In today’s readings, we will once again look at Noah and his family. God called Noah a righteous man, yet we’ll see that he was barely off the ark before he sinned. The result was shame and loss of respect within his own family.
And when it comes to God, shame can cause us to avoid prayer, Bible reading, and going to church in a foolish attempt to run from God. But there is a better way!
We’ll, also, talk about being made in the image of God, the quality of our “salt,” the danger of dishonoring our parents, and responding to the sins of others.
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals or subscribing to the YouTube version? (If you are already signed up, you will automatically continue receiving them.)
And now on to the Word …
Today’s Readings:
Genesis 9 & 10
Psalm 3.5-8
Proverbs 1.23-27
Matthew 5.1-26
When You’re Struggling with Shame
Love & Consequences
A couple of days ago in Genesis 6.5-6, we read about what is sometimes called “total depravity”:
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
In the next chapter of Genesis, God destroyed every living creature, except Noah and his family because God said he was a righteous man.
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation (Gen. 7.1).
Even the Best of Men
But Noah and his family are barely out of the ark before Noah gets drunk and acts foolishly. When he does, his son Ham can’t resist the urge to look at him in a disrespectful way.
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says this about chapter 9.18-23:
The drunkenness of Noah is recorded in the Bible, with that fairness which is found only in the Scripture, … to show that the best of men cannot stand upright, unless they depend upon Divine grace, and are upheld thereby. Ham … probably rejoiced to find his father in an unbecoming situation. It was said of Noah, that he was perfect in his generations, chapter 6.9; but this is meant of sincerity, not of a sinless perfection. Noah, who had kept sober in drunken company, is now drunk in sober company. Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.
That last statement is a quote from 1 Corinthians 10.12.
In that passage, Paul was warning us to be careful not to think of ourselves as better than someone else or above sinning in some area. We must learn to continually rely on God and His strength and realize that any goodness in us comes from God and His grace, not because of our own attempts at being righteous.
Shame & Consequences, Part of God’s Divine Grace
Matthew Henry goes on:
The consequence of Noah’s sin was shame. Observe here the great evil of the sin of drunkenness. It discovers men; what infirmities they have, they betray when they are drunk; and secrets are then easily got out of them. Drunken porters keep open gates. It disgraces men, and exposes them to contempt. As it shows them, so it shames them. Men say and do that when drunken, which, when sober, they would blush to think of.
Shame and other consequences are God’s way of getting our attention. They are part of His loving parental instruction and divine grace.
And, of course, drunkenness is not the only sin that leads to shame. In fact, there are too many to name. Some of the more obvious ones are sexual immorality, stealing, and lying. Sometimes our shame can be focused more on what other people think of us. But some of the worst shame can be in our relationships with God. It can keep us from wanting to pray, read our Bibles, or go to church in a useless attempt to hide from Him.
Walking in the Light
Rather than trying to hide from God in shame, we need to run to Him and confess our sins.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1.5-9).
And Proverbs 28.13 says:
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
So, let’s get in the habit of regularly confessing our sins to God and praying for His help to turn from them and become more like His Son. When we do, we can exchange our shame for his mercy and cleansing.
Let Love Cover, But …
But let’s look at a little more of Matthew Henry’s commentary:
Notice the care of Shem and Japheth to cover their father’s shame. There is a mantle of love to be thrown over the faults of all, thrown over the faults of parents and other superiors. The blessing of God attends on those who honour their parents, and his curse lights especially on those who dishonour them.
What a great reminder about the importance of honoring our parents (Eph 6.2) and letting love cover one another’s sins when possible (1 Pet. 4.8).
This is true in all relationships, but especially within our families. That does not mean we disobey other clear commands of Scripture, such as the command to leave father and mother and cleave to your spouse (Gen. 2.24) or the command to speak the truth in love when necessary (Eph. 4.15). There are times, even in close relationships, when sin should be lovingly confronted (Gal. 6.1-2).
When Love Must Do More
While the Bible does not condemn having a glass of wine, it does give us strong warnings about the danger and sinfulness of drunkenness.
And sometimes we must do more even than lovingly confront. We must stand back and allow the consequences of someone’s actions to occur.
We have all seen and heard the heart-breaking stories caused by drinking and driving or someone under the influence of drugs, for example. Letting love cover does not mean we look the other way when someone drives drunk, does something illegal, or puts others at risk in some other way. Neither does it mean that we seek to lessen the consequences of someone’s sin.
Moms, that means refusing to bail that son or daughter out of jail when they have been arrested for DUI or some other crime, especially if it has happened numerous times. Wives (or husbands), that means respectfully refusing to “call in sick” for a spouse with a hangover.
It means taking the keys or calling a cab and making a commitment to never drink and drive yourself. It means sitting down with everyone in your family, especially your kids, and letting them know that if they commit a crime, you will not bail them out or pay for a lawyer. Instead, out of your love for them, you will allow them to suffer the consequences.
