Gen 9
Am I fruitful and multiplying all the blessings that God has given me to make an enduring impact for His kingdom and for His Glory?
The fruit we produce will depend on the vine we attach ourselves to. Bearing good fruit requires us to attach ourselves to the True Vine, Jesus Christ (John 15:1 ).
To be fruitful and multiply in a family context would mean presenting our spouse and children to Jesus so that they also bear good fruit. You and your house shall be saved (Acts 16:31 ).
In that way we leave a legacy of blessings and life for our families and for the world rather than a legacy of sin and death.
# As for me and my house, I declare for the heavens and the earth to witness, that we are for the Lord. We choose life! May the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus dominate and operate in my house till the end of time, negating the law of sin and death. May the legacy of our blessings from the Lord leave an enduring impact for the kingdom of God, for the glory of God.
Power and authority comes with responsibility and accountability. All animals given to us also means we have to be responsible and accountable for them. As humans, we need to take care of all of God’s creation that He has graciously entrusted us with.
Meat, grains, vegetables given for food.
Don’t eat blood, meat that still has blood in it.
Life is in the blood.
Humans made in the image of God.
Therefore anything and anyone that defiles that image ( takes the Life out of the human) will also loose its life.
Vs 7- be fruitful, multiply and repopulate the earth.
God’s character through the law of the spirit of life – is always fruitful and increasing ( the things of His creation). We are to take up the same character where we also operate under that law – in our hearts ( mind, will, emotions – how we think, act and react >> life) as opposed to, The law of sin and death where it is about killing, stealing and destruction in our thoughts, words, actions.
Anger / hatred is equivalent to murder (1 John 3:15 )
How are my:
- …thoughts towards family and others?
- …Words towards family and others?
- …Actions towards family and others?
- >>>To build or to destroy them?
- >>> To give them hope or despair?
- >>>To bless or to curse?
# Create in me a clean heart oh Lord and renew a steadfast spirit within me , a spirit operating under the law of life in Christ Jesus, a spirit of life that empowers me to produce good fruit so that I am always a blessing to my family and others, this bringing honor and glory to Your Name. May Your River of Life constantly flow through me to be a blessing to the people around me.
God made a covenant with Noah and his sons.
Why not Noah and his wife?
Power and authority comes with responsibility and accountability. Man given power and authority but the Lord will require responsibility and accountability.
Possibly:
…why even though Eve transgressed, it is still known as Adam’s sin.
…why when something goes wrong in the country, company…, the heads are held accountable and in some instances they have to resign even though they did not do the thing directly.
But also…
Just like when something good happens in a country or a new invention is made by a worker in a company, the head takes the glory.
?? Similarly, by one man Adam, sin came into the world just as by one man also, Jesus the last Adam , salvation came into the world. One was the first man, the other the first fruits of creation?? ( ).
An authority represents those under his authority in all things.
Under the authority of Adam, we all came under sin.
Under the authority of Jesus, we all come under righteousness… ( if we believe and receive by grace through faith)
Does that mean… At least it suggests…
We are not sinners because we sin, but because of Adam’s sin??
Similarly we are not righteous because of anything ( we can do) other than just solely because of what Jesus did??
# I declare and decree, believe and receive that I am under the covenant of the Blood of the Lamb ( Thank you Jesus) , the mighty and powerful Covenant that negates all other evil covenants that may have been put over my life by anyone with authority over my life, whether through my parents or ancestry, through spiritual / religious leadership ( church without the true Gospel, without Jesus… ) or through political leadership of my nation.
Vs 9- covenant with Noah and the sons…
- An eternal covenant for all generations…
- Made to include all their descendants.
- Made to include all living animals and creatures.
- Floods will never kill all creatures again.
- Flood will never destroy all the earth again.
- The sign of the covenant – a rainbow will appear in the clouds.
All the people now on earth are descendants of the sons of Noah – Shem, Ham, Japhet.
Noah cultivated the land, planted a vineyard and one day became drunk, laying naked in his tent!
Noah got busy with life, but in a fallen world, shame and disgrace is never far away when one slips.
The devil goes about Like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour (1 Peter 5:8 )?
The accuser of the brethren always waiting for an opportunity to kill steal or destroy ( ones reputation).
Ham saw the Father in his shame and spoke about it to his brothers.
The brothers Shem and Japhet heard about, did not want to see it but instead covered the father’s shame.
A timely lesson for us in the world today.
Do I honor the authority figures in my life –
- – spouse / especially wives honouring their husbands ,
- – parents… children especially to the fathers ,
- – Church leadership ( my Pastor) or
- – political leadership ( the president of my country!) ….
Or do I talk about them ( gossip and slander), talking and spreading their weakness instead of covering for them?
I should always remember that power and authority comes from God ( even bad ones?? We get the leadership we deserve?? It may be a test on obedience)
But the Lord’s grace is always sufficient for whatever situation He puts us in. It is for us to leave the judging to Him.
Thou shall not touch God’s anointed (Psalm 105:15 )
Does how I treat / react to authority figures the Lord has put me under have consequences — blessings or curses?
There is power in the word of an authority figure in our lives. Because they represent God, their words ( even the negative ones) may come to pass.
That is why the blessings of a father is crucial to the child and possibly why the Jews, who do the ritual of father’s blessing their children every week, have become relatively more successful in all spheres of life??
Possibly why another major strategy of the devil is to destroy or distort families with a lot of broken marriages and absentee fathers. No one left to cover the wife or bless the children and the enemy comes in to do what he does best – killing, stealing and destruction.
There is a tribe / culture in my country that would encourage their married daughters to get children and then leave the husband and come back home or encouraged single motherhood – children outside wedlock by design not by circumstances. I heard that a preacher / prophet was sent to them to change that culture because it was against God’s design and plan for the family. The consequences were that the children developed a very violent culture ( lack of Father figures somehow seems to make children especially boys violent. Similar statistics in the US jails) with the proliferation of gangs. In that region, the people though prosperous financially, cannot even stay in their beautifully built homes.
Following God’s ways leads to blessings – prosperity, being the head and not the tail, expansion of ones territory. They have proven their ability to listen and obey God and respect those God has placed in authority, no matter what and the Lord promotes them.
Leave the judging to Him, the appointing authority.
I have also heard of special grace to wives and children under ‘unfavourable’ or ‘challenging’ authority, but they still offered the honour or respect due ( such as not speaking badly about the authority figure).
Our Lord is a God of justice, is Faithfull and True and will always work everything for our good so long as we love Him and pursue His purposes (Romans 8:28 ). He will not leave us nor forsake us for whatever situation of authority He puts us under.
Doing otherwise leads to curses.
Interestingly it is Ham’ s son that is cursed!!, why not Ham the transgressor ?
The consequences of our sin may lead to generational curses?
A son dishonoring the father shall also be dishonored by their sons?
If just a troubled child brings untold stress to a parent, what of a cursed child?
# Lord I repent for any act of stubbornness or rebellion towards any authority figure You have ever placed over my life, whether my parents or teachers, whether religious or country leadership. Indeed I repent for ever touching any of the Lord’s anointed over any aspect of my life.
I also repent for doing anything to those under my authority that I may have provoked to anger or distress, or to cry out in bitterness towards You because of me. Lord, Your most important commandment is based on love ( for God and for man). May Your Love saturate my life so that I always see others through the lens of Your abundant love, mercy and grace. Indeed Your Love, demonstrated by the Cross, was not for me alone but also for others, even those that I would want to look down upon or despise . Empower me to also surrender my life and rights ( to judge others even when they are wrong) and carry my Cross for Your honor and glory. Amen!
THE LIVING WORD 4 LIFE 