Josh Benner

Category: devotional

  • Noah, his sons, and shame. Studying Genesis 9:18-29

    Noah, his sons, and shame. Studying Genesis 9:18-29

    After the covenant which the Lord makes with Noah, we see a scandal involving Noah and his three sons at the end of Genesis 9. 

    The story is introduced by reminding the reader of the Sons of Noah. They will come up again in the genealogies of Genesis 10.

    Genesis 9:18: 

    18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 

    The verse mentions the Canaanites, the tribe who will be an adversary of the Israelites for many generations. They’re introduced here but will be talked about at the end of this section and into chapter 10. This is also the first mention of the Caanaites in the Bible. 

    Genesis 9:19: 

     19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. 

    As Adam was the progenitor of the human race, from Noah and his sons, we will see a newly constituted humanity after the flood. This is continuing with the themes of creation and new creation in Noah’s story 

    Genesis 9:20-21: 

    20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.

    Noah is the only person in the Bible referred to as “a man of the soil.” 

    As Adam was given charge to work and keep the garden in creation, we see Noah keeping with the family business of working the vineyard. As an interesting side note, there are ancient mythologies which attribute the creation of wine to the gods, such as the Egyptian myth of Osiris or the Greek myth of Dionysus. The Bible points to wine as being cultivated by humanity. 

    The text says that Noah became drunk. It’s interesting to wonder if he knew the effects of the wine since cultivation of grapes was new. Noah might have survived being in the ark through the great flood, but a little bit the wine is too much for him. 

    The text mentions that he lay uncovered in his tent. 

    Genesis 9:22: 

    22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

    For the second time in the passage, Canaan is referred to. 

    Verses 22 and 23 are a bit cryptic as to what exactly is happening. Throughout the generations, there have been various interpretations as to the extent of Ham’s sin against Noah. Some have thought that there was some sort of sexual sin involved agaisnt Noah or his wife. The text does talk about how Ham “saw” Noah and this language is sometimes referred to in the Bible as referring to sexual activity but it also just as likely refers to simply seeing something and that word alone cannot lead to the conclusion that Ham physically did something against Noah. 

    Another theory is that Ham castrated Noah. That may seem like a big leap in interpretations, and it is not the view that I hold. Part of the reasoning for this interpretation is that Noah has only three sons but cursed Ham’s fourth son (Canaan) and that Noah curses Ham’s fourth son because he was prevented from having a fourth son. 

    It’s impossible to know exactly the sin issue from what’s provided in the text, but I hold to the view that Ham dishonored Noah in a vulnerable time and then told his brothers about this and the heart behind that is why his actions were so grievous. 

    Genesis 9:23: 

    23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

    As Ham dishonored Noah, we see the other two sons covering up his nakedness. They walk in backwards to prevent seeing the nakedness of their father and bringing further shame. 

    In the following verses, Noah awakens and realizes what has happened. 

    Genesis 9:24-25: 

    24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, 

    “Cursed be Canaan; 

    a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 

    Canaan is mentioned for the third time in the passage. Noah does not bring a curse upon Ham but upon his son. It is unclear as to why this happened. Canaan does in fact become a major rival of Israel in the Old Testament so the curse does prove to be true. 

    Is Canaan being unfairly punished? It’s another complication textual matter. The point of the curse is that it’s pointing to the offspring of Ham which is why it’s a curse given to Canaan. 

    There’s blessing and also curses as Noah calls for blessings on his other two sons. 

    Genesis 9:26-27: 

    26 He also said, 

    “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; 

    and let Canaan be his servant. 

    27 May God enlarge Japheth, 

    and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, 

    and let Canaan be his servant.” 

    The chapter ends, and the life of Noah ends in verses 28-29: 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died. 

    Parallels to Adam

    As has already been mentioned, Adam planted a garden and Noah planted a vineyard. 

    As there is a curse on humanity after the fall into sin, there is a curse (Gen. 9:25) as a result of dishonoring Noah. Both stories involve the shame of nakedness. Both stories lead to familial strife. 

    With the first sin, they eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden. With the sin against Noah, Noah is witnessed within his tent. Eve sees the fruit looks good for food. Ham sees the nakedness of his father (Shem and Japheth do not). 

    In this story, we see the continuation of human sin after the flood. 

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  • Blessed are the persecuted. Matthew 5:10-12

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    10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    -Matthew 5:10-12

    Almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus preached these words, they also would have been radical to his audience. Persecution is never looked at as a blessing.

    But in Matthew 5, Jesus says that it is.

    Part of what Jesus is saying in these verses is that there is blessedness for the person who’s life is so clearly devoted to God, who is so clearly living out their Christian faith, that they face opposition because of it.

    If a Christian goes through life and never faces opposition, you might be living too comfortably in the world.

    If you never face any heat because of your faith, you might not be associating with anyone who disagrees with what you believe.

    In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul talks about persecution.

    “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

    ALL who live for Christ will be persecuted.

