Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert (1592-1655) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draughtsman. He was the most prolific of the history painters now called the Pre-Rembrandtists, whose representations of biblical and mythological narratives, as well as of more recent history, give particular emphasis to dramatic and psychological effects. After Rembrandt arrived in Amsterdam in 1632, Moeyaert’s style became more lively: he used more intense color and more varied motifs and created more animated figures. This 1640 painting “Abraham and Lot Divide the Land” depicts the story told in Genesis 13:5-13, in which Abraham and his nephew Lot separate, as a result of the quarrel among the shepherds. The dispute ends in peaceful way, in which Abraham concedes a piece of the Promised Land, which belongs to him, in order to resolve the conflict peacefully.

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Call to Worship – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

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Invocation

O God of the still, small voice, quiet our inner spirit. Help us to focus upon You, and You alone, to hear Your voice within. There are so many other voices demanding our attention. But we cannot attend to them without You…. “Be still and know that I am God,” You say to us as You said to Elijah…. May Your voice speak through us.
In weakness, be our strength. In poverty, be our wealth. In depression, be our joy. In apathy, be our love. We cannot sing Love’s song, O Lord, unless it be Your voice singing in us. Take this heart, and with this mouth make Your praise and thanksgiving a reality here and now. Because of, and in the name of our Messiah, Jesus. Amen.

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O Come to the Altar

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling.
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling.

O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there’s no reason to wait, Jesus is calling.
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born, Jesus is calling.

O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ
O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ

Oh what a Savior, Isn’t He wonderful, Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him for He is Lord of all, Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Oh what a Savior, Isn’t He wonderful, Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him for He is Lord of all, Sing alleluia, Christ is risen

 O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you’ve found

By Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, Wade Joye
© 2015 Music by Elevation Publishing
CCLI # 2487144

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Children’s Sermon

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Prayer and Intercession

By faith
We gaze up to the heavens
and know
within its vastness
that this is your creation
planned and effected within eternity.

By faith
We pluck an ear of corn
and know
within its symmetry
lies the chemistry of life
the potential of creation within our hands.

By faith
We listen for your voice
and know
the whisper that we hear
breathed a world into existence
yet listens to the prayer within our souls.

By faith
We strive to do your will
and know
the door that we approach
may lead us to shadows
where our role is to become your light.

By faith
We cling to your word
and know
the strength that we receive
has its source within the love
that is at the centre of all things.

Please take a few moments to pray for:

• • The Paradee Family
  • Howard Deuso
  • Donna Waguespack, our missionary in Mexico
  • Healthcare workers
  • Other personal concerns

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Scripture Reading – Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate
13 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. ² Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

³ From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier ⁴ and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

⁵ Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. ⁷ And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

¹⁰ Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.¹³ Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. ¹⁵ All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. ¹⁷ Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

¹⁸ So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

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Sermon

Living by Faith, Not by Sight by Dr. Jason R. McConnell

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I Lift My Eyes Up

I lift my eyes up, up to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from you, Maker of Heaven,
Creator of the earth.

Oh, how I need you, Lord,
You are my only hope, You’re my only prayer.
So I will wait for you to come and rescue me;
Come and give me life.

I lift my eyes up, up to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from you, Maker of Heaven,
Creator of the earth.

Oh, how I need you, Lord,
You are my only hope, You’re my only prayer.
So I will wait for you to come and rescue me;
Come and give me life.

I lift my eyes up, up to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?

Words and music by Brian Doerkson
© 1990 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
CCLI # 2487144

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Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan, by József Molnár, 1850
(Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest)

József Molnár (1821-1899) was a Hungarian painter. He was born in Zsámbék and studied in Venice, Rome and Munich. After his studies, he settled down in Stuttgart, Germany, where he earned money by painting portraits. He returned to Hungary in 1853 and started painting landscapes and historic paintings in Pest. Molnár died in Budapest.

This painting depicts Abraham’s journey toward the Promised Land after God called him out of his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans. At age 75, he took his possessions and set out for a place that he had never seen. Notice Molnár’s depiction of mothers and children all around Abraham, yet at this point in his life, he had no offspring of his own. This is a dominant theme throughout the Abraham narrative in Genesis 12-25.

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Call to Worship – Isaiah 41:8-14

⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

¹¹ “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
¹² Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
¹³ For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
¹⁴ Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

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Invocation

O God, our refuge, our strength, our help; You are the bedrock upon which our lives are built, the mighty fortress which surrounds and protects. Though the earth should change, the mountains shake, the waters rise, we will not fear.

Help us, O Lord, to live fearlessly amidst the storm. But in so doing, guide us as followers of the Prince of Peace, the Servant King, away from a fortress mentality, where outsiders are enemies, toward a Kingdom where Love is the final word.

On bended knee we sing praise to the One You have exalted, the Lamb who was slain for our sin. May the doors of this mighty fortress open wide this hour, that the music of the Kingdom may resound through this valley and into our hearts, our homes, our communities, our world. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

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Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of God’s redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Bought me with His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

Words: Robert Robinson (1758)
Music: John Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, 1813

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Children’s Sermon

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Prayer and Intercession

My God,

I bless you that you have given me the eye of faith,
to see you as Father,
to know you as a covenant God,
to experience your love planted in me;

For faith is the grace of union
by which I spell out my entitlement to you:

Faith casts my anchor upwards where I trust in you
and engage you to be my Lord.

