For all of you mushy types out there.
I’ve watched this about 30 times, and I’m tearing up every time.
Or the short version, for those of you with only 6 seconds to spare.
A Father Video for Father’s Day
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Author Archives: garrettjmilovich
An Open Letter to My Son On My First Father’s Day
Jack,
This Sunday is Father’s Day. You’ve probably never heard of Father’s Day before, but it is a day to celebrate and honor dads. On the surface, that sounds pretty good for me. Your mom will no doubt buy me something awesome and then sign your name to it; a bunch of people at church will shake my hand, pat me on the back, and give me candy cigars; and we’ll eat lunch at a restaurant where salad isn’t considered a part of the meal. It’ll be pretty good to be me.
But really, I don’t feel all that deserving of celebration quite yet. I’ve only been your dad for 55 days. Maybe in five or ten years I’ll feel a bit more worthy, but so far, I haven’t done all that much. Being a father is one of the most important jobs a person can have, and I plan to take it very seriously.
But as you’ll someday learn, we live in a screwed up world, son. And I know there are many valiant fathers out there, but on a day meant to celebrate fatherhood, I can’t help but think of all the things we fathers have been getting wrong.
Right now, 43% of American children live without their fathers. That means there are over 15 million children growing up without dads, most of whom are living below the poverty line. Kids growing up without fathers are five times more likely to commit suicide, nine times more likely to drop out of high school, 14 times more likely to abuse women, and 32 times more likely to be runaways or homeless.
Related to the absence of fathers is the dismal state of marriage in our country. They say fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Now I know this number isn’t accurate, but the fact that so many people believe it demonstrates the reality of this epidemic. So many fathers are unwilling to remain committed to their children’s mothers. I grew up with married parents (your grandma and grandpa), and I married a girl with married parents (pop-pop and gangy), so I didn’t realize how widespread divorce was until I started working in youth ministry, where hundreds of our students were growing up in broken homes, and many had never even met their dad.
Of the children fortunate enough to grow up with their fathers around, I know that many dads are disconnected and withdrawn from their kids. Many hide in their work, hide in their hobbies, hide in the garage, or hide with their friends. We laugh at the way fathers are presented on television, but those fictional dads bear some semblance to the reality of fatherhood in our country.
The importance of a father in the life of his son is paramount, and so rather than bask in my own unearned glory this Father’s Day, I’d like to make a commitment to you, Jack.
- I promise to love your mother each and every day for the rest of my life, even if I don’t always feel like it.
- I promise to eat dinner with you at our dinner table on week nights, rather than be working late at the office.
- I promise to teach you to throw a baseball and climb a tree and ride a bike, to tithe and pay bills and use your money wisely, to build a fire and set up a tent and survive in the wild.
- I promise to take you to church on Sundays instead of soccer games.
- I promise to make decisions you won’t like because they are for your good.
- I promise to teach you to drive a stick shift.
- I promise to teach you math and science and spelling and history.
- I promise to teach you the fear of the Lord.
- I promise to be your father more than your friend.
- I promise to go to your basketball games and school plays.
- I promise there will always be a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and three meals on your plate.
- I promise to spank all the foolishness and rebellion out of you that I can.
- I promise to pray with you daily, not just pray for you.
- I promise to read to you.
- I promise to play with you.
- I promise to travel with you.
- I promise to talk to you.
- I promise to listen to you.
- I promise to have fun with you.
- I promise to dream with you.
- I promise to punish you (if you deserve it).
- I promise to worship with you.
- I promise to show you how to treat a woman by treating your mother like the queen she is.
- I promise to raise you the way God said to do it, not the way the television or government or Oprah tells me to.
- I promise to protect you and provide for you.
- I promise to always be there for you.
- I promise to teach you to fight lions and bears and giants.
- I promise to teach you where you came from.
- I promise to teach you where you are going.
- I promise to teach you who you are in Christ.
- I promise to teach you to be a husband.
- I promise to teach you to be a father.
- I promise to teach you to be a man.
- I promise to teach you to trust and follow God.
- I promise to be better every day.
I love you, son, and even as the world falls apart, I promise I’m not going anywhere.
