To celebrate the March 28th release of the movie Noah - and to do our bit for keeping the focus away from Russell Crowe’s accent or Emma Watson’s hair - we’ve got a five day series of Bible studies on one of our favorite Bible stories for worship leaders. Expect to get wet.
From Adam to Noah
This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created.
When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:1-5
A 150 year old bloke becomes a dad and then lives a further 800 years? His son tops 912 years and his grandson is pushing 906 by the time he snuffs it? You've got to be joking. I mean, just think of how rough and ragged they must have looked? After all, there's only so much that anti-aging cream can help you with.
The point? Some people like to take the numbers at face value, some don’t. Either way, approaching the passage like a forensic accountant misses the point. How come? Because it's not so much about the who as it is about the how. Let me explain: God made Adam in his own image, right? (Go back to 1:26 for proof if you need it.) This passage tells us that Adam also made a son in his own image. But, let's not forget that by this time Adam's image was not exactly up there with God's. The imperfections had crept in and humankind's direction was well and truly confirmed. Later the passage mentions Enoch, signalling him out as one that 'walked with God'. Where he pursued a relationship with his Maker, the writer leaves us to assume that the others mentioned in the family tree did not.
Is that it? Might as well pack up and go home now, huh? If we're doomed from the start why bother trying at all? You wouldn't be the first to struggle with this, but it's vital that we keep this introduction in mind when we read Noah's story. In fact the writer doesn't bang on about exactly what it was that the descendants did wrong, but it shows the drift of the tide away from an active relationship with him.
We all have choices - daily choices - when it comes to God: to turn towards him or to turn away. Drifting away is easy. It takes determination and deliberate focus to turn to God and make the right choices. Or, to put it another way, the worship leader we are on a Sunday is a reflection of the Christian we are throughout the rest of the week.