Be pleased to live and move within me,
breathing in my prayers,
inhabiting my praises,
speaking in my words,
moving in my actions,
living in my life,
causing me to grow in grace.

Your bounteous goodness has helped me believe,
but my faith is weak and wavering,
its light dim,
its steps tottering,
its increase slow,
its backslidings frequent;
It should scale the heavens but lies groveling in the dust.

Lord, fan this divine spark into glowing flame.

When faith sleeps, my heart becomes an unclean thing,
the fount of every loathsome desire,
the cage of unclean lusts
all fluttering to escape,
the noxious tree of deadly fruit,
the open wayside of earthly tares.

Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength
until all heaven fills my soul
and all impurity is cast out.

 Faith from The Valley of Vision

Please take a few moments to pray for:

• Brad Paradee and  Howard Deuso, who have COVID-19
• Donna Waguespack, our missionary in Mexico
• Healthcare workers
• Other personal concerns
  

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Scripture Reading – Genesis 12

The Call of Abram
12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt
¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, ¹² and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” ¹⁴ When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” ²⁰ And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

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Sermon

Click title for this week’s sermon:

Abram: A Man of Faith and a Man of Fear by Pastor Vawn Edele

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Here I Am, Lord

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin, My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them. Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Words and music by Daniel L. Schutte
© 1981 D. Schutte and New Dawn Music
CCLI # 2487144

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Abram: A Man of Faith and a Man of Fear (Sermon Text)

Today as we return to our Genesis series we will begin to look at the life story of Abram. Be prepared :  it will take us several weeks to complete his story. In actuality, his story is still being told in the lifes’ of Christians, Jews and Arabs throughout the world today. To begin Abrams story I would like us to return to a portion of scripture we read 2 weeks ago.

Genesis 11:27-32
Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

We see that Abram experiences 4 traumatic events. First Haran, one of Abrams brothers dies. We don’t know what caused his death, probably not from old age, which would leave either he died in an accident, some type of physical ailment or suicide. This leaves Abram taking Lot, Harans son, under his care. He not only experienced this loss but certainly witnessed the pain it caused his parents. No parent expects their children to die before them. I experienced this first hand when my step brother died  before his time and I saw the  pain it caused my step mother.The scripture says, “Haran died in the presence of his father.”  It sounds like Abrams father was there when Haran took his last breath. A terrible thing to witness. Second, we read that Sarai, Abrams’ wife, has not been able to have any children because of a physical condition. Third, his family moves.Moving is not necessarily traumatic, it can be exciting. Consider why they may have moved. It most likely wasn’t a job relocation assignment. Perhaps for economic or quality of life reasons they moved. Perhaps a relative encouraged them to relocate to be near them. Or perhaps it was just too hard for his father to stay where his son died and he wanted a fresh start. Their move wasn’t just to the next town, it was to a place they had never seen. The plan was to relocate 1,000 miles away on the other side of the Syrian desert. The family had to take the long way around the desert. With modern transportation we could make that trip in just a few days. But for them it would take about 2 months. With full anticipation of going to Cannan, they stop about half way in Harran. Why? One suggestion is that the town had the same name as Abrams brother and it was too hard for his father to move on from there. Or perhaps they found a great piece of land to settle down on. And the last trauma Abram experiences is the death of his father. Yes ,Terah had lived a long life, but losing a parent at any age is hard. Needless to say, Abram had experienced a number of troubling events up to this point in his life.

Let’s continue to read on

Genesis 12:1-9
Now the Lord said  to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

We begin by seeing God chooses to enter Abrams’ life by talking to him. I believe it was totally unexpected and undeserved. We don’t read that Abram in any was searching and listening for God to talk to him. It was intentionally initiated by God with a purpose in mind. To reveal His plans and promises to Abram. The plan initially called for obedience on Abrams part. An instruction to go. To leave what was comfortable, his surviving brother, his uncles and aunts, his cousins, and his friends, He was also to leave the house and property he inherited from his father. God wanted Abram to surrender what he had and trust in what He would give him

There is another area God wanted Abram to surrender. It is not recorded here. In order to see this, we need to step forward a few hundred years to Joshua, one of the leaders of the nation of Israel. God wanted Abram to leave anything that interfered with what God wanted.

 Joshua 24:2
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.

Abram needed to distance himself from these other gods he and his family served. Not just physical distancing but a distancing of the heart and allegiance. A total abandonment of his gods. God’s plan involved Abram knowing, trusting and serving God and to have no other gods before me.

God wanted Abram to not only go and leave this behind, but to go to a land that God says , “I will show you.” This is the first in a number of “I wills” God declares in our reading this morning. When God says, “I will” he is not just saying ,”I can, I have the ability and power to do so.” Just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you will. God does not say perhaps, might, should or lets see how it works itself out. No when God says, “I will” it can be thought of as if it is already done. Each of these “I wills” are projections into the future, both near and the distant future. Abram can see these as Gods blessing promises to him, to a nation and to the world. These promises are not conditional or performance based on Abram meeting and maintaining a certain standard. Except the first I will show a land. He needed to go in order to see the land.