Love,
Da Da (aka, the hairy guy who is really excited to change your diaper when he gets home)
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6.4)
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Rivers of Living Water (Pt. 2)
((( click here to read part one. )))
[Next Sunday is Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit was given to the church. Christians around the world will spend the next week reflecting on this tremendous Gift as well as its implications for believers, and I felt it was only fitting to offer a few comments myself.]
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive…” (John 7:37-39)
One sentence in particular immediately grabbed my attention when I started researching rivers:
“Rivers are a part of the hydrological cycle.”
Most of us learned about the water cycle in elementary school:
Precipitation – condensed water vapor falls to the earth’s surface, mostly in the form of rain.
Runoff – the variety of ways by which water moves across the land as it flows into lakes, reservoirs, or the ocean.
Evaporation – the transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere.
As we all know, the first step of the process is precipitation, where water falls to the earth. I’m reminded of the prophetic words of Zechariah:
“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone.” (Zechariah 10:1)
…as well as the words of Pastor James:
“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.” (James 5:7)
Of course, the bible isn’t merely talking about precipitation here. The rain we are asking God to shower down upon us is the Holy Spirit, in all His glory and power and awesomeness. We are told to pray for a move of the Spirit to sweep through our barren land and give us desperately needed revival.
We’ll skip step two for a moment, and move right along to Step Three of the water cycle, which is evaporation. Once the water has been collected in large bodies of water, it can finally make the journey from the earth to the heavens.
If that’s not a blatant metaphor for salvation, I don’t know what is. Throughout the bible, bodies of water are often mentioned symbolically to represent large groups of people. And once the rains of the Holy Spirit reach the people, multitudes will be swept into the Kingdom of Heaven.
And finally, what was that second step? What bridges the gap between the rain falling from the clouds and evaporating back into the sky? What brings the Holy Spirit to the people?
Rivers are pivotal to the entire process, acting as conduits to transport rainwater through the barren lands to the oceans and lakes, so it can return back into the heavens.
And you are pivotal to the salvation of everyone around you, acting as an ambassador of heaven who speaks life into this dying generation, so that the lost would be swept into God’s kingdom.
Never underestimate the calling on your life. Never forget the power of the Holy Spirit that flows through your hands and feet. Out of your heart flow rivers of living water. And without you, our world is headed for a drought.
Rivers of Living Water (Pt. 1)
[Next Sunday is Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit was given to the church. Christians around the world will spend the next week reflecting on this tremendous Gift as well as its implications for believers, and I felt it was only fitting to offer a few comments myself.]
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive…” (John 7:37-39)
Rivers.
It’s an interesting metaphor, really.
My pastor began a series on the Holy Spirit yesterday morning. He read John 7, and as he talked about the “rivers of living water,” I was reminded of the three laws of geography my cousin taught me several years ago.
Law #1: I don’t actually remember the first law.
Law #2: Mountains want to be flat.
Law #3: Rivers want to be straight.
Rivers can tend to be quite windy, but over the course of time they gradually erode the surrounding land and straighten themselves out.
Basically, rivers shape the environment around them. They’re supposed to, anyway.
Think about that for a second. Rivers can carve their way through nature. They tear their way down mountains. They cut out valleys. They transform land, they transform cities, they transform societies, they transform the world.
And Jesus said when you allow the Holy Spirit to flow out of your life, it’s comparable to these world-changing rivers.
I bet when Jesus invented rivers ages and ages ago, He knew He’d one day preach a sermon to a group of uneducated fishermen about the incredible power of the Holy Spirit. And He probably programmed things like erosion into them to demonstrate the sheer magnitude of His intentions for the Spirit-empowered church.
We are supposed to transform society. We are supposed to change culture. We are supposed to have an impact on the world as we know it. As Jesus said, we are supposed to disciple entire nations.
And Jesus told us exactly how to do it.
His disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they allowed the violent torrents of the Spirit to flow out of their hearts and turn the world upside down.
And we have been commissioned to do the same exact thing.
So get going. Let God’s words pour from your lips. Let His power gush from your hands. Let His life flow from your very being. It’ll change the world. There’s no way it won’t.
[Your Turn: What are some other cool things we can learn about the awesome power of the Holy Spirit by talking about rivers?]
