PROVERBS 26
Dealing with a fool verse 1- 12
As snow in summer – AND as rain in harvest
so honor is not seemly for a FOOL
As the bird by wandering – as the swallow by flying
so the curse causeless shall not come
A whip for the horse – a bridle for the ass
AND a rod for the FOOL’S back
answer not a FOOL according to his folly
lest you also be like to him
answer a FOOL according to his folly
lest he be WISE in his own conceit
He that sends a message by the hand of a FOOL cuts off the feet
AND drinks damage
the legs of the lame are not equal
SO is a parable in the mouth of FOOLS
As he binds a stone in a sling
SO is he that gives honor to a FOOL
as a thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard
SO is a parable in the mouth of FOOLS
The great God that formed all things both rewards the FOOL
AND rewards transgressors
As a dog returns to his vomit
SO a FOOL returns to his folly
see you a man WISE in his own conceit?
there is more hope of a FOOL than of him
Dealing with a lazy person verse 13- 16
The SLOTHFUL man says
There is a lion in the way – a lion is in the streets
As the door turns upon his hinges
SO does the SLOTHFUL upon his bed
the SLOTHFUL hides his hand in his bosom
it grieves him to bring it again to his mouth
The SLUGGARD is WISER in his own conceit THAN seven men
that can render a reason
Dealing with a person who causes strife verse 17- 28
He that passes by
and meddles with STRIFE belonging not to him
IS LIKE one that takes a dog by the ears
As a mad man who casts firebrands – arrows
and death
So is the man that deceives his neighbor – and says
Am not I in sport?
Where no wood is – there the fire goes out
so where there is no TALEBEARER
the STRIFE ceases
As coals are to burning coals – and wood to fire
so is a contentious man to kindle STRIFE
The word of a TALEBEARER are as wounds
and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly
Burning lips AND a wicked heart ARE like
a potsherd covered with silver dross
He that hates dissembles with his lips
and lays up deceit within him
when he speaks fair – believe him not
for there are seven abominations
in his heart
Whose HATRED is covered by deceit
his wickedness shall be shown
before the whole congregation
Whoso digs a pit shall fall therein – and he that rolls a stone
it will return upon him
A LYING tongue hates those that are afflicted by it
and a FLATTERING mouth works ruin
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Fool – 3684 כְּסִיל [kâciyl /kes·eel/] n m. From 3688; TWOT 1011c; GK 4067; 70 occurrences; AV translates as “fool” 61 times, and “foolish” nine times. 1 fool, stupid fellow, dullard, simpleton, arrogant one.James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).
DEVOTION: Snow in summer or rain in harvest is inappropriate, highly unusual, and potentially damaging to crops. Putting a fool in a position of honor (cf. 26:8) is inappropriate (cf. 19:10) and may injure others who follow him as a model.
While growing up on the farm the fear was always that the weather would turn before we finished putting the crops in during the fall. A continual rain would make the fields impassible and snow could ruin so many of the crops and jeopardizes the entire future of the farm family.
So a foolish person who is placed in a position of honor endangers enterprise or an organization.
Be careful when assigning a position and consider the character as well as the expertise of the person!
CHALLENGE: Inner strength of character is as important as the resume or credentials. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. (2450 “wise” [chakam] means cunning, skilful, intelligent, shrewd, endued with ability to judge, learned, fit, able, or experienced.)
DEVOTION: As we continue in this book of Proverbs by Solomon we see him concentrating on some characteristics that need to develop in his children. Three are covered in this chapter. The first is how to deal with a fool. The second involves those who are lazy. The third advises regarding those who have a problem with their tongue. All of these characteristics are not to be present in those who want to be wise in the eyes of the LORD.
This first one informs us that we are not to answer a fool the way he wants us to answer him. He wants us to agree with him. He wants us to realize that he can make wise decision. This is not the case. His answers are always wrong.
Some places in the Word of God instruct us to walk away from a fool. This is not always possible. If we are going to answer a fool we have to answer him so that he knows that his way of thinking is all wrong. We have to answer him strongly or he will think that he can teach others. We can’t honor a fool.
Solomon informs his son that he shouldn’t even use a fool to take a message from one place to another. Why? It is because he will not give the right instructions.
