Bible 911 – Genesis

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Genesis 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. (KJV)

Like many posts in my Bible 911 series, I will have to expand my text to do this justice. Genesis 9:1-17 is what needs to be considered. I feel this is a transition section, with verse 11 as a promise from God. I am not going to make this into a “Common Creator vs common origin” or a “Creation versus Evolution” post. Since it is about the Flood, I will talk about one aspect of that.

Walking With God

  • Genesis 3:8 God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve.
  • Genesis 5:22-24 Enoch walked with God.
  • Genesis 6:9 Noah walked with God.
  • Genesis 17:1 God asked Abram to walk before or with Him.

Take a Muse Moment and think about how you are walking with God.

Brit or Covenant

Genesis 6:18 is the first time God offers a brit (Strong’s H 1285) to a man. My references are the Strong’s Concordance and Brit Chadashah – the New Covenant (hebrew4christians.com). Covenant is used many times in our Old Testament. The point was made that you need to pay attention to the verb if there is one, that goes with the making of the covenant. In 6:18 the verb is “establish” (H6965). Compare this to the covenants God made with Abram in Genesis 15:18 (H3772) which should be read as “cut”, and 17:2 – I will make (H5414).

A covenant or agreement was made between two parties and frequently required an act of “passing through” something. That may be a very simple explanation. Genesis 9:11 had Noah and his family passing through the water of the flood, a shadow of baptism. In Genesis 15 the smoking pot and flaming torch passed through a lot of blood and cut up animals. I do see the elements of a covenant in Genesis 3:21, an animal was killed and Adam and Eve were surrounded (passed through) by the skins.  

This new covenant in Genesis 9 washes over the curse in 3:17-21. Yes, some elements may still be visible, but I think Satan has much to do with that. God is not finished with this yet, skip to the back and read it. This started a study on food from Genesis 2 to Noah. Cain, Abel, and Noah were the reason for this study.

No Flood, Just Fire

Genesis 9:11 is a promise that a Noah-like flood will not happen again. It should be noted that the tower builders in Chapter 11 did not believe God on that subject. A personal note here, even among Christians the topic of the Flood will manifest many reactions; some of them may surprise you. There is a movie, Is Genesis History?, that gives many good ideas on the topic. Do your homework here and listen to different viewpoints. Keep the big picture, the Flood occurred, but I was not there to give you the exact details. It has been interesting over the years to watch evolutions try and argue away the things they do not like.

The idea of things burning up, as taught by Jesus started in Matthew 3:12, 13:30, and 40; it is repeated in Luke 3:17. John 15:6 gives another look at the same topic. 2 Peter 3:12 tells us that the day of God will burn up the heavens and the elements. On a slightly smaller scale Revelations 8:7 talks about the earth, trees, and grass being burned when the first trumpet sounds. The one-third here makes me think of Revelations 12:4 where one-third of the stars were thrown down, this has been associated with the number of angels who followed Satan. You can have a good study looking at “third” in Bible Gateway, I used the NASB. (Isaiah 9:19 refers to the land being burned, and that people will be fuel for a fire (NIV). I just read it during my morning study.)

Signs  

God gave the sign of the rainbow (Genesis 9:12).

In Creationist thought this is important because it marks a change in the earth’s atmosphere, remember the Flood was the first rain on earth. This ot or sign was given to reassure man and to remind God of His brit or covenant with Noah and his children. It is a shame that we have given it up to be a symbol of unrighteousness. It is a symbol that God washed the earth once and the next time He will use fire.

God gives signs to remind us of important things He does for us. Circumcision is a sign of the covenant with Abraham and his family (Genesis 17:11). The Ark is a sign of the Covenant Law given to Moses; yes, that is just one thing it is and represents. (See Saul and the Signs)

Romans 4 is Paul’s insight into the semeia or sign of circumcision and the seal of righteousness (Strong’s G4973). Sign – σημεῖον | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

The path I am about to step on may be for only one person or as wide as a Roman road. In 1 Corinthians 1:22 Paul makes a valid observation of human nature: Jews ask for signs and Greeks want wisdom. The desire for “signs” has been around for a long time. Yes, he was talking about the cross, which still is a problem for people. Gideon had his fleeces, and the Philistines had their new cart and nursing cows. Christians, what do you look for? In Genesis 15 Abram was told to count stars for his sign. Jesus was asked many times to produce a sign so His countrymen would believe He was the Messiah. Jesus told them of the sign of Jonah, but they did not understand. On Tuesday of Holy Week, the leaders asked Jesus for a sign, He was on the Temple Mount (See The Sermons on Two Mounts-Sadducees and Pharisees). Before He left to go to the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave a sign/prophesy about the stones of the Temple. That came to pass about forty years later courtesy of the Roman army.  

