Noah Worshiping God (Gen. 8:20)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 04/03/2006

My Worship Time:                                                                     Focus:  Worshiping God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 8:20

            Message of the verse:  “20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

           

            God had commanded Noah to bring more of the clean animals and birds with him on the ark, and so Noah in pleasing the Lord in his worship offered these sacrifices to the Lord on an altar that he had built as soon as he got off of the ark.

           

            In verse 21 God smelled the burnt offerings and was pleased with them.  There is a word that describes how it is that God is able to smell and do other things like humans can.  “God does not have a body, but He can perform the functions that our bodies can perform, ‘eyes of the Lord,’ ‘hand and arm of the l’ etc.  These are called anthropomorphisms, which are God given human terms so we can understand Him.”  (Note for Dr. Jack Jacobs study on the theology of man).

           

            “It was God who provided the sacrifices because He commanded Noah to take the clean animals with him on the ark (Gen. 7:2-3).  What we give to God, He has first given to us (1Chron. 29:14), and we don’t give to God because He lacks anything (Ps. 50:7-15) or needs anything (Acts 17:24-25).  Our giving brings delight to God, but it doesn’t enrich God personally.  Rather, giving enriches the worshiper (Phil. 4:18).”

           

            Giving is like everything else that is done which is all about the proper attitude, for is something right is done with the wrong attitude then is does not mean as much, or may not mean any thing, where if a person does the right thing with the right attitude, such as worshiping God then the act of worship means a great deal.  If seems to me that Noah had the proper attitude when he worshiped the Lord in this instance. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  By combing what I learned in church yesterday of making the right choices with this section on Noah worshiping God with the proper attitude it confirms to me that I need to not only make the right choices in life each day, but to make them with the proper attitude.

The Word of God was challenging, convicting and refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him and He will direct my paths.  Trust the Lord to give me the grace I need to get through this day, along with trusting the Lord to continue to teach me contentment that I may be satisfied with the path God is leading me on even though at times there are bumps on that path.