It is like playing the game gossip. You start with a story at one end of a line of people and see what happens at the other end. The story is never the same. It has been twisted. People have a problem when they are spreading a story. They like to add or take away from the story. The fool would never get the instructions right that he was taking to others.
We have to realize that there are some people we will meet that will never learn, no matter, how long and hard we try to train them. They are set in their ways and will not change. We need to walk away from them.
CHALLENGE: Recognize that there will be fools around you. Recognize that they will never learn. Solomon’s warning is good for us to use when training our children.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. (2787 “kindle” [charar] means to glow, be angry, burn, be hot, or to cause to burn)
DEVOTION: Solomon continues to teach his son to not follow the path of a talebearer or gossip. He wants his son to have a work ethic and to watch what he says with his mouth.
The verse for today deals with someone who is not watching what he is doing with his mouth. Here is an individual who likes to cause problems for others. He is called a quarrelsome man. He is called someone who enjoys causing strife for others. He likes to get into verbal battles with people. He likes to cause other people to get into verbal battles with each other.
In the last chapter we saw that women can be contentious, here we find that man can be the same. These men cause strife to grow. These men like to say that they are the “devil’s advocate” in an argument. They just want to present another side of the issue. This is not always bad but these individuals usually do it to cause more problems than solutions.
Most of the time, these men don’t want to see the church move forward. They keep the fires of strife burning. They have no problem lying about something or someone. One of these men is found in every church. We are not here to make anger grow in the church. We are here to help and encourage one another.
Watch what we instigate in our homes. Watch what we instigate in our church. Ask a friend if we are causing strife or ending it. We are to be peacemakers in our world.
Remember that men who like to cause strife are those who just hate everything about life. They are negative even on good days. Their glass is always half empty. Their hearts are wicked. Sometimes it seems like they are speaking good things but watch out for their deception.
CHALLENGE: We are to mark those individuals who cause strife in the church. We are to warn others concerning their habit. We are to train our children to watch out for these individuals.
________________________________________________________
: 28 A lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it; and a
flattering mouth works ruin. (2509 “flattering” [chalaq]
means smooth, giving excessive or insincere praise, sljppery,
flattering, insinuating, falsehood, insinuating, or deceitful.)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants us to be honest in our dealing with others. HE wants us to say good when we can but also to honest in our evaluation of others. Too often we think that we have to always give compliments even when they are not deserved.
Honesty is the best policy. If we can’t say something nice we should say anything at all. We have to make sure that we are not lying to please people or to please ourselves. Too often we want to make everyone our friends and we think that the only way to see this happen is to say nice things to them even it they are not true.
God wants us to make sure that we are helping people with our comments. Our responsibility is to help others grow closer to the LORD. If we see them doing or saying things that re not pleasing to the LORD then we have to correct them even when they don’t want to hear it.
If we allow ourselves or others to just say things that are pleasing then we will not be able to correct wrong in our lives or in the lives of others.
Our responsibility is to cause others to mature in their faith and trust in the LORD. This only happens through honesty in a relationship and when we have that sometimes it hurts but it also helps.
CHALLENGE: Our tongue has to be under the control of the Holy Spirit and say what HE wants said in every occasion. This will cause growth in ourselves and in others. False statements are always a lie!