Note what God was asking, Abram to do was not beyond his ability, like building an ark. Remember he moved once already in his life. But it still required faith in God. So Abram trusts in Gods “I wills” not just in word but action, and he says , “I will.” He puts his faith in action. Imagine with me for a moment. After hearing the message today -go home pack up all your belongings, (That in itself can be stressful, so much stuff) rent a moving truck, don’t take a map or any type of GPS device and just drive. Each day wait for instruction and follow them. You don’t know when or where you will stop each day or your final destination. Thats what God was asking of Abram. Let me read to you what Hebrews says about the faith of Abram as it relates to this journey.

Hebrews 11:8
 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Notice he was being asked to go into the unknown. Not aware of what the land would look like, how productive it would be, how large or small it would be.It was full of  unknowns and risks. Faith typically has an element of the unknown. Part 2 of a recent film includes a song that tells of going into the unknown.

Cliick the link below to enjoy this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=into+the+unknown

Along the journey we read that Abram sets up 2 altars. These were much more than just a pile of rocks. It was an altar of sacrifice and thanksgiving to God for his leading and provision. They were a remembrance monument to God. A Monument to remember that God had appeared to him. A monument to remember he called upon God. A monument to the relationship he had with God.

Our story continues.

Genesis 12:10-20
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Abram faces his first trauma. The man of faith wavers and becomes a man of fear. A severe famine is in the land. Probably as a result of a drought in the land. And the resources to sustain life could only be found in Egypt. So he chooses to travel there with his family only temporarily until the famine ends. Just before entering Egypt his thinking leads him to fear for his life and he must come up with a solution. He believes Pharaoh will kill him because Pharaoh will see how beautiful his wife is and take her as his own. Even in her 60’s she still was beautiful. I know someone in my house approaching that age who is beautiful. So he devises a plan to protect himself. ”Sarai tell Pharaoh you are my sister.” In other words, “Sara I need you to lie to protect me.” They wouldn’t kill him if he was here brother. They would actually pay him for her.This deception actually wasn’t fully a lie. Sarai was his sister, half sister. This is not the last time he will use this deception to protect himself. Here is what he says in the  future situation.

Genesis 20:12-13
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.

So it was not a total lie more like a half truth. But we know what a half truth is don’t  we. Ultimately he was not trusting God to handle the problem. And took matters into his own hands.

As the story continues the truth is exposed. His deception brings consequences to Pharoah. Great plagues. We can only imagine what they might have been. Abrams sinful choice is now affecting someone else. And it is revealed to Pharaoh as to the reason behind the plagues. And he sends Abram, Sarai, the livestock and servants away. God was certainly gracious to Abram and kept his promises even though Abram in this moment abandoned God.

In closing, we all will face moments filled with unknowns throughout our lifes. Whether it is an unknown God asks us to step into or an unknown that steps into us. We make a choice to respond in faith or fear. Fear of the unknown tends to lead us to respond outside of Gods desire. In fear we take the situation into our own hands to resolve. Or in fear we freeze and don’t move ahead. In all unknowns we can place of faith and choices in the promises of God.

Listen to the “I wills “ , Gods’ promises spoken to Israel through Isaiah, we have from our Call to Worship .

Isaiah 41:10-13
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Let us take these words to heart in our present pandemic with its unknowns. Have faith and fear not.

 

Marten van Valckenborch (1535-1612), was a Flemish Renaissance painter, primarily known for his landscapes with religious or allegorical themes and agricultural or mining scenes. Later in his career, he developed towards a Mannerist idiom (landscapes characterized by dramatically agitated clouds and large mountains) as is scene in “The Building of the Tower of Babel.”

Unlike most artists, van Valckenborch accurately portrays the Tower of Babel as a ziggurat (a square or rectangular temple with multiple tiers and outside staircases.) The pyramid structure typically included a shrine on the top. This painting also depicts a kiln (on the lower left) for manufacturing bricks and a cave (on the lower right) for mining bitumen or asphalt to make mortar. The artist gives us a sense of the size and scope of the project and manpower it took to create such a monument.

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Call to Worship – Matthew 21:1-11

 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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Hosanna, Loud Hosanna

Hosanna, loud hosanna the little children sang;
Through pillared court and temple the lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them, close folded to his breast,
The children sang their praises, the simplest and the best.

From Olivet they followed mid an exultant crowd,
The victory palm branch waving, and chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven rode on in lowly state,
Nor scorned that little children should on his bidding wait.

“Hosanna in the highest!” That ancient song we sing,
For Christ is our Redeemer, the Lord of heaven, our King.
O may we ever praise him with heart and life and voice,
And in his blissful presence eternally rejoice.

Words: Jennette Threlfall (1821-1880)
Music: Gesangbuch der H. W. K. Hofkapelle

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Children’s Sermon

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Prayer and Intercession

Let us pray:
Creator, Upholder and Proprietor of all things,
We cannot escape from your presence and control,
nor do we desire to do so.

Our privilege is to be under the agency of your omnipotence,
righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy and grace;
For you are Love with more than parental affection.

We admire your goodness,
stand in awe of your power,
abase ourselves before your purity.