Speaking in Tongues Saved a Baby’s Life
Speaking in tongues and healing are two highly controversial topics for the modern church. I’m not sure why, since the bible is quite supportive of both. But nonetheless, these are two subjects that many Christians are unsure about.
Here is a personal testimony that validates both.
* * *
Maybe five years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night concerned about a baby. I really don’t know how else to describe it. I couldn’t tell you whose baby it was. Was there a baby in trouble? Did I really want a baby? Did I just want to watch “Look Who’s Talking”?
I didn’t know. I just knew that I had been wakened from a dream about a baby, and I needed to pray.
How do you even pray for that? If I asked you to pray about a baby and gave you no other information, would you know where to start? I didn’t know who the baby was. I didn’t know what the baby needed. I didn’t even know if there was a baby. I just knew I needed to pray.
So I did what the bible instructs us to do when we don’t know what to pray for: I prayed in other tongues (Romans 8:26).
After about five minutes, the urge to pray relented, and I went back to sleep, still not knowing who the baby was or what was going on with the baby, but trusting in God to take care of the situation.
And then the weeks passed, and I forgot all about this episode.
About a month later, I was teaching at our Young Adults service on the subject of praying in tongues. About half way through my message, I was reading Romans 8:26 and was reminded of the baby, so I quickly shared the story.
“I knew I needed to pray for the baby, but I didn’t know what to pray for… the bible says when you don’t know what to pray for, you can pray in tongues…”
The service ended, we packed up the church, Cheyne and I headed home, and we went to sleep.
The next day I received a phone call. It was a girl who had attended our church for the first time the previous night. She shared with me that her older sister was pregnant, but had had major complications and was rushed to the hospital about a month before. The doctors had expected to lose the baby, but supernaturally they had managed to keep the child alive. For the entire month, the mother had been hospitalized, still pregnant with the baby and unsure whether either of them would be okay.
The girl on the phone was convinced that the baby I had prayed for was her sister’s baby, and asked if we could visit them at the hospital and pray for the sister.
I talked with Cheyne, and we decided that it’d be best if Cheyne went to the hospital to minister to the soon-to-be mother. Upon Cheyne’s arrival, she learned that the sister used to be a Christian, but had since walked away from God. The doctors weren’t sure if the baby would survive the pregnancy, and the mother’s health was at risk as well.
Cheyne sat and talked with the girl about everything that had happened in her life. The girl then rededicated her life to God, and told Cheyne she believed God was able to heal her and save her baby. Together they prayed for the health of her and her child, and Cheyne came home.
The mother ended up completely recovering, and was discharged from the hospital a couple of days later.
And that, my friends, is how praying in tongues saved a baby’s life.
Important Lessons My Son Has Taught Me about God
3:16 am. The family is finally asleep. But of course, that’s not gonna last long.
3:19 am. Jack’s cries fill our bedroom.
Maybe he’s hungry. We try feeding, but he doesn’t bite. Jack continues to cry.
Maybe he’s in dire need of a diaper change. We check, but the diaper is clean. Jack continues to cry.
Maybe he’s cold. We give him a blanket. Jack continues to cry.
Maybe he’s warm. We strip off the onesie. Jack continues to cry.
I know. He just needs some bro time. I take him downstairs, and walk through our darkened kitchen with him gently cradled in my arms.
Jack calms down.
For about seventeen seconds.
Then he continues to cry.
And as I continue to pace back and forth with our crying infant in my arms, I think to myself, “If only he knew how to articulate what he needed, then I could give it to him.”
And right as that thought came to mind, God said to me, “That’s why most prayers don’t get answered.”
Christians are really good at crying. Experts, in fact. “Why does this always happen to me?” “Why do things never work out in my life?” “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?”
We are very good at vocalizing how terrible things are. We are also fairly decent at (erroneously) attributing all of our woes and troubles to God. But I’d venture to guess that 9 times out of 10, we never actually ask for a solution. We just whine about whatever is going on, then blame God when things don’t get better.
