in this hostile environment that Noah was contacted by God to do something bigger than Noah’s imagination could have dreamed up.

    Before we look at the how God blew Noah’s mind with His rescue plan, we see Him reveal part of Himself to this man who was the only one to give God hope for a future.  Since God had already chosen us we can know He wasn’t actually planning on wiping out all of the people, He needed to save some who were in relationship with Him so His beloved portion of creation could continue.

    God was so fed up with the attitudes of the humans, He was ready to kill them and yet He eyes fell on Noah, a man who was living as counter-cultural as humanly possible.  In all the violence going on around him, Noah must have stood out like a neon sign.  While everyone else was walking around like they had road rage Noah was smiling, getting out of their way, and greeting them as if they were nice people.  Knowing these other people were of the angry sort, we can imagine they thought Noah was weak.

    Noah didn’t find God’s favor because he was trying to gain it.  He had learned the joy of relationship with God and was enjoying keeping the lines of communication open.  He found that the acceptance of others who were wicked in God’s sight couldn’t compare with the acceptance He felt from the Lord because of God’s love for him.

    It may seem like our world is headed in the same direction of that ancient time and though things aren’t quite as violent as they were then, God is still wanting those He has chosen to be living counter to the culture.  He wants us to be the neon signs which shine in the darkness pointing the way to Jesus.  But most of all He wants us to enjoy our relationship with Him and find joy in obedience.  It is His grace which allows us to find favor in His eyes.

Making It Personal

    Do you find it hard to stand up against the evil in our world?  What do you do to maintain a good relationship with the Lord?  Do you find joy in obedience?

Making It Personal Kids

    Do you like doing everything you are told to do?  Why is it important to obey God in every way?  Are you filled with joy at being able to obey Him?

Closing Prayer

    Father, we confess we don’t always hate sin like we should.  Give us the desire to find joy in obedience.  In Jesus’ name, amen.