Latest revision as of 14:03, 25 October 2024

Genesis 8:15-22, Remain Submissive

Nathan Wakefield / General Praise You in the Storm / Genesis 8:15-22

Theological Proposition/Focus: In Genesis 8:15-22, we see Noah's obedience and submission to God's instructions after the great flood. We learn that God's faithfulness and sovereignty are displayed when we choose to trust and obey Him wholeheartedly. This passage challenges us to surrender our will to God's will and trust in His promises. By surrendering to God's authority and obeying His commands, we experience His faithfulness and blessings in our lives. Trust and obedience lead to divine protection and the fulfillment of God's promises.

Christ Focus: In this passage, we see Noah as a foreshadowing of Christ, who perfectly obeyed the Father's will. Christ's submission to the Father, even unto death on the cross, is a profound example for us to follow in surrendering to God's authority.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: This passage teaches us the importance of remaining submissive to God's authority, even when we don't fully understand His plans. It reminds us that obedience to God leads to His blessings and protection in our lives.

Introduction (Memory Verse Genesis 6:22)

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Image: Submission to authority is hard - construction zones

I mentioned last week that I am not a terribly patient person. Well, you know what else I struggle with? Submission to authority. There are times when it is downright hard. I am all for safety, but have you ever been on the interstate somewhere between Lincoln and the Wyoming border and come across an idle construction zone? You know, the area where they’ve put cones on the side of the road because they are eventually going to do construction, and they’ve lowered the speed limit. It’s so frustrating! There’s nobody there, just a few cones on the side of the road. Do I really have to slow down? Sometimes, submitting to authority is really hard.

Need: We need to remind ourselves to be submissive to God.

Setting the Stage:

Have you ever been through something terrible and wondered how you are ever going to get back to normal? Have you ever had a terrible situation occur and thought, "I just wonder what terrible thing is going to happen next?" Have you ever been frozen, unable to take the next step because of the past? In Genesis 8:15-22, the flood has finally ended, and the earth has dried up, but before we read the text, I want you to consider a few facts:

• Noah had lived 600 years prior to the flood, and with the exception of 7 people, everyone Noah knew in his 600 years of life was now dead. In fact, most of those people had died a horrible death.
• Noah had lived through the biggest storm the world has ever seen.
• Noah had spent a year on a boat, tossed in the waves.
• The very earth Noah knew was forever changed.
• There is no reason to believe that Noah would have had anything short of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Noah was alive, but he had been through something awful.
• So, how does Noah respond? Noah submits to God's plan and obeys.

Preview: In Genesis 8:15-22, we see the call to step into surrender by submitting in stewardship, knowing that our sacrifice brings assurance of God's provision.

Text: Genesis 8:15-22 read all at the beginning.

Body

Step into Surrender - Submission to God is nothing short of an act of faith (8:15-17).

God's invitation for Noah to step out of the ark into a new world signified a new beginning but also demanded that Noah trust God with his family's safety in this new world. This mirrors surrendering to God's authority, trusting His plans even when the future is uncertain. Stepping out also meant taking responsibility for this new way of life in what was essentially a new creation.

Stepping out of the ark was a step of faith (15-16).

My Leslie Matrix Population Model estimates that the pre-flood population was in the billions.

One of the things that I did as a fun project at one time was develop a Leslie Matrix Population model of the Earth prior to the flood. The model uses a technique that allows for variance in life-span and predicts population growth. Using the lifespans from the book of Genesis and assuming that there are no generational gaps, my model predicted a population in the billions prior to the flood. Now, I don't really know what the population was, but what I do know is that it probably wasn't some trivial number.

Nevertheless, only eight people emerge from the ark.

Of all the people on earth prior to the flood, only 8 emerge. These 8 people will have the task of repopulating the entire planet. But at this point, my guess is the task of repopulating was not the primary thought in their mind. At this point, they probably just wanted to survive.

Can you imagine the weight of responsibility and the challenge of surviving?

Take a minute to think about it. You are now one of eight people. You are on a mountain. You don't exactly have a lot of animals you can go hunt. You have some grain left, but really, you are going to have to plant seeds and pray to God that the crop grows.

Image: Alaskan Bush People can't hold a candle to flood survivors.

Sometimes, not too often, I enjoy watching some of the survival documentaries. You know, something like *Alaskan Bush People*. It is fun to watch, but pretty quickly you see that while they are surviving, they are also relying on the world, even if it is far away. Yes, their reliance on the outside world may be small, but it is still there.

Noah stepped out in faith but more than that he stepped into responsibility.

Noah and his family had nobody. When Noah stepped out of the ark, it was a true step of faith. But it was more than just stepping out in faith, it was stepping into responsibility.

Stepping into responsibility was a step of faith (17).

Noah's responsibility involved not just human repopulation but playing a role in animal repopulation too.

Noah and his family were given the task of a lifetime: repopulate the earth. But the task was not just repopulating the earth with humans. The task was completely repopulating the earth with all animal life.

Image: Rabbits have a gestation period of 28 days but not everything reproduces so easily.