_________________________________________________________
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
_________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 10
Great God verse 10
Creator verse 10
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Man verse 12, 13, 16, 18
Neighbor verse 19
Contentious man verse 21
Congregation verse 26
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Fool verse 1- 12
Curse causelessly verse 2
Folly verse 4, 11
Conceited verse 5, 12, 16
Giving honor to a fool verse 8
Drunkard verse 9
Transgressors verse 10
Slothful verse 13- 15
Sluggard verse 16
Strife verse 17- 21
Mad verse 18
Deceit verse 19, 24, 26
Talebearer verse 20- 28
Contentious verse 21
Wicked verse 23, 26
Burning lips verse 23
Wicked heart verse 23
Hatred verse 24, 26, 28
Speaks fair verse 25
Abominations verse 25
Lying verse 28
Flattering works ruin verse 28
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Honor verse 1, 8
Discipline verse 3
Wise verse 5
Speak parables verse 7, 9
Hope verse 12
Render a reason verse 16
Strife ceases verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Solomon verse 1- 28
Congregation verse 26
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Death verse 18
_______________________________________________________________
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
26:11–12 The meaning of v. 11 is self-evident: fools do not learn from their mistakes. Verse 12 is an apt closure to this section. The quintessential fool is the one who is so sure he has all the facts of life straight that he refuses to submit to wisdom for instruction and is far worse off than the run-of-the-mill fool. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 213). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
____________________________________________________________
12. The fool surpassed. The second line shows that this man is no dunce. While the fool pilloried in Proverbs is an opinionated creature (23:9), his stupidity may at least earn him a lesson (26:3). There is more, however, for an abler man’s vanity to feed on, and more damage that he can do (cf. 29:20). See 1 Corinthians 3:18; 8:2. (Kidner, D. (1964). Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 17, p. 156). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
_____________________________________________________________
12 Those who think they are wise are almost impossible to help. The saying uses a comparison to stress how difficult it is to curb self-conceit—a fool has more hope. Kidner observes that there is more for an able man’s vanity to feed on and thus more damage that he can do (Proverbs, p. 163). Self-conceit is actually a part of the folly the book decries, because for someone to think that he is wise when he is not makes him a “conceited ignoramus” (Plaut, p. 268). (Ross, A. P. (1991). Proverbs. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 1091). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
_____________________________________________________________
Arrogant self-assumption and fancied superiority to all instruction place a man hopelessly beyond the reach of help. The out-and-out fool, who does not pretend to anything better than his folly and iniquity, is easier delivered than the pedantic egotist who makes a great profession of knowledge and piety but is thoroughly in love with his own ways. Against this wretched state we are warned in Rom. 12:16. (Ironside, H. A. (1908). Notes on the Book of Proverbs (pp. 369–370). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros.)
__________________________________________________________-
26:12 wise in his own eyes. There are degrees of foolishness, with intellectual conceit being the most stupid and hard to remedy. This is applied to the lazy man in v. 16 and the rich in 28:11. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Pr 26:12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
____________________________________________________________
12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Seest thou the man? God means to point at him. There is something to be learned from him. He castles himself up in his own conceit. He is fit to be a standard; for the false persuasion that he has gained wisdom, utterly precludes him from gaining it. He thinks himself wise because he knows not what it is to be wise. His wisdom is “science, falsely so called.”12 For he has yet to learn the first lesson in the school—his own folly—a lesson not to be learned without severe exercise. “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” There is more hope of the fool, who knows himself to be one. The natural fool has only one hindrance—his own ignorance. The conceited fool has two—ignorance and self-delusion.
It was our Lord’s cutting reproof to the conceited Pharisees—“The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you.” It was his charge against the Laodicean Church—“Because thou sayest—I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” The prodigal fool, running into all “the excesses of riot,” is more open to conviction, than the man, who prides himself upon his decorous religion. To the profane and ungodly we must go. But to bring a warning to him, he conceives to be knocking at the wrong door—“God! I thank thee, that I am not as other men are”3—is his heart’s language before God. “Stand by, I am holier than thou”—is his haughty rule with his fellow-sinners. Offer him light. He “walks in the light of his own fire.”5 Offer him life. He is “alive” in his own eyes. Offer him food. His “full soul loatheth the honey-comb!”7
Lord! preserve me from this hopeless delusion. Pull down all my pride and fancied wisdom. Take the blind from mine eyes, that I may know what I am in thy sight. “Clothe me with humility” from the soul of the foot to the head. (Bridges, C. (1865). An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (pp. 418–419). New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.)
