God’s Command Restated- Noah (Genesis 9:1)
Sin grew. Cain killed Abel. Seth was born, and the promise of the coming Savior continued through his line to his offspring, Noah. During Noah’s days, man was evil in every way, but God took notice of Noah and counted him righteous. God commanded Noah to build an ark. All of mankind, except Noah and his family, was wiped out in the flood. After the flood, God gave a rainbow as a sign of promise that he would never destroy people in this way again. When the water had drained from the earth and dry land was visible again, God gave Noah the same command he had given Adam and Eve … “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 9:1) At that time, a total of eight people lived on earth: Noah, his wife, his three sons (Ham, Shem, and Japheth), and their wives. God’s promise of a coming Savior (Genesis 3) was passed down through Noah’s son, Shem.
Family Activity:
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Activity Time: 20 minutes
Materials: sunrise or sunset, blanket, family snack
As a family, make plans to go outside to watch the sunrise or see the sunset give way to the evening stars. Take a blanket and a favorite snack along with you. While you experience the beginning or ending of the day, talk about how constant the sun and stars are. Has the sun ever failed to rise or set? What would happen if the sun didn’t come up tomorrow? What would happen if the sun were always shining and nighttime never came? Talk about how the reliability of the sun and stars reminds us that God is always faithful.
Bible:
With your family, read Genesis 6:1-14; 6:19-7:17; 8:1-4; and 8:15-9:17.
Discuss:
- Have you ever broken a promise you made? Has anyone ever broken a promise they made to you? How did it make you feel? God’s Word is filled with many promises. God will never break them because faithfulness is part of who he is. How does this truth encourage you?
- Think about a time when you couldn’t see the sun because of clouds or a storm. Even though you couldn’t see the sun, was it still there? Has it ever seemed like God broke a promise? How does knowing that God is always faithful give us assurance that he has kept his promise even when we may not see how?
Pray:
Thank God that he is faithful in every generation. Pray that he will grow our hearts to be fully committed to him.
