And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. – Genesis 7:5

Today's Scripture Reading (August 8, 2024): Genesis 7

I am lousy at following instructions. Part of my problem is that I often start a project without looking at the instructions and then look at them when the job is partially completed. My most common mistake is doing things out of order. The problem with doing things out of order is that things often have to be done in a particular order to fit. As a result of getting ahead of myself, I have often had to undo parts of the task to get other parts done.

My other mistake is reading instructions and concluding they don't make sense. And because it didn't make sense, I have often ignored that portion of the instructions. It's not the best way to get a task done. And yet, it is frequently the cry of our culture. Something doesn't make sense, so it must not be correct or essential. I hear the cry in the evaluation of many Christians about the current climate crisis. It doesn't make sense; therefore, it must be wrong.

I remember going through a gas shortage a few decades ago. There were predictions at that time that within thirty or forty years, at current consumption rates, there wouldn't be any oil left on the planet to power our cars and heat our houses. Two things changed that prediction. First, we lowered our consumption, cars became better at saving gas, and furnaces became more efficient. However, the most critical factor was that we discovered more oil reserves. We also found more ways of procuring oil. We became able to get oil from the oilsands and by fracking. Ecologists rail against these practices, but they have extended our oil supply. But just because the predictions of the 1980s did not come true does not mean that we won't someday run out of oil or that the climate change predictions are also inherently false. And yet, for many, they draw the connection between the two. And we ignore the problem.

The author of Genesis says that Noah did all that the Lord commanded. Much of it didn't make sense, but Noah did it anyway. He built a boat in the absence of water. Noah gathered animals when setting them free made more sense. He got into the boat while the sun still shone. None of this made sense. But that didn't matter. God commanded it, and for Noah, that was enough.

We live in troubling times. Beliefs separate us, and we are often convinced of not just the wrongness of the other side but frequently attribute evil to them. We accuse, yell, and condemn, yet things only worsen. But none of this is commanded by God. Our only godly response to the times is love. Jesus gave his disciples a new command; "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). We may not understand, and it may not make sense to us, but it is what God has commanded of us.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 8