________________________________________________________
Ver. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? &c.] Or in his own eyes; as multitudes may be seen, by looking round; man is a creature but of small knowledge in things natural, civil, mechanical, philosophical, moral, or divine; yet greatly conceited for the most part of his knowledge and wisdom. As by a fool in this book is generally understood a wicked profane man, so by a wise man is meant a good and righteous man, and may be so understood here; and many there are who are good and righteous only in their own conceit and esteem, not truly so; they place their righteousness in outward things, in the observance of external duties; and though there may be some little imperfection in them, yet they think, as they mean well, God will accept the will for the deed: and some have imagined they have arrived to perfection; and such are generally conceited, proud, and haughty, and despise others; all which flows from ignorance; for, though they fancy themselves to be wise, they are very ignorant of themselves; of the piague of their own hearts; of the law of God, and the spirituality of it, and the extensiveness of its demands; of the strict justice and righteousness of God, which will not admit of an imperfect righteousness in the room of a perfect one; and also of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the nature and necessity of that to justify: and this being their case, they are in very dangerous circumstances; they are building on a sand; they are liable to fall into a ditch; they cannot be justified nor saved by their own works; they oppose themselves to God’s way of justifying and saving sinners; and he sets himself against them, he resisteth the proud. Wherefore there is more hope of a fool than of him; of a profane sinner than of a self-righteous person; for Christ came to save sinners, to call them to repentance, and he receives them as such; but not self-righteous persons; and, humanly speaking, there is a greater likelihood and greater hopes of convincing sinners, and bringing them to repentance and to forsake their sins, than there is of convincing a self-righteous man of the insufficiency of his righteousness, and the folly of trusting to it, and of bringing him to repent of such a confidence, and to forsake it; for it is most natural to him; it is his own, and the effect of great labour and pains; and encourages vanity and boasting, which would be excluded should he part with it; see Matt. 21:31, 32. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, pp. 506–507). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
______________________________________________________________
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
________________________________________________________________________
The Israelites choose 12 stones to erect as a memorial to God’s faithfulness.
INSIGHT
Memorials help us preserve important memories. God memorializes many important things in the Old Testament, often through feasts and ceremonies. Now He uses a monument built of stones so that in the future the Israelites can tell their children: “Here, the God of miracles was faithful.”
What things has God done in your life that you ought not to forget? Think of ways to memorialize them. You might have ceremonies, anniversaries of important events, or a physical memorial. Either way, foster the memory of God’s work on your behalf.
(Quiet Walk)
__________________________________________________________________
THOMAS
Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20:25
As long as you reason and argue, you will never be satisfied. But the moment you see Him, your troubles will be resolved, and your answers will be given to you. The apostle Thomas is a perfect example of this.
We are familiar with the story of Thomas. After the death of Christ, the apostles were scattered. Then they met together, and when they were in an upper room, Christ appeared to them. Thomas was not with them then, but he joined the company later. They told him that the Lord had appeared among them, but Thomas would not believe it. He kept to the realm of reason and understanding. “No,” he said, “I can’t believe it, I cannot accept it—I must see Him for myself. I must put my hand into the print of the nails; I cannot believe this story.”
But then later the Lord appeared in the room and said, “Where is that finger of yours, Thomas? Put it into My side.” And Thomas broke down, as it were, and said that it was unnecessary. He fell at His feet and said, “My Lord and my God.” Had he come to understand the resurrection? Of course he had not—he just knew that it was a fact. So it is not a question of understanding—it is a question of the facts.
A Point to Ponder: The moment you see Him, your troubles will be resolved, and your answers will be given to you.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 24-25, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
______________________________________________________________________
Forsake and Follow
“Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” (Luke 5:10-11)
Perhaps we take too lightly the fact that the disciples “forsook all, and followed him.” This action involved at least two aspects, the leaving of their former life and the realignment of their loyalty.
The word “forsook” is used in a variety of extreme situations, including the “putting away” of a spouse (1 Corinthians 7:11-12; also “leave,” v. 13), and even death. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up [same word] the ghost” (Matthew 27:50). This leaving implies a complete severing of a situation or relationship.
Furthermore, they forsook all. For Peter, James, John, and Andrew, this involved leaving a prosperous business; for Matthew, a prestigious position of wealth; i.e., their careers. Certainly each left their livelihood, security, training, possessions, relationships, hopes—everything! “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
Next, the disciples needed to restructure their lives and loyalties to those of Christ. The word “follow” implies a unity of purpose and direction. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up all vestiges of his materialistic life “and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21).
Christ issues the same call to discipleship to each of us. Peter asked Him the question that we frequently ask. “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matthew 19:27). Christ answered, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (v. 29).
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
________________________________________________________________________
The Dayspring from on High
“Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.” (Luke 1:78)
This is an unusual, but beautiful, name of the coming Savior given Him by Zacharias when he was “filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied” (Luke 1:67). In that same prophecy, Zacharias also called that coming one “the Highest” and “the Lord” who would “give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins” (vv. 76-77). Just six months later, Jesus was born.