If you want a simple, all-encompassing answer about signs, I do not have one. We have “cast lots” or pulled slips of paper from a hat many times for a sign to settle problems in our house. See Acts 1:26.

Here is a path in the direction we are traveling, symbols of faith or good luck charms. “It is bad luck to be superstitious” has been a favorite response of mine for many years. I have known good people to do things or wear something believing that it will give them favor for the season. An answer from me would either pave a road or build a wall; take a Muse Moment and seek your Creator.

Signs; Godly signs can come after an event to help us remember, they can come before an event to reassure us, or they are ongoing symbols to remind us to not waiver. Miraculous or mundane signs are to bring us and glory to the Father.

Food

One aspect of Genesis 9 that surprised me as I worked on this post was a change in diet. Genesis 6:21 and 9:3 are about food. 9:3 gives man permission to eat plants and everything that “lives and moves”. This verse begins and ends with “everything” – H 3605. The post, Hevel or Abel goes into this thought more. I did find it interesting that in 9:20 – 24, we see a vineyard and Noah drunk.

The New Covenant

The idea is that a new covenant starts in the old, especially in Jeremiah 31:31, but read the entire chapter. This verse is quoted in Hebrews 8:8 and 10:16-17. Brit Chadashah – the New Covenant (hebrew4christians.com)  I see some similar elements in the repopulation of the earth after the Flood and Jeremiah 31:27 with Judah being “repopulated” after Babylon.

The story of the Good News of this Covenant is populated with signs, symbols, people, and acts of faith. This grace that we get to walk in is from Jesus taking our sin and covering it with His blood. His cross/altar allowed Him to be put into the earth and then be born from on high. He took His blood and then sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat/Throne of God and now acts as our Paraclete with the Father (1 John 2:1, Hebrews 12:24). We get to be servants of this New Covenant because of the Spirit who gives life and we can remember Jesus’ sacrifice when we partake in Holy Communion. (2 Corinthians 3:6 and Luke 22:20)

The Names in 2 Samuel 9

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This post is a condensed reference for the names in Lo Debar – Another Look. I know I go against the popular narrative that Lo Bar was a dump, and that Mephibosheth was a pitiful, defeated individual who crawled in the dirt begging. The links are to other posts about this subject.

I like to study the names of the people and places in a story. There are times when they seem to have their own story to tell and then in other places, they are just names. I do believe it is better to not build your whole point of view on just names.  

David, H 1732 – beloved

Saul, H 7586 – desired. See 1 Samuel 9:20 for a word play on his name. See 1 Samuel 911.   

Jonathan, H 3083 – God has given

Zeba, H 6717 – statue. He was Saul’s chief steward, but as his story plays out, he was not as loyal as you may think. See 2 Samuel 16 for his chance to get all of the land that belonged to Saul, then see 2 Samuel 19:24 for the other half of the story. I think he told David in chapter 9 so he could get rid of the only heir of the land he wanted as his own.  

Makir, H 4353 – sold. He met David when he crossed the Jordan River and supplied aid to the refugees. I believe but cannot prove he was related to Jonathan. He is why Mephibosheth was hidden in Lo Debar.

Ammiel, H 5988 – my kinsman is God.

Mephibosheth, H 4648 – exterminating the idol. I believe he was sent to Lo Debar per instructions from Jonathan and that he was with family who took care of him. He was a grandson of the king who probably had family in the area starting with the last story in Judges.

Lo Debar (city) H 3810, the definition is pastureless or not a pasture. A possible reason for that name is it was built on the side of the Jordan Valley. They were a guard city for Gilead and made pottery as a source of income.

Mica, H 4316 – who is like God. This is Mephibosheth’s son; this is one reason I think he was with family, someone got him a wife.

Jerusalem (city), H 3389 – teaching of peace or foundation of peace. Different references of Strong’s have slightly different definitions, “teach” comes from a possible root word, H3384. Strong’s Hebrew: 3389. יְרוּשָׁלַ֫םִ (Yerushalaim or Yerushalayim) — probably “foundation of peace,” capital city of all Isr. (biblehub.com)  

2 Samuel 9:1 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Synantilambanomai or Helps

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Synantilambanomai is a related post of Wonderful Counselor and with the help of Mounce, Strong, and Biblehub.com we will look at the two times it is used in the New Testament. You will find synantilambanomai in Romans 8:26 (8:27 will be added) and Luke 10:40. To help, aid, or support someone are the terms that will assist us with the verses.