For example, if you feel a fever coming on, complaining about how you always get sick isn’t praying. Accepting the sickness because “God works in mysterious ways” also isn’t praying. Even silently hoping that you miraculously get better isn’t praying. To make it a prayer, you need to verbally ask God to heal you. Confessing a scripture or two that promises to give you what you need is an absolute plus (in the case of sickness, Isaiah 53:5, Exodus 15:26, Luke 9:11, 1 Peter 2:24, and James 5:15 are just a few). Then you need to sincerely believe that God will deliver. And to finish it off, promptly praise God for His goodness and mercy and love.
That’s the prayer of faith.
My son Jack couldn’t tell me what was wrong because he doesn’t speak the English language. He’s just a baby. And most Christians are unsuccessful in prayer because they don’t speak the language of faith. They are spiritual babies. Now Jack will naturally grow up as time progresses. But Christian growth isn’t automatic. It takes deliberate and intentional action. And unfortunately, most people are unwilling to put in the time.
The language of faith is simple:
- Ask God for what you need (Matthew 7:7, Romans 10:9)
- Continually confess a scripture that promises you what you need (Joshua 1:8)
- Believe that you receive (Mark 11:23, Romans 10:9)
- Thank God for always meeting your needs (Philippians 4:6, Acts 16:25)
So stop complaining, stand on the Word, and have faith in God.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
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One Thing You Didn’t Know about Angels
Angels are pretty cool.
They fly around worshipping God, they do the bidding of man, they carry swords and beat the tar out of demons. But angels have one particular hobby that is… just a little bit weird.
On occasion, an angel will come to earth, dress up as a normal human, and… ask Christians for favors.
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
I know. It’s pretty weird, right?
It’s almost like a supernatural version of Guess Who?. That homeless guy with the shopping cart outside of Arby’s? Might be an angel. The Vietnam vet with the cardboard sign? Might be an angel. Sure, it’s possible he’s just a boring ol’ human who’s going to use your spare change to buy a pack of cigs (which apparently is what all homeless people do if you ask the internet), but who knows? Maybe it’s a guy who’s just down on his luck. Or better yet, maybe he’s really a six-winged angel with a sword made of fire, who happens to be taking his annual two-week vacation in downtown Los Angeles (it is the City of Angels, after all).
The point is that it’s not our responsibility to only help those who we deem worthy of help. God saw fit to help us when we weren’t anything close to worthy of it (Ephesians 2). And then when Jesus commissioned us, He told us, “Freely you have received. Freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
So let’s make a game out of it. Let’s see who can entertain the most angels by the time we get to heaven. And spoiler alert: if you only help your friends, your grand total will be zero.
I don’t know about you, but I intend to set the new high score.
And…… GO!
Ten Reasons Why Captain America is the Most Christian Film of the Year
In some ways, this is going to be a big year for Christians. At least in Hollywood. More Christian films will come out in 2014 than have been released in the last ten years, and church leaders are hoping this will start a new trend in the film industry.
Son of God and God’s Not Dead came out several weeks ago, the loosely adapted Noah was released last week, and other Christian films set to be released this year include Exodus, Mary Mother of God and Heaven is for Real. But the film most Christians are anticipating: Captain America: Winter Soldier.
What was that? You don’t think Captain America is a bible-based film? Here are ten reasons why you’re completely wrong.
1. Black Widow is Rahab
I’m going to describe someone to you. She is an attractive woman who works for the bad guys in a sexually promiscuous career. However, she is befriended by the protagonists, turns from her wicked ways, ends up working for the good guys as a double agent/spy, and eventually becomes an important force of goodness.
Who did I describe? Exactly.
(I can’t make any promises, but from the trailer, Scarlett Johansson appears to be more modestly dressed than ever. And if skimpy outfits were going to make an appearance, it’d be in the trailer.)
2. This is one of the few movies where Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t swear
As a youth pastor, I often am faced with a difficult challenge: “I want to play Samuel L. Jackson movies at lock-ins, but they are so inappropriate.” For the youth leaders out there, you have undoubtedly faced this same problem.
Well thankfully, Winter Soldier solves this problem for us. I can almost guarantee that Nick Fury will not enter into a fit of fury and yell, “I’m tired of all these Mother Mary double agents on my Mother Mary helicarrier!”
3. “Let the weak say I am strong”
He once was weak, but now he’s strong. That’s sort of Captain America’s mantra. Ours too.