It is the discovery of your goodness alone that
can banish our fear
allure us into your presence,
help us to bewail and confess our sins.

We review our past guilt
and are conscious of present unworthiness.
We bless you that your steadfast love and attributes
are essential to our happiness and hope;
You have witnessed to us your grace and mercy
in the bounties of nature,
in the fullness of your providence,
in the revelations of Scripture,
in the gift of your Son,
in the proclamation of the gospel.

Make us willing to be saved in your own way,
perceiving nothing in ourselves but all in Jesus.
Help us not only to receive him but to
walk in him,
depend upon him,
commune with him,
follow him as dear children,
imperfect, but still pressing forward,
not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,
not murmuring under trials, but thankful for our state.
And by so doing let us silence the ignorance
of foolish men.

The Giver from The Valley of Vision

Please take a few moments to pray for:

• Brad Paradee and Pam & Howard Deuso, who have COVID-19
• Donna Waguespack, our missionary in Mexico
• Healthcare workers
• Other personal concerns

 

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Scripture Reading – Genesis 11

The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram
¹⁰ This is the account of Shem.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. ¹¹ And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³ And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

Abram’s Family
²⁷ This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

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Sermon

Rebuilding the Tower of Babel by Dr. Jason R. McConnell

(Printed sermon is below the final song)

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What the Lord Has Done in Me

Let the weak say, “I am strong.” Let the poor say, “I am rich.”
Let the blind say, “I can see; It’s what the Lord has done in me.”

Let the weak say, “I am strong.” Let the poor say, “I am rich.”
Let the blind say, “I can see; It’s what the Lord has done in me.”

Hosanna, Hosanna! To the Lamb that was slain.
Hosanna, Hosanna! Jesus died and rose again.

Into the river I will wade. There my sins are washed away.
From the heavens mercy streams Of the Savior’s love for me.

Hosanna, Hosanna! To the Lamb that was slain.
Hosanna, Hosanna! Jesus died and rose again.

I will rise from waters deep Into the saving arms of God.
I will sing salvation songs; Jesus Christ has set me free!

Hosanna, Hosanna! To the Lamb that was slain.
Hosanna, Hosanna! Jesus died and rose again.
Hosanna, Hosanna! To the Lamb that was slain.
Hosanna, Hosanna! Jesus died and rose again.
Jesus died and rose again, Jesus died and rose again.

Words and music by Reuben Morgan
CCLI# 2487144

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Rebuilding the Tower of Babel (sermon manuscript)

So far, the Book of Genesis has told us the story of how God, the original artist, created the earth and everything in it. He formed the skies and seas. He fashioned the forests and flower-filled meadows. He flung birds into the sky and splashed fish into the sea, and he made beasts to roam the land. But he unveiled his greatest masterpiece when he sculpted the human race from the dust of the earth and breathed into man the breath of life. He molded mankind in his own image—with body, mind, and soul—with the ability to love and be loved—and with the capacity to create and procreate. God planted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where they experienced peace with nature, abundant beauty, and a perfect relationship with God and each other. And all was well with the world!

Then, sin stained God’s glorious masterpiece when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The fields that once flourished with flowers and food would now be overrun by thorns and thistles. Humanity’s perfect fellowship with God would now be tainted by distrust and separation. And human relationships would now be marked by manipulation and malice, blaming and backstabbing, selfish ambition and sexual exploitation. As the generations multiplied, so did sin. He gave mankind so many opportunities to repent, but they refused. The human race became so wicked that God regretted creating the earth.

So, God decided to scrap the world and start over again. But before he burst open the underground springs and accumulated the rainclouds, he found one righteous man named Noah and commissioned him to build an ark that could withstand the Great Flood. Then, Noah and his family, along with the animals, socially distanced themselves from the rest of society by quarantining themselves on the ark for 370 days. (Can you even imagine? We’re only two weeks into Corona-quarantine, and it’s already driving us crazy!) But when the floodwaters finally receded, and the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat, Noah disembarked and began a new life.

Even though Noah stepped into a newly created world with no outward signs of sin, the seeds of iniquity were already sown deep in the human heart, and it would be just a matter of time before they sprung into full-blown transgression. Righteous Noah fell into sin when he became drunk and exposed from knocking back too much homemade wine. Then, Noah’s youngest son, Ham, followed his father’s sinful footsteps into sexual indiscretion. And thus, sin became fruitful and multiplied throughout the human race.

            So far, Genesis has taught us about the origins of the earth, humanity, and sin. Genesis is a twisted tale of triumph and tragedy—it’s a book of beauty and brokenness—a romance between rebellion and redemption. On every page of the first ten chapters, we have watched God’s faithfulness overcome human failure. And I wonder: Have you seen God’s faithfulness overcome your failures? How have you experienced God’s mercy in the midst of your mistakes?

            Genesis is really the gospel story—the story of how God loves us despite our sins and trespasses. When we deserve his judgment and wrath, he gives us his grace and forgiveness. God would one day prove his love by sending his son Jesus to ride a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and die for our sins on the cross on Good Friday. But we see the gospel right here in Genesis—in the generations from Adam to Noah and beyond.  

