Difference between revisions of "Noah and Human Government"
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=Objectives= | =Objectives= | ||
| − | + | *Students will recognize the Noahic covenant and see that it has value today. | |
| + | *Students will recognize that we need more than human government for righteousness, we need God. | ||
=Opening= | =Opening= | ||
| − | *According to Genesis | + | *According to Genesis 3:22, what knowledge did mankind now possess after The Fall? |
| − | **Man now had knowledge of good and evil. Note: The verse states "man has become like | + | **Man now had knowledge of good and evil. Note: The verse states "man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil." God is omniscient and so knows everything. Man now knew good and evil but instead of knowing good and evil in a holy, omniscient way, man knew good and evil through experience. The knowledge of good and evil is passed down to each of us today. |
In each dispensation God works to demonstrate his goodness and man's need for God. Before The Fall, God demonstrated that even without a sin nature, man was still capable of sinning and in need of God. After The Fall, God gave man the opportunity to knowingly choose good instead of evil. In other words, in The Fall, man was given a conscience. Someone might ask the question, is a conscience enough for man to choose good? | In each dispensation God works to demonstrate his goodness and man's need for God. Before The Fall, God demonstrated that even without a sin nature, man was still capable of sinning and in need of God. After The Fall, God gave man the opportunity to knowingly choose good instead of evil. In other words, in The Fall, man was given a conscience. Someone might ask the question, is a conscience enough for man to choose good? | ||
| Line 13: | Line 14: | ||
*In Genesis 6:3 and 6 we see something that might look like God is changing. Does God change? How can we explain these verses? | *In Genesis 6:3 and 6 we see something that might look like God is changing. Does God change? How can we explain these verses? | ||
| − | **We know that God is unchanging so these verses cannot possibly mean that God is Himself changing. Instead the word that the KJV translates as repented could also mean was sorry. The ESV says regretted. I think it might even be good to think about this as mourned or | + | **We know that God is unchanging so these verses cannot possibly mean that God is Himself changing. Instead the word that the KJV translates as repented could also mean was sorry. The ESV says regretted. I think it might even be good to think about this as mourned or being mournful. When someone close to you dies you can be sorry as you mourn. What we must realize is that the God of the universe mourns sin. John 11:35 is a great picture of the mourning that is appropriate in a fallen world. So what has changed about God? Nothing, God has allowed man to fail in the dispensation of conscience demonstrating that we need God. |
As an aside, God had everything He needed in the trinity. We see God’s sorrow over man’s inability to do good even with a conscience in Genesis 6:6. God mourns man’s sin. Not only does God not need us, but He is mournful about our need. I think sometimes it is easy for us to get a hero complex and while it is ridiculous, our hero complex can be so great that we need other people’s problems to solve so we can feel complete. But God does not need this, He is genuinely mournful of our sin problem. | As an aside, God had everything He needed in the trinity. We see God’s sorrow over man’s inability to do good even with a conscience in Genesis 6:6. God mourns man’s sin. Not only does God not need us, but He is mournful about our need. I think sometimes it is easy for us to get a hero complex and while it is ridiculous, our hero complex can be so great that we need other people’s problems to solve so we can feel complete. But God does not need this, He is genuinely mournful of our sin problem. | ||
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==The Flood== | ==The Flood== | ||
*According to Genesis 6:7, 8, and 13, how did God plan to teach mankind that He was merciful yet just? | *According to Genesis 6:7, 8, and 13, how did God plan to teach mankind that He was merciful yet just? | ||
| − | **God used a flood to demonstrate that sin has severe consequences that God, as a just | + | **God used a flood to demonstrate that sin has severe consequences that God, as a just being, cannot overlook. However, As noted in Genesis 6:8 God also taught that He is unchanging and still provides grace. |
It is possible to draw too many parallels, but at the same time God inspired scripture and the presence of parallels over the course of millennia is a strong defense for scripture. At the conclusion of the dispensation of innocence we saw God kill and animal to provide a covering for Adam, a foreshadowing of the savior. Now in Genesis 7:4 I think we see another foreshadowing or parallel. | It is possible to draw too many parallels, but at the same time God inspired scripture and the presence of parallels over the course of millennia is a strong defense for scripture. At the conclusion of the dispensation of innocence we saw God kill and animal to provide a covering for Adam, a foreshadowing of the savior. Now in Genesis 7:4 I think we see another foreshadowing or parallel. | ||
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*Who survived the flood? | *Who survived the flood? | ||
**The only people to survive the flood were Noah and his family. | **The only people to survive the flood were Noah and his family. | ||
| − | |||
==The Noahic Covenant== | ==The Noahic Covenant== | ||
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*What actions does Noah take in Genesis 8:20? | *What actions does Noah take in Genesis 8:20? | ||
**Noah, in an act of worship, thanksgiving, and obedience offers a sacrifice to God. | **Noah, in an act of worship, thanksgiving, and obedience offers a sacrifice to God. | ||
| − | |||