4. The Captain teams up with an angel
Technically his name is “Falcon,” but he’s a dude that can fly, battles the powers of darkness, and does whatever Captain America says. Sounds like an angel to me. (Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon, also played an angel in Adjustment Bureau. Coincidence? I think not.)
5. Who’s making the cameo this time?
The Avengers films always feature an unexpected cameo. Who’s it going to be this time? Thor? Hulk? Tony Stark? Or Moses and Elijah. Let’s not forget that they invented the cameo.
6. The Winter Soldier is Judas
Sort of. But I don’t want to spoiler alert any of you, so I’ll leave it at that.
7. The movie might actually be somewhat faithful to the source material
Son of God was guilty of several changes and omissions. Noah was guilty of a lot more. And though I did support Son of God, we were all left saying, “The book was better.”
But it seems like Winter Soldier is for the most part consistent with the comics. Unless you ask someone who has actually read the comics.
8. S.H.I.E.L.D. is staffed by Pharisees
Jesus was surrounded by people who were supposed to be on His team, but ended up betraying Him for what they falsely considered was “the greater good.” Sounds a lot like the first Winter Soldier trailer, if you ask me.
9. God is the original Avenger
“Vengeance is Mine,” saith the Lord. Circa 1,200 BC.
‘Nuff said.
And finally,
10. What’s more godly than a movie with “America” in the title?
So there you have it. Ten reasons why Captain America is bound to be the most Christian film of the year. I was originally going to include a point about Steve Rogers epitomizing what is arguably the best comic book example of the hypostatic union, but decided it might offend people who actually knew what that was.
So see the film. Support the film. Then go to church on Sunday morning and talk to your friends about how the movie inspired you to read your bible more.
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Me Admitting I was Wrong: A Review of Noah
Methuselah was easily the best character in the film. The 969 year old patriarch was played by Anthony Hopkins, who was actually believable as a 969 year old man (Cheyne said he bore a striking resemblance to Gollum). He also apparently is an early ancestor of Benny Hinn, because he had the innate ability to slay people in the spirit. And he had an affinity for berries.
In every scene he appears in, he talks about his desire to enjoy berries one last time. He chides his great-grandson for not giving him berries. He asks his daughter-in-law why she didn’t bring him berries. And before the floods descend, he frantically scrambles through random foliage in his pursuit of those sweet, sweet berries. As the waves come crashing toward him, he smiles as he finally finds a small, purple berry. He lifts it to his mouth, hoping to enjoy the tasty treat one last time before he dies.
And as this happened, I totally thought the wave was going to destroy him before he actually got to eat it.
Why?
Because that’s how “the Creator” is portrayed in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.
* * *
My recommendation: Don’t see it. Not because I’m afraid of what it will do to your faith or your walk with God. But because it was a terrible film. It won’t entertain you. It won’t benefit you. And you will definitely consider it a waste of $12.50 (or $19, if you wanted to see it at a fancy movie theater like I did).
I had high hopes for the flick, but I knew trouble was afoot when the infamous disclaimer didn’t appear at the beginning of the movie. After seeing the first two minutes, I could tell this was going to be a stupid movie. At around the eight-minute mark, I decided this wasn’t a movie I’d want my kids to see.
And then the Rock-People showed up.
I have a feeling that many Christians will not like the film. And I can predict why they won’t like the film. And honestly, there are some good reasons to avoid the movie and some bad ones. I want to present those to you now.
THINGS THAT SHOULDN’T BOTHER YOU
- The Rock-People
I’ll admit it. The Rock-People were kind of dumb. And they were poorly animated. And they were a bunch of wussies. But having said all that, they weren’t entirely unsanctioned. Genesis 6 does make passing references to “the nephilim,” a word that is usually translated “giants” or “dead ones.” The director interpreted them as “Rock-People.” And that’s his prerogative. Is that what nephilim were? Probably not. Did the nephilim really build the ark for Noah? Probably not. Should the existence of Rock-People in the film be the subject of our criticism? Probably not.
- Emma Watson
Noah didn’t have a daughter. But he did have several daughters-in-law. Is it possible that one of his son’s wives lived with them before they tied the knot? Sure. So let it go.