            This brings us to today’s saga about the Tower of Babel. Even though God gave the world a fresh start after the Great Flood, humanity quickly descended back into decadence and debauchery. In just a few generations, the world would once again be consumed by corruption and conceit. The Tower of Babel is the epitome of human arrogance. Here’s how the story goes!

The Migration to Mesopotamia (1-2)
             As Noah’s family expanded on the foothills of Ararat, they eventually decided to migrate eastward, to the plain of Shinar in Mesopotamia’s fertile crescent, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Today, this region is commonly called “The Cradle of Civilization.” Eastward movement is an ominous sign in Genesis. God placed the cherubim and flaming sword on the “east side” of the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were evicted? (Gen. 3:24) After Cain murdered his brother Abel, he settled in the land of Nod, “east of Eden?” (Gen. 4:16) Now we find Noah’s descendants moving east, which casts a dark shadow over the whole scene.

In those days, everyone spoke the same language. We don’t know what language it was, but we do know that it unified the human race and made communication relatively easy. The Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 chronologically precedes the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. As we will soon discover, it was the Tower of Babel instigated God to divide Noah’s descendants into clans, languages, lands, and nations and scatter them across the face of the earth.

            Pause and consider this for a moment! Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a world where everyone spoke the same language? Students wouldn’t have to take a foreign language in school! Instruction manuals would a lot thinner! We could travel to foreign countries read the road signs, order from menus, and carry on conversations without a translator. Husbands would even be able to understand their wives’ emotional tirades! (Relax, I’m just joking! Even a common tongue couldn’t help with that!) But seriously, what a different world it must have been with only one language.

The Presumptuous Project (3-4)
            After the human race settled on the plain of Shinar, they launched into a two-stage process of tower building. First, they said to themselves, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” Since Mesopotamia didn’t have stone available, they took it upon themselves to manufacture their own building materials. With incredible human ingenuity, they created kilns to bake bricks and they mined bitumen (asphalt) to make mortar. This new technology made for waterproof buildings as sturdy as stone.

Now with the proper materials in place, the people moved to phase two of their presumptuous project—building a city with a massive tower. At this stage in human history, cities were not intended to house the private sector; they built for public and religious purposes. They usually comprised of public buildings like administrative edifices, granaries, and a temple. The whole city was essentially a temple structure.

The infamous Tower of Babel was not a simple defense tower or watchtower, it was a monstrous ziggurat designed to make a statement to the watching world. As depicted in Marten van Valckenborch’s painting, a ziggurat was a square or rectangular structure engineered with multiple tiers and staircases and a shrine on the top. It was a man-made mountain and served the dual purpose of national pride and pagan worship. With its foundation on the earth and lofty peak in the clouds, it supposedly gave humans access to heaven and provided a convenient stairway for the gods to come down and bless the city.

Now that we know something about the materials, let’s examine the motive behind building the Tower of Babel. Verse 4 tells us that the people’s purpose was to “make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.” These city builders were attempting to achieve fame and eternal glory for themselves. They futilely sought significance and immortality through their own achievements. They arrogantly believed that they could make their own way to heaven, independent from God. They put their faith in their own ingenuity rather than trusting God to take care of them. They were trying to consolidate their power and protect themselves by urbanizing, rather than scattering over the earth, as God desired. The people were no longer trying to be like God, but more insidiously, they were trying to bring God down and manipulate him to be more like them. This whole presumptuous project reeks of human hubris.

            Unfortunately, we are all still susceptible to the spirit of Babel today. There is nothing inherently wrong with city building, civil engineering, architectural design, technological development, human ingenuity, or urbanization. But like all endeavors, it comes down to the motivation of the heart.

            Every time we engage in the arrogant acts of trying to make a name for ourselves, we are rebuilding the Tower of Babel. Every time we seek significance and security from our human achievements, we are rebuilding the Tower of Babel. Every time we try to earn our way to heaven by doing good deeds, we are rebuilding the tower of Babel. Every time we put our trust in human technology instead of God, we are rebuilding the tower of Babel. Every time we “pray in Jesus’ name” to achieve our selfish ambitions, we are rebuilding the tower of Babel. Every time we hoard our resources for ourselves rather than give to the needy, we are rebuilding the Tower of Babel. Every time we try to manipulate God into giving us what we want, we are rebuilding the tower of Babel. Every time we rail against God for the suffering in the world and act like we know better than him, we are rebuilding the tower of Babel. Every time we act out in anger because we feel like something wasn’t fair, we are rebuilding the Tower of Babel. Every time we turn our backs on God because a loved one died; we are rebuilding the tower of Babel! (Walton 383)

            God is not a child who can be cajoled, a tyrant who can be appeased, or a servant who can be managed. He is the holy and sovereign Creator of the universe! We must conform our character and expectations to God instead of trying to make God like us! The crowd that lined the streets and waved their palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday was trying to manipulate Jesus into being their earthly king and overthrow the Roman Empire. But Jesus would have none of it! He chose a donkey instead of a stallion! He chose the path of suffering over the path of glory! He chose a cross instead of a crown! He chose humility over hubris!

            As the builders of Babel would soon discover, we cannot control God! Every day we are faced with a choice! Will we try to rebuild the Tower of Babel or will we submit to the will of God? Will we choose the path of presumptuous self-promotion or will we choose to follow Christ to the cross?