Recall, a covenant is: | Recall, a covenant is: | ||
#A chosen relationship between 2 parties in which one or both parties make binding promises to one another. | #A chosen relationship between 2 parties in which one or both parties make binding promises to one another. | ||
#A Covenant can be conditional or unconditional - in contrast to a contract which is voided when one party breaks its side of the deal. | #A Covenant can be conditional or unconditional - in contrast to a contract which is voided when one party breaks its side of the deal. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | *What promises does God make in Genesis 8:21-22? Are these conditional or unconditional promises? | ||
| + | **No additional curses added to the ground. | ||
| + | **Continued provision of a habitable plant as long as the Earth remain (Note: there is an implication here that the Earth is not permanent). | ||
| + | **These are unconditional promises. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *What commands are given in Genesis 9:1-7? | ||
| + | **Replenish the Earth | ||
| + | **Exercise dominion | ||
| + | **Refrain from eating blood | ||
| + | **Uphold justice | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Genesis 9:8-9, who were the parties to this covenant? | ||
| + | **God, Noah, and all of Noah's decedents. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Genesis 9:12-17, how did God ratify the covenant? | ||
| + | **By placing His bow in the sky. I think we can probably accept that the act of placing the bow in the sky is actually a demonstration by God that He is no longer going to fight against humanity. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Is the covenant still in force today? | ||
| + | **First, we must note that the covenant was an unconditional covenant made with all of mankind. Second, notice that even in Acts 15:20, James seems to still apply the stipulation against eating blood. | ||
| + | |||
==The Dispensation of Human Government== | ==The Dispensation of Human Government== | ||
| + | *What does Romans 13:1-4 teach is one of the primary purposes of government? | ||
| + | **The phrase "does not bear the sword in vain" indicates that one of the primary purposes of human govern meant is the execution of capital punishment in capital cases. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *What (seemingly new) responsibility does God establish in Genesis 9:5-6? | ||
| + | **God establishes capital punishment. Notice that this seems to be slightly different than the punishment prescribed for Cain in Genesis 4:15-16 were God was very merciful. | ||
| + | |||
| + | God establishes human government as a means of restraining evil, in particular, the protection of human life, but also, it would seem as part of the command to fill the earth in Genesis 9:7. God stepped away from directly judging Earth granting that power to human government. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *In what way did humanity fail to uphold God's command in Genesis 11:1-4? | ||
| + | **The people refused to disperse and instead sought to rebel against God. I suspect that one aspect of this rebellion was a decision to build "high-ground" so that God could not judge them with another flood. In short, I think that this may not have been just a bad decision, but an overt act of rebellion against God going as far as saying that we are going to protect ourselves against God's judgement. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *According to Genesis 11:5-9, what was God's response to rebellion? | ||
| + | **God confused the language. It is interesting to consider the phrase "nothing that they proposed to do will be withheld from them." I think this is a statement about mankind, God is stating that if mankind is allowed to continue in this way then they will be back in the same state of sin as they were before the flood. I think this is a statement about the failure of man to be able to righteously self-govern. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Remember that God is not just annihilating Sin, He is defeating sin in every possible way. The dispensation of human government demonstrates that not only does man need God in innocence, not only does man need God despite his conscience, but man needs God with human government. '''Human government is not enough to ensure righteous behavior.''' I think this implication cannot be overemphasized. As christians we should vote, we should care about government, but we should not believe or hope that we will ever be able to create a government that fixes all the problems, no God is the only one who can do that. | ||
=Conclusion= | =Conclusion= | ||
| + | *What are the implications of the Noahic covenant and dispensation of human government for us today? | ||
| + | **Second Peter 3:7 teaches us that the Earth will be destroyed eventually. However, for the time being, we are subject to government and the Noahic covenant. | ||
| + | **Additionally, God has demonstrated that human government alone is not enough for man. We should make sure that we are not trusting in human government for all our needs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *How does the dispensation of human government motivate or show us our need for Christ? | ||
| + | **We see that human government fails and we need a truly righteous judge. We also see some motivation for Hebrews 9:22, the life is in the blood and so without the shedding of blood there can be no remission. | ||
| − | + | *According to Hebrews 11:7 and Genesis 6:8, what about Noah gives him the privilege of being saved? | |
| − | + | **Noah found grace and acted through faith. It has always been and always will be by grace through faith that God provides salvation and declares a man righteous. | |
Latest revision as of 17:51, 2 April 2019
Contents
Objectives
- Students will recognize the Noahic covenant and see that it has value today.