This summer, Emily and I were able to visit one of my cousins in Alabama. Six months earlier, the kids had each been given rabbits. I think they had five in total. My cousin wisely worked to identify the male rabbit and separated the male from the females. Turns out, he misidentified one of the rabbits. Do you know what the gestation period for a rabbit is? 28 days. When we visited, they had more than 20 rabbits in the pen.

When I read verse 17 I wonder how much responsibility Noah felt for shepherding creation.

But you know, not every animal has population growth like rabbits. In fact, many animals have very slow population growth. I don't know how any of it worked, but stepping out of the ark was stepping into an enormous task. Nevertheless, this was the task that God had given Noah and his family.

Sometimes when God calls us to submit, He calls us to an enormous act of faith.

Image: Missionary Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot's story of faith is one of remarkable dedication and sacrifice. Born on October 8, 1927, in Portland, Oregon, Jim grew up in a Christian home and became deeply committed to Christ at a young age. His famous quote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose," encapsulates his perspective on life and mission.

Early 1950 - the call to the Auca people in the jungles of Ecuador.

In the early 1950s, Jim felt called to reach the unreached Auca people in the jungles of Ecuador. This indigenous tribe was known for their isolation and violent responses to outsiders, but Jim and his fellow missionaries were determined to share the love of Christ with them.

January 1956 - the first successful landing in Auca territory and giving of gifts.

After months of careful planning, prayer, and attempts to establish peaceful contact, the group made a first successful landing in January 1956 on Auca territory, dropping gifts from an aircraft and exchanging gestures with the tribe.

January 8, 1956 - a planned face-to-face landing results in all 5 missionaries being speared.

However, on January 8, 1956, when Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries landed to meet the Auca face-to-face, the encounter took a tragic turn. All five missionaries were speared to death by members of the tribe. Jim was only 28 years old when he was martyred.

But one day the wives returned and through their obedience many came to know Christ.

Though the missionaries' deaths were a devastating loss, their sacrifice led to a remarkable turn of events. The widows of the slain missionaries, including Jim's wife Elisabeth, returned to the Auca people later. Through their witness and perseverance, many members of the tribe came to faith in Christ, including some of those involved in the killings.

The team's willingness to surrender their lives to reach an unreached tribe—their act of submission—was undeniably an act of faith. Their surrender paved the way for the Gospel to reach the very people who had taken their lives.

MTR: Ask the question: "How is God asking me to step out of my security and into responsibility?"

One of the hardest parts of Jim Elliot's story is the reality that he lost his life at a mere 28 years of age. But don't let that dissuade you from the reality that Jim's life was a fulfilled life.

Submission in Stewardship - Submitting to God does not mean abandoning a full and fulfilled life (8:18-19).

As the family emerged from the ark, they had a job to serve as God's stewards of the new Earth. This job, done together, would bring great fulfillment. Noah's obedience in bringing out all the animals reminds us of our call to stewardship and obedience in the roles God has given us.

Stewardship involves living life in relationship and drawing strength from each other (18).

There are no accidents with God, which means that whenever we see God doing something different, we should pay attention. So what difference do I see in verse 18?

If we compare the command of verse 18 with 2:15 we see some important differences.

When God created, He created one man and one woman, tasked them with the care of the earth, and allowed all humanity to descend from this pair. However, in the ark and now in the post-flood world, God has used 8 people. Why? Because the job was a bigger job, and 8 people were needed. Okay, I need to be honest here—the text does not tell us that the job required 8 people, but I do know our God, and I know He is not a God of accidents but rather a God of intentionality.

Take a second and think about the differences between creation and the post-flood world. In creation, God did not necessarily create only two of every animal. In fact, based on fossils and my limited knowledge of creation research, I suspect that God created abundance within each species of animal. Second, God placed Adam and Eve in a garden after creating them, not on the side of a mountain.

In short, God placed Adam and Eve into a world that was very good, whereas Noah and his family were placed in a world rocked by devastation. I would argue that in this post-flood world, God knew that Noah and his wife would need mature adult children to help with stewardship of the world.

In our fallen world, we have each other. We should not shy away from drawing strength from each other. Part of submitting to God involves relationships with each other. Part of living a full life involves submitting to God together as we steward what He has entrusted to us.

Stewardship of life involves doing the work God has given (19).

It is not just together that we serve, that we steward, but it is also according to God's plan.

In our western way of thinking, verses 18 and 19 feel like a tedious repetition. However, this is not true in Hebrew style. For a Hebrew reader, verses 18 and 19 emphasize order and intentionality. Noah, in contrast to those who perished in the flood, is obeying God exactly and doing exactly what God commanded

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Verse 19 tells us that the animals came out of the ark one kind after another. There is carefulness here, there is intentionality. Noah did not just open up the ark and say, "See ya later, I hope you make it." No! Noah carefully, meticulously takes on the work God has given him.

I imagine Noah and his sons using a carefully spelled out plan, or checklist, as he systematically releases the animals.

