God's plans will not be thwarted. The question is: are you building with Him or upon something that will fade away? Listen to hear why this is so key for Christian moms.

Today's Scripture: Genesis 9-11

Cross-references: Psalm 127:1

Looking for our free resources and printable plan? Click here!

Would you like to know more about building your family's foundation on Jesus Christ? Click here to learn about Entrusted with a Child's Heart.

Welcome to The Dwelling Place, a

short Daily Bible podcast for moms

2

who want scripture and prayer without

adding a ton more to their schedule.

3

I know it's only day three, but I'm gonna

congratulate you because you took the

4

weekend off and it's Monday and you're

back at it already building a habit.

5

Don't give up if you're new to this,

I'm Stephanie Hickox, and this is

6

brought to you by Entrusted Ministries.

7

Head to our website, which is linked in

the show notes, and you can get a free

8

printable and several free resources to

guide you through scripture this year.

9

In the last episode, we talked about

how the depravity of the world was

10

so severe that God actually started

again with just Noah's family.

11

When we look forward, we see that the

arc is really a representation of the

12

salvation we receive from Jesus Christ.

13

just as Noah and his family was protected

from destruction inside the ark, when

14

we accept Jesus as our savior, it's

as though we're going through the

15

door of the ark and the destruction of

our sin is now powerless against us.

16

Jesus was victorious over sin once and

for all, but in today's reading we'll

17

see that the flood certainly did not

eradicate the problem of sin in the world

18

first, we'll talk through a couple

verses from chapter nine and 10.

19

Then I'll read to you a portion

from chapter 11 and pray over you.

20

As I said in chapter nine, sin is

still present in the world post flood.

21

There is a little bit of repetition

from the perfection of the garden.

22

However,

23

in nine one, we hear God's first

command repeated god blessed Noah and

24

his sons and said to them, be fruitful

and multiply and fill the earth.

25

And later in verse eight.

26

God tells Noah and his sons, behold,

I establish my covenant with you and

27

your offspring after you, and with

every living creature that is with you.

28

God promises he'll remember this covenant.

29

He even says he will set

his boat in the clouds.

30

I heard one Bible teacher say that if

God now sets his bow and arrow in the

31

clouds as the rainbow reflects that, the

arrow would now be pointing up at Jesus.

32

God promises not to bring a flood of

judgment upon the earth in the same way,

33

whenever you see a rainbow,

you can be thankful that our

34

God is a covenant making God.

35

And that even when humanity is sinful

and faithless, that God still made

36

a way for our sins to be dealt with.

37

The covenant that God made with Noah

is referred to as the NOIC covenant.

38

It's the first of five covenants

in scripture that God initiates.

39

There are certainly some

similarities that we see to God's

40

initial blessing on Adam and Eve.

41

First, there's a blessing of fertility

when he tells Noah and his sons to

42

be fruitful and multiply, and then

he describes their dominion that

43

they have over the animal world.

44

Next, he tells 'em about the nourishment

of food that he's providing for them,

45

and it ends with a new moral

standard that they are not.

46

To eat the flesh with its life.

47

That is the blood.

48

And whoever sheds man's blood

by man, his blood shall shed.

49

But God tells us the reason.

50

It's because we're made in

the image of God, and that's

51

why violence against humans.

52

It is so egregious to the heart of God.

53

God truly cares about the life of

every human, towards the end of

54

chapter nine, there's a story regarding

Noah and his family, and there is

55

a lot of debate between scholars

and even in my own commentaries.

56

For our purposes, we're not going to

get into the debate, but what I do

57

think is interesting is that in 9 22.

58

Scripture tells us that ham, the

father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of

59

his father and told his two brothers

outside, but Shem and Jfe took great

60

care to walk backwards and cover

their father averting their eyes.

61

With him.

62

His eyes saw something he shouldn't

have, and his mouth spoke.

63

Words.

64

He shouldn't have.

65

Shem and Jfe honored their father both

with their eyes and with their feet.

66

It makes me think of

that sweet little song.

67

Be Careful Little Eyes.

68

What you see for the Lord is up

above and he's looking down in love.

69

We do have to be cautious about what

we look at as parents, and that's

70

a way we can protect our kids.

71

But I also tell my kids that there

are so many verses about us running to

72

righteousness, that our feet point the

way for us, and you can either lead

73

yourself into temptation or you can

turn those feet and run away from it.

74

Whatever the situation was in Genesis

nine, ham certainly did not do this.

75

We haven't talked about it a lot yet,

but the author of Genesis is Moses, and

76

Jesus affirms that in the New Testament.

77

He wrote the first five books of the

Bible known as the Pentateuch, and

78

even though Moses wasn't on the scene

yet, we know he had plenty of time

79

for God to tell him what happened.

80

Because he and God had some

long conversations on a

81

mountain and in a tabernacle.

82

Interestingly, when Moses would've shared

this with the Israelites, it was when

83

God was about to lead them to conquer

Canaan and to take the promised land.

84

It was important for them to

understand why are we against the

85

Canaanites and how did they start?

86

We're seeing part of their origin

story here and throughout scripture.

87

They are seen as a wicked line.

88

In Chapter 10, we have the

Table of Nations, which is an

89

important chapter of genealogy,

and we are introduced to Nimrod.