The Inspection, Confusion, and Dispersion (5-9)
            The tale of the tower takes an ironic turn in verse 5. The author highlights the humor in the scene when he says, “But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.” No matter how high the people built the tower, it was still so tiny that the Lord had to descend to see it. As the Sovereign Lord inspected their work, you can almost hear the sarcasm dripping from his lips. The biblical text doesn’t reveal God’s initial reaction, but I imagine he something like this: “Wow! What a big toy tower you have built! Oooh, fire-bricks and asphalt mortar! How impressive!” To the Creator of the universe, this tower was nothing more than a few Lego blocks strewn together.

We hear a hint of God’s actual sarcasm in verse 6, when he says, “If as one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” Since many things are humanly impossible, God is obviously joking. Nonetheless, he decides to humble humanity and remind them who is really in control. He thwarts their presumptuous project by confusing their language and dispersing the human race across the earth.

The story concludes with a poignant note of poetic justice. This great city/tower was given the name “Babel” which is a wordplay on the ancient Akkadian word meaning “gate of god” and the Hebrew word meaning “confusion.” What started as a stairway to heaven ended as a crosswalk of chaos and confusion. What was going to be a massive monument to the glory of man ended in an unfinished scaffolding of scorn.

These verses remind us of God’s omnipotence and sovereignty—that is, his power and control over everything that happens in the world. If God can descend to the earth to inspect the teeny tiny Tower of Babel, he is certainly aware of all of our fears and frustrations! If God has the ability to confuse language and scatter people across the earth, he is certainly in control of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is in control of our health! He is in control of our family! He is in control of our economy! He is in control of our future!       

With the human race still hopelessly lost because of sin, God steps in once again and offers a glimmer of hope. He does this in verses 10-32 by showcasing the genealogy of Shem down to Abram, the man with whom God chose to make his covenant to bless all the nations of the world and carry out his plan of redemption. We’ll be learning more about him after Easter!

But for now, let us learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, who tried to make a name for themselves by building the Tower of Babel. May we avoid the pitfalls of presumption and attitudes of arrogance. Instead of rebuilding the Tower of Babel, let us follow Jesus Christ all the way to the cross!

 

Drunkenness of Noah by Giovanni Belllini

*If image does not appear, click Here

Drunkenness of Noah was Giovanni Bellini’s (1430-1516) last masterpiece, painted in 1515, a year before he died. The painting depicts the story in Genesis 9:18-29, where Noah becomes drunk and naked after drinking too much wine from one of his vineyards. The painting also features bunches of grapes as well as a cup on the foreground. It also includes a vineyard in the back, which shows that he is drunk. Noah’s three sons are represented on either side: Japheth and Shem on the right and left avert their eyes while covering their father with a piece of cloth. His youngest son, Ham, discovers him sleeping and gawks at his father’s nakedness.

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Call to Worship

Psalm 104:1-15

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent  3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.  4 He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.  6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.  7 But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;  8 they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.  9 You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate– bringing forth food from the earth
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

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How Can I Keep from Singing?

My life flows on in endless song; above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
How can I keep from singing?

Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing,
It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing? (Chorus)

What though my joys and comfort die? The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth. (Chorus)

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing? (Chorus)

Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Public Domain

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Pastoral Prayer

O LORD,

I am a shell full of dust,
but animated with an invisible rational soul
and made anew by an unseen power of grace;
Yet I am no rare object of valuable price,
but one that has nothing and is nothing,
although chosen of thee from eternity,
given to Christ, and born again;
I am deeply convinced
of the evil and misery of a sinful state,
of the vanity of creatures,
but also of the sufficiency of Christ.
When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,
When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself.
When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.
When I should depend on thy providings I supply
myself,
When I should submit to thy providence I follow
my will,
When I should study, love, honour, trust thee,
I serve myself;
I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,
Instead of thee I look to a man’s approbation,
and am by nature an idolater.
Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back
to thee.
Convince me that I cannot be my own God,
or make myself happy,
nor my own Christ to restore my joy,
nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential
affliction,
for when my credit is good thou dost cast me
lower,
when riches are my idol thou dost wing them
away,
when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into
bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy
appetite, lustful heart;
show me that none of these things
can heal a wounded conscience,
or support a tottering frame,
or uphold a departing spirit.
then take me to the cross
and leave me there.

From The Valley of Vision

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Scripture Reading

Genesis 9:18-29

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)  19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.  21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.  23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.  24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,  25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”

 26 He also said,

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave.”

 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.  29 Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.

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Sermon

“Indecent Exposure” by Dr. Jason R. McConnell

Well I was sitting at a roadhouse down on Highway 41
You were wiping off some ketchup on a table that was done
I knew you didn’t see me I was in a corner booth
Of course you weren’t my waitress mine was missing her front tooth
So I flagged you down for coffee but I couldn’t say a thing
But I’m in love with you baby and I don’t even know your name.