I almost imagine Noah and his sons with a checklist as they carefully open each pen, each container, and each cage, letting animals out in an orderly fashion and in a way that ensures their maximal chance for survival. Genesis is not a global apocalypse survival manual, so we don't expect all the details, but I do wonder how many details God gave to Noah. You know, details like "Before you release the lion, make sure you have both fed the lions and given the wildebeests sufficient time to get away from the ark." None of those details is present in the text, but we know that Noah did it one kind after another. That simple statement helps us to see that there was order and intentionality. Noah did the work God assigned him.

So how does all of this fit with my main point: "Submitting to God does not mean abandoning a full and fulfilled life?"

Well, think about this: Noah and his family were the only people left, but by following God, Noah and his family were able to enjoy a family, enjoy jobs of significance, and live full lives. Yes, Noah had to do what God assigned Noah to do, but I suspect that at the end of life, there are very few people who are able to talk about a full life of significance in the way Noah can. And Noah was not left to do it alone. Noah was left with a family to do the task together with.

Image: Climbing Long's Peak the right and wrong way.

One of my all-time favorite climbs was summiting Long's Peak. Actually, it took me two attempts. The first attempt was a failure because we took a wrong turn. We ended up summiting Mt. Meeker right next to Long's Peak, a harder but lower mountain. Why? Because we didn't properly follow the trail. At the end of the day, we were so tired and exhausted, but worst of all, we were left with an emptiness. We had climbed all day only to find we had climbed the wrong mountain. The next year, we followed the trail, climbed the mountain very quickly, enjoyed the view, and went home tired but full of energy. Likewise, when we submit to God in stewardship, we confidently journey towards a life of abundance and purpose, not restriction or emptiness.

MTR: Determine to do the work God has assigned, drawing on the strength of the relationships God has given.

Sacrifice and Surety - Submitting to God opens the door for incredible blessing (8:20-22).

Noah's worship and God's promise in response to his obedience provide an example we should follow. This exemplifies that surrendering to God's authority leads to divine blessings and the assurance of God's faithfulness.

Sacrifice is an essential component of submission (20).

After what must have been a long day, week, month, year? (I don't know how long it took Noah to unload the ark), Noah does the next thing on the list: offer a sacrifice to God. Why not, right? Think about this for a moment. Food is scarce, animals are scarce, so what does Noah do? He takes several of the animals and offers them to God in an act of worship. This is nothing short of an act of complete submission.

It is one thing to submit to God with that which costs you nothing or nearly nothing. It is something else entirely to submit something scarce to God.

We need to see here the worship and significance. Noah was willing to truly sacrifice to God, but more, notice the wording, "some of all the clean animals." According to Genesis 7:2, Noah had taken seven pairs of clean animals. Now it appears that Noah makes a sacrifice from all of these groups. What I see here is not Noah offering a single goat. I see Noah offering up a vast and abundant sacrifice to God. Noah has just come through the worst disaster in the history of the world, and he responds with abundant worship to God.

Submission to God requires more than just a sacrifice of convenience. Submission to God requires that we give abundantly. (2 Samuel 24:24)

2 Samuel 24:24 is a significant verse in helping us understand what sacrifice really looks like.

In 2 Samuel 24, King David conducts a census of Israel, which displeases God, leading to a deadly plague as judgment. When the prophet Gad instructs David to build an altar to stop the plague, David seeks to purchase the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite for the altar. Araunah offers to give David the land and oxen for free, but David refuses, stating, "I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing." This demonstrates David's understanding that true worship requires sacrifice and personal cost.

We need to be willing to offer sacrifice to God even if it costs us to do so.

But our sacrifice is not in vain. God provides great assurance in the midst of sacrifice. Let's look at verses 21-22.

Surety is the regular Divine response to submission (21-22).

Verse 21 is interesting because God does not say that mankind has changed and will no longer sin. No, in fact, God states that nothing has really changed about mankind.

The heart of man is still broken and fallen. In fact, God states that every inclination of the heart is evil from childhood (verse 21).

So, why does God promise not to destroy all living creatures again?

Well, context helps us understand—the worship and sacrifice of Noah led God to give assurance.

Here is what we need to realize: sin is devastating, but God is a God of compassion and grace, and He shows compassion. Noah's submission in sacrifice was enough to move God to declare a lasting compassion.

We have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight, and we know that Christ's submission and sacrifice on the cross are enough to secure not just a promise that God will not destroy all life but a promise of eternal life to all who accept.

So what can we gather from this?

I want us to understand the significance of submission in sacrifice to God. God made an incredible promise because of Noah's sacrifice. I am not sure we really understand how much our submission and sacrifice mean to God.

Image: Our worship and obedience, inspired by Christ's ultimate sacrifice, secure our place in God's ongoing narrative of redemption and restoration.

We are going to sing a song of invitation here shortly, but as you sing, don't just sing. No, consider this as an act of worship. Romans 12:1 calls on us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." I want to encourage you in worship to submit yourselves, offer yourselves completely to God. Why? Because I believe this offering, this sacrifice, this submission is a pleasing aroma to the God of the universe, one that He values and appreciates more than we will ever realize.

MTR: Reflect on the blessings that God has given and count those as surety for what is to come.

1. ↑ K. A. Mathews, *Genesis 1-11:26*, vol. 1A, *The New American Commentary*, Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996, 390.