- Students will recognize that we need more than human government for righteousness, we need God.
Opening
- According to Genesis 3:22, what knowledge did mankind now possess after The Fall?
- Man now had knowledge of good and evil. Note: The verse states "man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil." God is omniscient and so knows everything. Man now knew good and evil but instead of knowing good and evil in a holy, omniscient way, man knew good and evil through experience. The knowledge of good and evil is passed down to each of us today.
In each dispensation God works to demonstrate his goodness and man's need for God. Before The Fall, God demonstrated that even without a sin nature, man was still capable of sinning and in need of God. After The Fall, God gave man the opportunity to knowingly choose good instead of evil. In other words, in The Fall, man was given a conscience. Someone might ask the question, is a conscience enough for man to choose good?
- According to Genesis 6:5, what was the result of man's dependence on conscience?
- In Genesis 6:5 we see man totally failing. Conscience was not enough.
- In Genesis 6:3 and 6 we see something that might look like God is changing. Does God change? How can we explain these verses?
- We know that God is unchanging so these verses cannot possibly mean that God is Himself changing. Instead the word that the KJV translates as repented could also mean was sorry. The ESV says regretted. I think it might even be good to think about this as mourned or being mournful. When someone close to you dies you can be sorry as you mourn. What we must realize is that the God of the universe mourns sin. John 11:35 is a great picture of the mourning that is appropriate in a fallen world. So what has changed about God? Nothing, God has allowed man to fail in the dispensation of conscience demonstrating that we need God.
As an aside, God had everything He needed in the trinity. We see God’s sorrow over man’s inability to do good even with a conscience in Genesis 6:6. God mourns man’s sin. Not only does God not need us, but He is mournful about our need. I think sometimes it is easy for us to get a hero complex and while it is ridiculous, our hero complex can be so great that we need other people’s problems to solve so we can feel complete. But God does not need this, He is genuinely mournful of our sin problem.
Main Body
The Flood
- According to Genesis 6:7, 8, and 13, how did God plan to teach mankind that He was merciful yet just?
- God used a flood to demonstrate that sin has severe consequences that God, as a just being, cannot overlook. However, As noted in Genesis 6:8 God also taught that He is unchanging and still provides grace.
It is possible to draw too many parallels, but at the same time God inspired scripture and the presence of parallels over the course of millennia is a strong defense for scripture. At the conclusion of the dispensation of innocence we saw God kill and animal to provide a covering for Adam, a foreshadowing of the savior. Now in Genesis 7:4 I think we see another foreshadowing or parallel.
- Look at Genesis 7:4, how long was Noah in the Ark before judgement came?
- Seven days
- I believe that the greatest judgement of sin the world has ever seen occurred on the day God flooded the Earth. However, there is a greater judgement coming. When will God again judge sin on a global scale?
- At the conclusion of the tribulation before entering the millennium.
So picture this, Noah and family (those who God will be saving) are removed from the world 7 days before judgement comes. God has sealed up the righteous remnant for 7 days prior to judgement. The rest of the world had 7 days to repent. This I not itself proof of a pre-tribulation rapture but rather a foreshadowing or parallel. God will seal-up the Church prior to His judgement and then provide seven years for the rest of the world to repent. Only this time, some actually will.