So I ordered straight tequila a little courage in a shot
And I asked you for a date and then I asked to tie the knot
I got a little wasted
Yeah I went a little far
But I finally got to hug you when you helped me to my car
The last thing I remember I heard myself say
I’m in love with you baby and I don’t even know your name

The next thing I remember I was hearing wedding bells
Standing by a women in a long white lacy veil
I raised the veil she smiled at me without her left front tooth
And I said where the Hell am I and just who the Hell are you?
She said I was your waitress
And our last name’s now the same
‘Cause I’m married to you baby and I don’t even know your name

            You probably figured it out by now that this poem is actually a country song. And in typical country music fashion, it makes the obvious yet profound point: Drunkenness leads to dreadful decisions! Most of us already know this—either from personal experience or from watching other people make fools of themselves. When someone’s mental and moral wits are dulled by too much hard drink, they make poor decisions, including breaking confidentiality, verbal assault, physical violence, sexual promiscuity, and monetary mistakes. Drunkenness always puts the individual and others at risk. This is exactly what we find in the drama of Noah’s indecent exposure in Genesis 9:18-29.

 Act 1- Noah’s Nakedness (18-21)
Before the author of Genesis begins this bizarre story, he reminds us of the names of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who all play key roles in this story and the rest of Genesis. Shem will become the father of the Israelites, God’s covenant people. They will carry out his plan of redemption for the world. The author highlights Ham as the father of the Canaanites, who are Israel’s archenemies throughout the Old Testament era.

After the author introduces us to the key players, he begins Act 1 by telling us that Noah became a man of the soil and planted a vineyard. He no longer needed the tools of a boat-builder, but now he needed to grow food. Among other things, he decided to plant a vineyard and developed the art of viticulture, or winemaking.

Throughout the Bible, wine is considered noble. In Psalm 104:15, wine is listed among other agricultural provisions and blessings from God. The Psalmist says, “He [God] makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.” Likewise, in the parable in Judges 9:13, we read this line: “Shall I give up my wine, which cheers both God and men…?” Wine was also a symbol of the coming bliss in the messianic age. The prophets Isaiah (25:6) and Zechariah (8:12) testify to the fact that the vine will yield its fruit and the best meats and the finest aged wines will be served in the messianic kingdom. Jesus partially fulfilled these prophecies when he performed his first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

Even though the Bible celebrates the consumption of wine, it also warns about the dangers of drunkenness. Proverbs 23:20-21 warns: “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” In Luke 21:34, Jesus warns: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” And the Apostle Paul lists drunkenness as a sin in his epistles. (Rom. 13:13, Gal. 5:21, I Tim. 3:3)

Since many of us are familiar with the Bible’s warnings about wine and denouncements of drunkenness, we are utterly shocked to read Genesis 9:21, which says of Noah, “He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.” Noah not only experienced the potency of Pinot Noir, but he discovered the well-known fact that drunkenness often leads to nakedness.

This verse reminds me of another country rhyme. It goes like this:

She can handle any Champagne brunch
Bridal shower with Barcadi punch
Jello shooters full of Smirnoff
But tequila makes her clothes fall off

            Here we find Noah, that great hero of the faith, the righteous remnant who walked with God and was blameless in his generation, stripped down and passed out in a drunken stupor from hammering too much homemade wine. Why did Noah do this? Since he was the innovator of a new craft, maybe he became infatuated with the taste of wine or perhaps his alcohol tolerance was really low. Or after being cooped up with his wife and kids in the arc for 150 days, maybe he used wine to decompress from the drama. In an age of isolation and social distancing, some of us can understand this temptation. Over the past week, I’ve seen many pictures of full wine glasses floating around on Facebook. (I won’t mention any names, but oh how I wish I could see your guilty faces today!!!)  

             But seriously, we are shocked to read that this godly man, whom God used to save the human race, fell into drunkenness and indecent exposure. But this reminds us that everyone—even so-called saints—are susceptible to sinful impulses. In Romans 3:23, the Apostle Paul declares, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

            I certainly don’t want to excuse Noah’s sin, but in a way, I am encouraged by it. It is helpful to be reminded that we are not the only ones who struggle with temptation or fall into sin. Even our great spiritual heroes have faults, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Have you ever been disappointed by a Christian leader? Maybe an elder in your church lied to you or a pastor acted in some unbecoming manner. I know this may be hard to believe, but sometimes I exhibit a bad attitude and bad behavior. When I do, my wife looks at me and say, “OK, paaastor Jason!” If we put our faith in human beings, we will be disappointed!  

Like Noah, we can be victorious over sin for a long time, but then it sneaks up on us when we least expect it. After a great spiritual triumph, the enemy of our soul likes to attack. We cannot coast on past spiritual successes; we must protect our souls from sin by living for Jesus every day.  

Noah’s sin also helps us to see the uniqueness and holiness of Christ.  Jesus is the only one who has ever lived without sin! He is the only one who can atone for our sins! He is the only one who can redeem us from our rebellion and deliver us from God’s judgment!

Act 2- Ham’s Heinous Act (22-24)
The second act of this strange story has puzzled Bible scholars and theologians for centuries. In verses 22-24, the biblical text is clear that Noah’s son Ham entered the tent, saw his father’s nakedness, and then told his two brothers about it. The text also tells us that Shem and Japheth covered their father’s nakedness by putting a garment over their shoulders and entered the tent backwards, so they did not see his nakedness. When Noah awoke, and he discovered what Ham had done to him (presumably because Shem and Japheth told him.) Ironically, the author tells us what Ham did or why it was so wrong.