Getting in God’s Way
When we don’t, we can get in God’s way and impede His work in their lives. And often, He will simply take matters out of our hands. That sometimes means greater consequences.
And substance abuse isn’t the only area where we can get in God’s way. It might be rebellion against authority, laziness, or any number of things.
And sometimes we need to be the one to report something. We can never stand by while someone abuses their spouse or children, for example.
So while we need to be careful not to be self-righteous, we need to remember that genuine love doesn’t seek to prevent all pain and suffering.
Instead, we should show genuine love and concern by letting them know that, while we may not remove all the consequences, our love is unconditional. We should pray that God will use the situation for good (Rom. 8.28-29). If they don’t know God, ask Him to save them and if they do, pray for them to fully surrender their lives to Him.
In all this, we need to avoid gossip and be willing to forgive when we’ve been hurt by their sin.
In the Image of God
Another important verse in chapter 9 is verse 6:
Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.
John MacArthur says, “The reason man could kill animals, but neither animals nor man could kill man, is because man alone was created in God’s image.”
Yet, while Proverbs says, “A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal … (Prov. 12.10), in many cases, the well-being of animals is placed higher than that of people, especially the unborn.
Many of the same people who condemn animal cruelty (rightfully so), protest the wearing of furs (it seems to me God was the first furrier, Gen. 3.21), and go to extremes to prevent the extinction of a turtle, will defend a woman’s right to kill her unborn baby.
We cannot forget that every man, woman, and child, inside the womb and out, was created in the image of God and is precious to Him.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 3.5-8:
Our Sustaining God
5 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.7 Arise, O LORD;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people.
What a great passage to meditate on if you are tempted by fear or feel under attack!
Proverbs 1.23-27:
Mocking Wisdom
Though, as yesterday’s reading showed so clearly, God makes His wisdom readily available and understandable, there will be those who mock or refuse to hear it. Those who hear the truth yet go their own way are accountable for that choice and will suffer the consequences.
Matthew 5.1-26:
Christ’s Inaugural Address & the Poor in Spirit
Chapters 5-7 are often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. This was Jesus’ first public sermon. You might say it was the inaugural address of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Jesus was saying, this is how it is in My kingdom! It sounds like we should pay close attention!
It starts with the Beatitudes in chapter 5.3-10. In verse 3, He talks about the “poor in Spirit.” These are the people who recognize that, apart from God, they are spiritually bankrupt.
Verse 4 is about mourning over sin—primarily our own. But too often rather than mourning over our sin, we’re quick to see the sins of others as major and ours as just minor character flaws. We’ll talk more about that when we get to Matthew 7.
Meekness & Salt
Verse 5 talks about the meek. This has nothing to do with weakness, in fact, quite the opposite. This is the strength that comes from self-control which is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 11 talks about being persecuted for righteousness sake and we know that does happen. But verse 12 goes on to talk about salt that has lost its flavor. Real salt doesn’t lose its flavor or the ability to preserve things, but salt that is polluted by impurities can appear that way. So if we’re being persecuted in our family or in the workplace, etc., we need to be sure it’s because of Christ’s righteousness as seen in us and not because we’re acting like the rest of the world and people see us as hypocrites.
Even when we suffer for righteousness sake, we need to be sure that we are not acting self-righteous. We need to remember that it’s only by God’s grace that we have been saved and enabled to live in ways that are pleasing to Him. Only then can we take heart in what Peter said—that it is better to suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong (1 Pet. 3.17).
For God’s Glory
Verse 16 reminds us what is really important—letting our light shine in such a way that God receives glory! And, while it’s discouraging to see much of what’s taking place in the culture around us, we should remember that light shines brightest when the surroundings are the darkest. So, let your light shine!
And in verse 20 Jesus said our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. He is calling us to genuine heart change, not just external obedience. But it also helps us realize that God’s demands on us are not humanly possible. Our only hope is to be “in Christ” and partakers of His righteousness!
Coming Up:
As we continue through Genesis, we’ll meet more real people with real stories like yours and mine. In the coming weeks, we will read about Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Esau, and Joseph, just to name a few. We’ll witness sibling rivalry, murder, favoritism, idolatry, deception, manipulation, and revenge. But through it all, we’ll see God’s sovereignty and grace and find hope for the messes we make of our lives.
In the New Testament, we’ll talk about radical surgery, look at Jesus’ outline for prayer, talk about our functional gods, and consider those scary words, “I never knew you!”
I hope you’ll prayerfully consider reading through the Bible with me again or for the first time. The readings only take 15-20 minutes a day and the commentary will help you think more deeply about what you’ve read. So, don’t forget to sign up for my daily email or subscribe here for the YouTube version.
Following along with me can help you stay on track. And I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.
Here’s a short video about what we’re doing on YouTube.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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