90

He was the first on earth to be

a mighty man, and the beginning

91

of his kingdom was babble.

92

When my brother and I were growing up and

we found out that Nimrod was a name in the

93

Bible, we thought that this was a really

clever way of insulting each other that

94

we couldn't possibly get in trouble for.

95

And when our parents objected, we

would say, but it's in the Bible,

96

clearly not Godly reasoning.

97

And that's what I think

of when I think of Nimrod.

98

But in Hebrew.

99

Nimrod actually means we will rebel.

100

Maybe my brother and I were speaking the

words of scripture more than we realized.

101

All right, let's get a

little bit more serious.

102

And look at chapter 11.

103

Now, the whole Earth had one

language and the same words.

104

And as people migrated from the

east, they found a plane in the

105

land of shiner and settled there.

106

And they said to one another, come

let us make bricks and burn them.

107

And they had brick for stone

and bit human for mortar.

108

And they said, come let us build

for ourselves a city and a tower

109

with its top in the heavens.

110

And let us make a name for

ourselves, lest we be dispersed

111

over the face of the whole earth.

112

And the Lord came down to

see the city and the tower.

113

Which the children of man had built.

114

And the Lord said, behold, they are one

people and they have one language, and

115

this is only the beginning of what they

will do, and nothing that they propose

116

to do will now be impossible for them.

117

Come let us go down and confuse

their language so that they may not

118

understand one another's speech.

119

So the Lord dispersed them from there

over the face of all the Earth and

120

they left off building the city.

121

Therefore, its name was called Babel

because there the Lord confused

122

the language of all the Earth, and

from there, the Lord dispersed them

123

over the face of all the earth.

124

Let's think back to God's initial command.

125

It was to be fruitful and multiply

and fill the earth, repeated.

126

In Genesis nine, they are an absolute

defiance to the command of the Lord.

127

Also, think about what happened in

recent history for them, the flood.

128

We know that every ancient culture

has a flood story, about 270

129

flood stories that we're aware of.

130

You know what this tells us?

131

This really happened.

132

It would make sense that someone

would want to build a tower to the

133

heavens to try to preserve themselves.

134

God's response reminds me of

how we deal with our toddlers.

135

Sometimes when they're stubborn, I

can almost picture God picking them

136

up like a mom picks up a toddler

and returning them to the mess

137

that they were asked to clean up

138

instead of destroying them.

139

God comes down.

140

reminds me of our dwelling place theme,

and he says, I told you to scatter and

141

fill the earth and you did not obey me.

142

And now I am going to scatter you.

143

The name Babel continues in

scripture as Babylon, which also

144

represents a rebellious kingdom.

145

And in Revelation 18, it tells us

that Babylon will be found no more.

146

God will be victorious over all

the efforts of man and all the

147

kingdoms that are not built on

the foundation of Jesus Christ.

148

This building project in itself was not

a sin, but the purpose was the first

149

evidence we have of secular humanism,

150

I can remember when my boys were little.

151

We had three boys in under

three years, and I am telling

152

you they could climb anything.

153

And I kept thinking about this chapter

of scripture when God says, this is

154

only the beginning of what they'll

do, and nothing that they propose

155

to do will be impossible for them.

156

And as they sought to climb various

heights and surmount any obstacle

157

their tenacity was often exhausting,

and I felt I had to completely clear

158

my calendar just to keep them safe.

159

I wanted them to be strong and to

have adventure, but it was daunting.

160

If your kids are in that season

right now, scaling refrigerators and

161

flipping out of cribs, I've been there.

162

Don't give up.

163

Just pray that all of that energy

would be channeled into building

164

something for the Lord's glory.

165

as we think about Nimrod and how

arrogant he was and how the Lord

166

defeated his purposes and confused

the language of the people.

167

Let's fast forward in history

to another arrogant leader that

168

sought to conquer the world.

169

Alexander the Great his kingdom was

vast and he conquered many lands and

170

hellenized them, which means forced them

to embrace the Greek culture and language.

171

And a short time later, when Jesus

Christ, the humble king of the universe

172

came, the gospel was able to be spread

easily because one language was spoken

173

by so much of the world at that time.

174

Do you see how God's purposes

will not be thwarted?

175

Our theme verse for Entrusted

Ministries is Psalm 1 27.

176

One.

177

Unless the Lord builds the house,

they labor in vain who build it

178

unless the Lord guards the city,

the watchmen keep awake in vain.

179

I pray that you and I would be mothers

that build on the foundation of Jesus

180

Christ because nothing else will last.

181

Let's pray to that end.

182

Heavenly Father, I pray a blessing over

these moms that you would give them

183

the capacity to dig into your word.

184

Help us to delight as we uncover

truth to see your heart behind it all

185

and be transformed in the process.

186

We thank you for the radical

and righteous example of Noah.

187

Help us to also walk in faithfulness and

persevere even when it feels mundane.

188

And Lord, in our own hearts and also

in the hearts of our kids, we pray

189

against pride and defiance that was

represented at the Tower of Babel.

190

And that they would not be pulled towards

selfish desires or toward the empty

191

promises and temptations of this world.

192

in Jesus' name we pray.

193

Amen.