It's Up to Man

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

IT’S UP TO MAN

Gen 9:1-7

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. 7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

NIV

Up until now all living creatures on the earth ate only the vegetation, but now the system we are living under has come into effect. Noah was now allowed to eat the meat of animals as long as he first drained its lifeblood. This most likely meant the whole predator system between all the beasts of the earth went into effect. The lamb and lion lying together was no more. This was also the time God instilled within Noah and his family that killing a man was now forbidden by the law of God. He made it clear to Noah that taking a life would be punished by God and he would take that person’s life. He also reminded Noah, or told him, if he had not already known, that he was made in the image of God. In fact, God was telling Noah that all mankind is made in the image of God and therefore should be respected as God's image bearer. The problem that happened over time, after Noah, was that mankind no longer remembered God and wanted to make gods of their own forms. Isn’t that just like mankind, to think they have control over what a god should look like and behave, which is to just sit there saying nothing and hearing nothing, and not interfering in their way of life? This kind of thinking still exists today with each person forming their own image of a god to worship. Some simply worship themselves, while others worship money, success, fame, and glory. But this worship of self may be the most damaging of all or is at the root of all worship that is not toward the Almighty God, the creator of all that is created. To worship anything or anyone who is not God has its roots bent toward evil. Someday each man must give an account to God. However, this account now is about who accepted and who rejected his grace, who is Jesus Christ crucified for our sins, buried and raised from the dead to ascend to the place of righteousness at the right hand of the Father. Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior God has declared us holy and blameless and we too will be raised from the dead to live at his right hand forever and ever. This is to the glory of God. However, there is a punishment waiting for those who have made their own gods rejecting the grace of God. They will also stand before him, but only to be sent to the eternal burning lake of sulfur. God will hold all mankind accountable, as it began with Noah, leaving the ark. It is now up to man as to what choice he will make.