This word and the verses in Romans are great examples of low-use, single-use, or added prefixes and suffixes highlighting an important thought. The online Strong’s Concordance and Mounce Dictionary may list the verses where they are found, and that allows for easy comparisons.  

I will provide a connection between our two verses as a loose example of synantilambanomai. In Romans, the Spirit is the One who helps us, by praying through us when we can’t do it ourselves. In Luke, Martha is “praying to Jesus” asking for Mary to come to her aid, so she does not have to do all the work by herself.

Our keyword has two prefixes and a suffix. This is my simple explanation for Romans. We come together with the Spirit against the problem to take or get an answer/help.  

References:

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (KJV) Thank you Bible Gateway.

Yes, there is a translation difference because of variations in word meanings. (These are not in order.) When I used a parallel function, I found it interesting how the different translations chose to interpret and footnote this verse. All of them did proclaim a divine act of the Spirit. Some left a little “wiggle room” for what it may look like in the believer’s life and practice.

Intercedes

In the above verses, interceding is the main thought. In verse 26 we see the role of the Holy Spirit being our Counselor and praying through us. In verse 27 we see Jesus doing His intercession before the Father on our behalf. Of the five times the second word is used three of them refer to Jesus, two are in Romans and one in Hebrews. The other two uses are examples (I think) of how that intercession may have sounded (the intensity) or have been done. The word in verse 27 is entynchano.

In verse 26, the one that is associated with the Holy Spirit, the word is hyperentynchano; it is only used once. The prefix hyper should speak volumes to you. Combine this word and the thought of the Spirit’s help and we can understand how special that ministry is for us.

On a personal note, when I have experienced the type of intercession as described in Romans 8:26 it is profound and intense. It is more than (hyper) speaking in tongues. Since it is the Holy Spirit praying through me, I have no understanding of what I am saying and cannot control it, other than to stop. Can this be different in other people? Yes. I will not put the Holy Spirit in a box, He will work with us where we are, but He is still God. While musing on this act of the Holy Spirit, I believe that when the problem is too big for my mind or faith level, He has taken over and prayed as needed. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is more than a promise, it is why He is our paraclete and synantilambanomai.  

Praise of His Glory

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While reading a morning devotion I noticed the phrase “Praise of His Glory” in Ephesians 1. I had spent several months looking at the words in Ephesians 1. This post is to remind me that studying is great but take some time and let the Word fill you up.

Search engines can reveal things that you may not see even with a concordance or extensive study. Praise of His Glory is like that, the phrase is not used as much as I thought in the New Testament. I found these three verses in Ephesians 1.

  • 1:6 His grace that accepted us into His Son is the object of the praise.
  • 1:12 Because we trust in Christ, we should be the praise of His glory.
  • 1:14 The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of what Jesus redeemed and we should praise His glory.

Hyperballo

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Hyperballo is not an adjective for a sporting contest where you beat your opponent. According to Mounce and Strong, it is used five times in the New Testament. NASB translates it as “surpassing” in 2 Corinthians 3:10, which is where it caught my attention, again. (See Ephesians 1:19)

Surpass is a nice word, but I cannot say I use it very much in my day-to-day communication. After paraphrasing the verses below and taking a Muse Moment it may be that my writing and focus could use some adjusting.  

2 Corinthians 3:10 The glory of the New Covenant surpasses the glory of the Old.

2 Corinthians 9:14 The amount of grace from God on the people in the Church.

Ephesians 1:19 The above and beyond power of God that is available to us.

Ephesians 2:7 Because of Christ Jesus (God-Man) the Father will have a testimony of the rich grace He gave us.

Ephesians 3:19 The love of Christ is far greater than knowledge and we should be filled up with it.

ὑπερβάλλω | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Strong’s Greek: 5235. ὑπερβάλλω (huperballó) — to throw over or beyond, to run beyond (biblehub.com)

Hyper G5228 above, beyond

Ballo G906 to throw past

There are many “hypers” in the New Testament, just look on either side of hyperballo in the concordance. Okay, I think it is beyond the intended use of the word, but hyperballo could be a slang term for winning a game.