    Persecution is part of the Christian life. The Bible does not shy away from this fact.

    Shortly before the time of his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples in John 5:18-19:

     “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

    Something doesn’t have to be a matter of life and death to be persecution. In American society, we don’t generally hear stories of a person being killed just because they are a Christian. It’s not absolutely unheard of, but it’s rare.

    The persecution American Christians face is often times more social or legal. That can still put us in situations where it’s tempting to sin, where it’s tempting to respond a certain way that we shouldn’t. That still puts us in situations where it’s easier to just go along with what the world is doing than taking a stand for what you believe.

    I know a mechanic who’s a Christian. He was committed to being honest in his dealings with customers. He was so honest that his boss didn’t like him and eventually fired him.

    My wife told me a story about how when she was in high school, she was interviewing to be part of a local youth leadership program in her community. While she was at her interview, one of the people making the decision saw that she was a student at a Christian high school. He started berating her with questions about her faith, questioning how she could believe in Jesus. Asking nothing about this youth organization. Essentially just harassing her about her faith.

    Again, the gospel is a message that some find offensive. “To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life (2 Corinthians 2:16).”

    There have been examples of groups trying to silence coaches of public school teams from praying with players before games, even when it’s voluntary. I read a story today about the Freedom from Religion Foundation suing a public school in Ohio. A local pastor was leading a Bible study with students at lunch. It was optional. But FFRF still needed to swoop in and sue. There have been legal pressures on Christian universities to cover abortions for staff.

    Those are just a few examples.

    But in living for Jesus, in a fallen world, it is inevitable that there will be times when a person’s faith comes under fire.

    Responding 

    When a person is being persecuted and has a choice of if they’re going to respond in a Christlike way or if they’re going to respond in a hostile way. You can be light to a dark world or you can just spread the darkness.

    The Apostle James talked about the various trials that Christians face:

    “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).”

    As evil as the persecution that Christians face can be, it’s an opportunity to respond with love. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

    God can use those situations as a way to strengthen us in our own faith. To focus us on what we truly value.

    Another part of the reason why persecution is seen as a blessing is that the harsher the persecution, the more that is taken away from a person, the more someone is able to live in total dependence on God and reliance in his ability to preserve them. That’s not to say that the persecution is good in itself. It’s obviously not. That’s not to say that sin is good. It’s not. But through the evils that people commit, God can still use that for good.

    Again, if you’re not ever facing any pressure because of your faith, you might not be living in a way that is distinct from the world. I’m not saying we should go out of our way to be combative. The verse does not say that all persecution is good. It’s when a person is following Jesus and is persecuted for righteousness’ sake that blessed a person.

    It’s a radical idea. But let us remember that we have a savior who faced the ultimate persecution for righteousness’ sake.

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  • Creation and uncreation – The flood and Genesis 7

    Creation and uncreation – The flood and Genesis 7

    Perhaps the best known story in the Bible of God’s judgment is the story of Noah’s Ark. 

    At the beginning of the story, Genesis talks of a world that has fallen further and further into sin and that the Lord saves one man (Noah) and his family from the destruction that was to come.

    Another significant theme in the story is that it is an undoing of creation. 

    Undoing creation

    In the Noah story, when the flood itself is brought forth by the Lord, Genesis 7:11-12 records: 

    11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 

    In Genesis 1, we see the second and third day of creation. 

    Day 2

    Genesis 1:6-8

    6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 

    Day 3

    Genesis 1:9-10: 

    9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 

    In those days, we see God separate the waters and create the expanse between earth and sky. In the flood, the heavens are opened up and the rains come down and flood the earth. The Lord takes away the dry ground as he floods the earth. 

    The parallels don’t end there. 

    Noah and his family are saved along with sets of every animal. 

    Genesis 7:13-15: 

     13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 

    You have man and beast entering the ark. You also have married people going into the ark. It’s noteworthy that in ancient times when polgyammy was commonplace, that we see people in monogamous marriages entering the ark, especially when considering that marriage itself is part of God’s creation. 

    Amid the darkness and chaos of the flood, we do see a glimmer of hope as the Lord personally takes care of this family. Genesis 7:16 says: And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in. 

    Noah is a symbol for Adam. He and his family and the animals are symbols of creation, preserved to be part of a new creation after the flood. 

    Genesis 7:17-19:

    17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.

    Once again, tis is language which continues to point back to the first days of Genesis and God’s subduing of the waters. At the beginning of Genesis, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2),  but in the flood, the Lord allows the waters to come and overtake the whole earth. 

    Days 5 and 6

    In creation days 5 and 6, we see God bringing forth life. First animal life and then culminating in the creation of man. 

    Aside from those who are on the ark, they die in the flood. 

    Genesis 7:21-23:

     21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 

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  • The Church – being part of something bigger than yourself

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    An astounding 16 million soldiers, sailors and Marines served America in the Second World War.

    And while most of our focus on World War II is on the military and combat, within the United States, there was an effort to support the war unlike anything our nation had seen or has seen since.