The phrase “saw his father’s nakedness” is obviously a euphemism for some moral violation, but what exactly? Some scholars think this means that Ham castrated his father. Others think that Ham had homosexual relations with his father. Still others think that Ham saw his father and mother naked and that he had sexual relations with his mother. These interpretations are all sheer speculation. Most scholars, however, think that Ham entered the tent and gawked at his father’s nakedness with voyeuristic lust. Furthermore, it is probable that he bragged about it to his brothers, and his brothers told their father about Ham’s heinous behavior.

            This atrocious act helps us understand the interconnectedness of sin. On one hand, we shouldn’t blame Noah for Ham’s indiscretion, but on the other hand, if Noah had not fallen into drunken exhibitionism, this whole situation may have been avoided. Sin often has a domino effect, when we fall, we take other people down with us.

            All of our sins are, first and foremost, against God, but they always affect the people around us. We this in family systems. When a husband abuses his wife or commits adultery, his behavior affects his children. When a mother is an alcoholic or drug addict, her actions affect her children. When sons and daughters rebel against their parents, it affects the whole family, sometimes for generations. Have you ever thought about how your sinful decisions affect your family, especially your children? Moving forward, I wonder how Ham’s sin affected his relationship with his family?   

Act 3- Canaan’s Curse (24-29)
            Well, Act 3 of our story answers this question! As a result of the actions of the three sons, Noah declared a curse on Ham and his descendants, but he pronounced a blessing on Shem, Japheth, and their descendants. The curse is actually directed toward Ham’s youngest son Canaan. As the youngest son wronged the father, so the curse will fall on the youngest son, who presumably inherited his moral decadence. As a people, the Canaanites would bear this curse as God’s divine judgment. Instead of breaking the generational pattern of sin, the Canaanites perpetuated it through their idolatry and sexually perverted practices. They would also become the bitter enemies of the descendants of Shem and Japheth, who would eventually become the nation of Israel.

The curse of Canaan not only affected Noah’s immediate family during their lifetime, but it affected it affected them for generations. As a matter of fact, we still see this curse playing out in the constant conflict in the Middle East today.  It is astounding to consider how this one sin led to a family fight and eventually led to wars between nations for thousands of years.

            Do you know any families who have been decimated by sinful actions? Do you know any families where parents and children are always at odds with each other? Do you know any families where siblings don’t get along and don’t even speak to each other? Do you know any families where the sins of the father (or mother) have been repeated by the children and grandchildren?   

            We never know the full ramifications of our sin until after we commit it. It’s so easy for us to rationalize sin by saying, “It’s not that bad. It won’t hurt anybody. God will forgive me.” Yes, it is true that God offers us grace and forgiveness when we repent, but sometimes, we still have to face the consequences of our sin. And unfortunately, so do our children and our grandchildren. Therefore, before we give into temptation—before we fall into sin, let us count the cost—not only for ourselves, but also for the generations that follow us!

            As I conclude, let me draw your attention to the last two lines of this story. The author ends this tragic tale on a tragic note when he says in verses 28-29, “After the flood Noah lived 350 years. All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.” For 600 years, Noah witnessed the increasing corruption on the earth—when it got so bad that God regretted creating the world. And then God used Noah and his family as agents of his grace to save the humanity from the waters of his divine judgment. Then, after the flood, for 300 years until his death, he had to watch the painful consequences of his sin destroy his family and decimate the human race.

Noah and his family followed in the footsteps of Adam and his family. It’s interesting to compare the two. Adam and Noah were both blessed by God to live in the beauty of a new creation. They both began a new human race by having three sons. They were both responsible for introducing sin to a sinless world. They both had one son who committed a despicable act that led to generations of conflict and chaos. They both had to watch their family fall apart.

            Friends hear this: Adam failed! Noah failed! This is why the world needed a Messiah! This is why we all need Jesus!! Let us pray!

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Prayer

Father in heaven, as we have heard your Word, we are reminded that, although we walk with you every day, our hearts are always prone toward sin. Forgive us, O Lord, for our drunken disobedience and dreadful decisions. Cleanse our hearts from our wanton lust and attitudes of arrogance. We acknowledge how our sins have broken our fellowship with you and have negatively affected our families. Through the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, we pray that you would forgive all of our trespasses and give us strength to fight temptation. Help us to break free from generational patterns of sin. Protect our children and grandchildren from our failures. Hear our humble prayer, O Lord, and answer according to your will. For we will offer you the praise, honor, and glory forever and ever. Amen.

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O Great God

O great God of highest heav’n, occupy my lowly heart.
Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel pow’r.
Let no vice or sin remain that resists your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me, make me yours forevermore.

I was blinded by my sin, had no ears to hear your voice,
Did not know your love within, had no taste for heaven’s joys.
Then your Spirit gave me life, opened up your Word to me
Through the gospel of your Son, gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life that’s dependent on your grace.
Keep my heart and guard my soul from the evils that I face.
You are worthy to be praised with my every thought and deed.
O great God of highest heav’n, glorify your name through me.

(c) 2006, Bob Kauflin, Valley of Vision
CCLI# 2487144