- Too many animals
One scathing review of the movie I came across complained that the movie depicted Noah rescuing all “species” of animals rather than all “kinds” of animals. The reviewer claimed that this was a subtle affront on creationism. Buddy, there were plenty of blatant affronts on creationism. Why complain about the one that probably wasn’t even a thing?
THINGS THAT SHOULD BOTHER YOU
- Noah is far too dark
I understand that we weren’t on the ark, and don’t actually know every single detail of Noah’s journey. I also get that the film was created by Aronofsky, who majors in making movies about demented weirdoes. And I get that the point of the film was to explore the psyche of the titular character in an attempt to understand just how difficult his task was. But Noah goes too far. In its quest to present a gritty, relatable, human Noah, it abandons the only attributes the bible actually ascribes to him:
“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
We hardly see any of these traits in Aronofsky’s Noah. The film does stress the wickedness of man, but the film’s Noah overstresses his own wickedness and the wickedness of his children and grandchildren, claiming that “none of us are blameless.”
The film’s Noah also doesn’t appear very righteous. He is outraged by the miraculous pregnancy of his barren daughter-in-law, going so far as to attempt to kill her children to protect the earth. When asked why he was selected to build the ark, he rejects the notion that it was because of his righteousness and claims it was because God knew “he would get the job done.”
And far from “walking faithfully with God,” the film’s Noah hardly knew God. He joins an agnostic choir that includes the film’s main antagonist and the Rock-People when he screams at the heavens, asking why God won’t answer him and why God is forcing him to murder his children.
- God’s ambiguity
Was the Creator really asking Noah to murder his kids? We don’t actually know, because God never shows up in the film. God only “speaks” to one character, and even though Noah “trusts that God will speak in a way he can understand,” God doesn’t. He speaks through cryptic dreams and esoteric visions, leading Noah to almost stab his grandchildren to death to fulfill what he believes to be God’s will.
The film presents us with two options as to God’s intentions for mankind. One, God left the decision of man’s fate in Noah’s hands, allowing him to decide whether humanity deserves to survive. Or two, God made a mistake by selecting Noah, because ultimately Noah was unable to do what needed to be done; namely, to make sure no humans survived the flood. Either way, it was Noah’s love for his children rather than God’s love for His children that explains why we are still around today.
- The movie is a waste of a Regal gift card
Ultimately, you aren’t going to like the movie. All blasphemy and misrepresentation aside, it just wasn’t that good. I went into that theatre with an open mind and honestly was hoping it’d be good, but before the opening credits were over, I could tell it was going to be a waste of an evening.
Like I said before, I’m not deterring you from seeing the flick because I’m afraid it might upset your faith; I’m afraid it might upset your credit card. Save your money for Captain America: Winter Soldier. That’s a film that won’t disappoint (mainly because it wasn’t written by Aronofsky).
I’ll leave you with this. The film claims that the Creator desired to save the animal kingdom, and Noah was lucky enough to be their chaperone. But the bible paints a different picture:
So the Lord said, “I will destroy both man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But then Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:7-8)
The reason God saved the animals is because He loved us, not the other way around. By grace we are saved. We are the apple of His eye. We are the object of His love and affection. We are His children.
And He loves us with such a great love.
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(Read the biblical account of Noah.)
The Biblical Story of Noah: Genesis 6-9
Chapter 6
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
Chapter 7
When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”
5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. 7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives. 8 With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground.9 They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. 12 The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.
13 That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. 15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. 16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
Chapter 8
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. 2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. 3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, 4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.
6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat 7 and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. 8 He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. 10 After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. 11 This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. 12 He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back.
13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14 Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry!
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”
18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. 21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”
Chapter 9
Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. 2 All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. 3 I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. 4 But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.
5 “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. 7 Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.”
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) 19 From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.
20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.
24 When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. 25 Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:
“May Canaan be cursed!
May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”
26 Then Noah said,
“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed,
and may Canaan be his servant!
27 May God expand the territory of Japheth!
May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem,
and may Canaan be his servant.”
28 Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood. 29 He lived 950 years, and then he died.
(read more at BibleGateway.)
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Garrett Milovich 