Walking by Faith

Genesis 9 – The Shelf of God

 

 20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

 21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

The Legends of the Jews
by Louis Ginzberg

Volume I

Bible Times and Characters from the Creation to Jacob

 

THE CURSE OF DRUNKENNESS

Noah lost his epithet “the pious” when he began to occupy himself with the growing of the vine. He became a “man of the ground,” and this first attempt to produce wine at the same time produced the first to drink to excess, the first to utter curses upon his associates, and the first to introduce slavery. This is the way it all came about. Noah found the vine which Adam had taken with him from Paradise, when he was driven forth. He tasted the grapes upon it, and, finding them palatable, he resolved to plant the vine and tend it.[57] On the selfsame day on which he planted it, it bore fruit, he put it in the wine-press, drew off the juice, drank it, became drunken, and was dishonored–all on one day. His assistant in the work of cultivating the vine was Satan, who had happened along at the very moment when he was engaged in planting the slip he had found. Satan asked him: “What is it thou art planting here?”

Noah: “A vineyard.”

Satan: “And what may be the qualities of what it produces?”

Noah: “The fruit it bears is sweet, be it dry or moist. It yields wine that rejoiceth the heart of man.”

Satan: “Let us go into partnership in this business of planting a vineyard.”

Noah: “Agreed!”

Satan thereupon slaughtered a lamb, and then, in succession, a lion, a pig, and a monkey. The blood of each as it was killed he made to flow under the vine. Thus he conveyed to Noah what the qualities of wine are: before man drinks of it, he is innocent as a lamb; if he drinks of it moderately, he feels as strong as a lion; if he drinks more of it than he can bear, he resembles the pig; and if he drinks to the point of intoxication, then he behaves like a monkey, he dances around, sings, talks obscenely, and knows not what he is doing.[58]

This deterred Noah no more than did the example of Adam, whose fall had also been due to wine, for the forbidden fruit had been the grape, with which he had made himself drunk.[59]

Here we have the first mention of drunkenness in Scripture. Some, as evident from the above, believe that drunkenness is what has beguiled man from the beginning. Others believe that perhaps this was a condition that only came about after the flood and that Noah had no idea as to what would happen to him if he drank too much. Either way it hurt him in more ways than one.

Noah had preached too the people, he had done everything that God told him. He built an ark, for water when there had never been a body of water. He had floated around with his family for more than a year in the first mobile petting zoo. He had built the altar to God and blessed Him and He found grace in the eyes of God

He walked with God, looked too God, and waited on God before and during the storm.

But now everything is over. He isn’t as active as he was. He is not “on call” with God so to speak and he has a leisurely existence.

Everything has become normal, mundane and he becomes vulnerable.

Noah had been a carpenter, a preacher, a farmer, and now he has become a husbandman or literally “A man of the earth,”

We can be the same way.

Be careful that when things get quiet, when things get normal, mundane, that we don’t become too “earthy” or men of the earth. Don’t let the normality of life sneak up on you and you become fleshy or earth-like and loose what God was doing with us.

We get cocky and we stop praying too God, talking too Him and listening too Him.

We tell Him, “I’ve got it from here on out God, I can handle whatever comes my way.”

“Thanks for all the help but I can take it from here.”

And then trouble comes

Sometimes we get trouble just because that is the way things are but there are times when God brings trials and tribulation too us and on us, not for us, not so that we will become better, but for God.

Why??? Because sometimes that is the only way that He can get us to talk too Him. Sometimes that is the only way that He can have a part in our lives. That is the only way we will cling too Him.

 

Mark 4 

36And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

 37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

 38And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

 39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

 40And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

 41And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

 

Luke 8

 25And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him

 

Sometimes He must pass us by in order for us to see His glory

 

Exodus 33

18And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

 19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

 21And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock

And yet praise be to God that we can now see His face. We are able to stand upon the rock, Jesus Christ and we are able to see His glory as His awesome glory passes before us and comes to indwell us.

Mark 6

46And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

 47And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

 48And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

 49But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

 50For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

 51And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

Amen and amen!!!!

Noah dies at the age of 950. The ultimate tragedy is that no accomplishments are recorded during his last 350 years. He could have experienced that thing so dreaded by men of faith, which is to be placed on the shelf by God

 

1Co 9:19  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

1Co 9:21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1Co 9:26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.