The Greek word here translated “dayspring” is so translated only this one time. It refers to the metaphorical spring from which the sun springs forth each day, and so is usually translated simply as “the east.” It is interesting that it is used three times in connection with the story of the wise men “from the east” who saw “his star in the east,” and then, when they reached Bethlehem once again, “the star, which they saw in the east,” led them to the one who was Himself “the dayspring” (Matthew 2:1-2, 9).
There is one other sunrise appropriately presaged here. Many years later, the women who had tearfully watched the Lord being crucified and buried came to His sepulcher to anoint Him with sweet spices “at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:2) immediately after He had risen from the dead. Here a closely related word is the word translated “rising.”
There is another great sunrise coming, as promised in the last chapter of the Old Testament. “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2). He who is Himself “the light of the world” (John 8:12) will someday even replace the sun in the new Jerusalem. There will never be another sunrise after that, for “there shall be no night there . . . neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light” (Revelation 22:5). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
_________________________________________________________________
Because Christ was man as well as God, He is able to give aid to us who are human.
INSIGHT
Jesus is God, but He was also man; Jesus was man, but He is also God. It is essential that Christ be both God and man. If Christ were not man, He could not have died for our sins. If He were not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the price for the sin of mankind. Christ was the perfect sacrifice. In fact, He was the only possible sacrifice able to atone for the sins of man and appease the wrath of God. As you continue to read the book of Hebrews, you will realize that the author’s main point is simply this – the superiority of Jesus Christ. (Quiet Walk)
_____________________________________________________________
Stepping on Toes
His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” 1 KINGS 1:6
Maybe he was too busy. Maybe he didn’t feel like his own sinful past gave him the right to enforce morality. For whatever reason, the verse above tells us that David didn’t train his son Adonijah to become a man. He didn’t correct him but instead spoiled him. And it cost them both dearly.
Barbara and I learned a lot of lessons with our own six kids. These action points will serve you well along the way:
1. Ask questions. Ask who they’ve been talking to on the phone. Find out who their friends are. When they are teenagers, make them tell you
where they went on their dates and who they hung out with. Don’t be bashful about checking up on them.
2. Avoid isolation. As children grow older, they start wanting more space, which is fine within limits. But they’ll push you away altogether if you let them. What they need is not distance but a relationship with wise counselors—their parents.
3. Believe in them. The teenage years are especially clouded with self-doubt and insecurities, and the social pecking order in junior high and high school can be brutal. Express your belief and confidence in your children as often as you can.
4. Establish boundaries. Determine where they can go. When they need to be home. What movies they can watch. What they can wear. God has given you the assignment of drawing lines and boxes—and to inspect what you expect.
5. Confront sin. Kids need parents who will restrain them from evil, loving them enough to watch carefully and discipline faithfully.
David lost his son because he refused to make him face the consequences of his choices. Don’t let it happen in your house. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
____________________________________________________________
A whole year remained for Noah, his family, and the samples of all kinds of animals that God wanted to preserve.
All of them miraculously survived. They did not lack food, no diseases, and no traumas due to the long confinement.
When the earth dried u and was habitable, the Lord instructed Noah to come out of the ark along with his family and all the animals.
Now it was time to start all over. Noah, his family, and all the animals were again blessed and commanded to be fruitful and multiply all over the face of the earth.
Noah was so grateful to the Lord for the compassionate way he preserved their lives that the first thing he did was build an altar to offer a burnt offering. That sacrifice symbolized the provisional payment of their sin by means of a substitute animal that died in their place. With this sacrifice, Noah acknowledged that he and his family were as guilty as the people who perished in the flood. He was thanking the Lord for His grace and mercy to them.
Noah remembered the first sacrifice made to reconcile Adam and Eve to God. Still, he was also teaching his children to continue to present sacrifices, lest they forget that they too deserved death. Still, God would continue to accept them as long as they BELIEVED the meaning of that symbolism in making their sacrifices.
Likewise, we must keep in mind the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Christ died in our place to not have to pay for our own sin with death. (Sol Ibarra)
_____________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.
_______________________________________________________________