Worshiping Our Savior, the Creator

"You are to take seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals, and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female, and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky – in order to keep offspring alive throughout the earth.” Genesis 7:2 (CSB)

Once I was able to get past the initial shock that it wasn’t just 2 of each animal, as I had grown up thinking, I was then curious about why He was so specific and why there needed to be more of the clean animals for them to survive than the unclean. Was it because of the Jewish laws of only being allowed to eat clean animals?

“Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.” Genesis 9:3 (CSB)

No, the Jewish laws weren’t established yet. They were free to eat any animal.

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” Genesis 8:20 (CSB)

The reason goes back to Genesis 4 when Cain and Abel offered their gifts to God. Abel offered his best. Noah offered what God had deemed best, the clean animals. He didn’t keep them all for himself and his family but offered them as a thank you to God for keeping them safe during the flood, for including him in this new clean world. It was almost like Eden repeating itself:

Genesis 1:28 & Genesis 9:1-2 - Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. Genesis 1:29 & Genesis 9:3 - Here is what I have given you to eat. Genesis 2:17 & Genesis 9:4-7 - Warnings about what not to eat. Genesis 3:1-7 & Genesis 9:20-23 - Consuming something and sin being born as a result.

Sadly, it went through the full cycle. God calls us to join Him in cultivating the world. He loves us and provides us with what we need. He guides us wanting to protect us from what will harm us. We consume harmful things anyway.

This is the sin cycle throughout the Bible and our own lives. God gives us chance after chance and we stumble and fall short time and time again. We aren’t perfect.

Knowing this, God washed our imperfections away by coming as Jesus and dying. He knows we aren’t perfect, so He took care of it. He continues to show His love by upholding His part of the cycle and encouraging us to be more. To join Him and accept His guidance and the view of ourselves that He sees. He asks for our best even when it’s not perfect.

Following God wherever I am today is enough. Giving God the best of me today and not what I have left over is worship. Being my imperfect self to glorify Him is answering His call for me to join Him.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me more and more the beautiful ways that you have created me to be and gently calling me to be more than broken in the damaged areas of my life. May I give You my best today and worship You.

* This devotional is a part of the Bible study: Conecting the Dots to Jesus - Chapter 4: Day 2 - Dot 10: Noah Which can be found at: https://encouragement-prevails.ck.page/profile

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