- Who survived the flood?
- The only people to survive the flood were Noah and his family.
The Noahic Covenant
- What command is given in Genesis 8:15-19?
- Noah was to leave the ark.
- What actions does Noah take in Genesis 8:20?
- Noah, in an act of worship, thanksgiving, and obedience offers a sacrifice to God.
Recall, a covenant is:
- A chosen relationship between 2 parties in which one or both parties make binding promises to one another.
- A Covenant can be conditional or unconditional - in contrast to a contract which is voided when one party breaks its side of the deal.
- What promises does God make in Genesis 8:21-22? Are these conditional or unconditional promises?
- No additional curses added to the ground.
- Continued provision of a habitable plant as long as the Earth remain (Note: there is an implication here that the Earth is not permanent).
- These are unconditional promises.
- What commands are given in Genesis 9:1-7?
- Replenish the Earth
- Exercise dominion
- Refrain from eating blood
- Uphold justice
- According to Genesis 9:8-9, who were the parties to this covenant?
- God, Noah, and all of Noah's decedents.
- According to Genesis 9:12-17, how did God ratify the covenant?
- By placing His bow in the sky. I think we can probably accept that the act of placing the bow in the sky is actually a demonstration by God that He is no longer going to fight against humanity.
- Is the covenant still in force today?
- First, we must note that the covenant was an unconditional covenant made with all of mankind. Second, notice that even in Acts 15:20, James seems to still apply the stipulation against eating blood.
The Dispensation of Human Government
- What does Romans 13:1-4 teach is one of the primary purposes of government?
- The phrase "does not bear the sword in vain" indicates that one of the primary purposes of human govern meant is the execution of capital punishment in capital cases.
- What (seemingly new) responsibility does God establish in Genesis 9:5-6?
- God establishes capital punishment. Notice that this seems to be slightly different than the punishment prescribed for Cain in Genesis 4:15-16 were God was very merciful.
God establishes human government as a means of restraining evil, in particular, the protection of human life, but also, it would seem as part of the command to fill the earth in Genesis 9:7. God stepped away from directly judging Earth granting that power to human government.
- In what way did humanity fail to uphold God's command in Genesis 11:1-4?
- The people refused to disperse and instead sought to rebel against God. I suspect that one aspect of this rebellion was a decision to build "high-ground" so that God could not judge them with another flood. In short, I think that this may not have been just a bad decision, but an overt act of rebellion against God going as far as saying that we are going to protect ourselves against God's judgement.
- According to Genesis 11:5-9, what was God's response to rebellion?
- God confused the language. It is interesting to consider the phrase "nothing that they proposed to do will be withheld from them." I think this is a statement about mankind, God is stating that if mankind is allowed to continue in this way then they will be back in the same state of sin as they were before the flood. I think this is a statement about the failure of man to be able to righteously self-govern.
Remember that God is not just annihilating Sin, He is defeating sin in every possible way. The dispensation of human government demonstrates that not only does man need God in innocence, not only does man need God despite his conscience, but man needs God with human government. Human government is not enough to ensure righteous behavior. I think this implication cannot be overemphasized. As christians we should vote, we should care about government, but we should not believe or hope that we will ever be able to create a government that fixes all the problems, no God is the only one who can do that.
Conclusion
- What are the implications of the Noahic covenant and dispensation of human government for us today?
- Second Peter 3:7 teaches us that the Earth will be destroyed eventually. However, for the time being, we are subject to government and the Noahic covenant.
- Additionally, God has demonstrated that human government alone is not enough for man. We should make sure that we are not trusting in human government for all our needs.
- How does the dispensation of human government motivate or show us our need for Christ?
- We see that human government fails and we need a truly righteous judge. We also see some motivation for Hebrews 9:22, the life is in the blood and so without the shedding of blood there can be no remission.
- According to Hebrews 11:7 and Genesis 6:8, what about Noah gives him the privilege of being saved?
- Noah found grace and acted through faith. It has always been and always will be by grace through faith that God provides salvation and declares a man righteous.