    With millions going overseas, Americans at home took up new jobs.

    Coming out of the Great Depression, unemployment dried up, reaching an all time low in 1944.

    The war effort affected virtually every facet of American life. Companies shifted their manufacturing efforts to supporting the war and supplying the military. Maytag went from making washing machines to making parts for airplanes. Firestone Tires made artillery shells and aluminum containers for food transport.

    Products like sugar, butter, bacon, and cheese were rationed. As were penicillin and other medicines, along with rubber and certain types of metals. Materials for clothing such as silk and nylon were needed for uniforms. Everything went to supporting a cause that was so much bigger than any one person.

    And everyone’s contributions mattered.

    To help pay for the war, the government sold war bonds. Over 85 million Americans purchased war bonds to help fund the effort. To put that in perspective, that was more than half of the entire United States population at the time.

    An incredible effort.

    The church has a mission 

    As Christians, we too are called to be part of a cause that is far bigger than any of us, but where everyone has a role, where everyone has a job to do, where everyone has a way to serve.

    The mission of God on earth.

    And that mission is to spread the gospel. To make disciples. To build up the church. To love one another.

    It’s not a passive request in scripture, nor is it a good suggestion, but something which God commands from all of his people.

    If you’re a person who has placed faith in Jesus, this applies to you.

    As the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20:

    I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

    You belong to Jesus when you place your faith in him.

    And part of the purpose of the Christian life is one that is lived in service of God for the mission of God in the world.

    You were made to have an impact 

    Do you ever feel like you were made for something great?

    Do you ever feel like you were meant to have an impact?

     You are made for more, you are made to do great things, you are born to have an impact in the world.

    An impact for Jesus.

    We can try to build our own kingdoms, we can try to collect our own toys, we can try to control and manipulate the circumstances in our lives to make us feel secure.

    We can do those things.

    But we were made to serve the mission of Christ in the world.

    And that includes sharing the gospel, making disciples, making Jesus known, growing together as His Church, and serving God.

    As a church, every person in the church is called to use the ways God has gifted and equipped them for the purpose of serving God and building up the church.

    That’s why we’re here.

    Writing to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul said:

    Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

    Maybe you’ve never really thought about that.

    But all Christians are given Spiritual gifts.

    Doesn’t matter how well you know the Bible.

    It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a Christian. There’s no probationary period before you can God.

    It doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how outgoing you are, or how many people you know.

    It doesn’t matter how talented you think you are.

    If you’re a Christian, God has given you gifts to serve him and build up his church.

    Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to offer.

    I think that’s the reason why some people don’t serve.

    It’s nonsense.

    Because everyone here has much to offer. Much to contribute.

    It can be easy to see a really talented pastor, a really gifted musician, someone who’s really outgoing, and to feel insecure about what you have to offer.

    But the unsung heroes are the backbone of congregations, people faithfully and humbly serving. Books get written about generals, but the real work is done by soldiers.

    Originally posted May 13, 2019

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  • The living water Jesus provides. John 4:10-19

    The living water Jesus provides. John 4:10-19

    In John 4, Jesus is traveling through Samaria[] and encounters a woman at a well. He asks for a drink. At first glance, that might seem reasonable enough but by interacting with a Samaritan woman, Jesus was going against cultural norms. 

    As the passage continues, we discover that it’s ultimately not a story about water. 

    Living water

    In verse 10, Jesus will totally change the subject from well water and instead point the woman to who he is and what he has to offer. 

    Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

    Jesus points out that she doesn’t know who he is. He’s not so much judging her for that, but he’s directing her to what she should be asking of him. 

    Jesus uses the phrase gift of God. The Greek word for gift which is used here is found 11 times in the New Testament. Each time, it refers to a gift which has been graciously bestowed by the Lord.

    Jesus is referring to the gift of eternal life which comes from God through Jesus and the lifelong Spiritual renewal which was to be bestowed upon people through the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that if this woman recognized who he was and knew what the gift of God was, she would want this gift, and that he would have provided living water. 

    Quite the statement to make to a person he’s just met. 

    But what does he mean? What is living water? I think there are two facets to that answer. 

    First, the living water of which Jesus speaks is a reference to the Holy Spirit. That’s clear based on what Jesus says in John 7. 


    John 7:37-39

    “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive

    The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly rooted in the essence of living water. But I believe that this passage is implicitly getting at the work of all three persons in the Trinity in our salvation and sanctification. 

    All three persons are active in the process. If you don’t have faith, you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have living water. And if you don’t have God’s Holy Spirit, then you don’t have faith. You have not been born again, you do not have eternal life. 

    But the way to get living water is through the gospel and faith in Jesus. 

    Missing the point

    The woman responds in verses 11-12:

    “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

    She misses the point! She looks at what Jesus has said in merely naturalistic terms.She considers the depth of the well and that Jesus doesn’t have any vessel to collect water.

    How is it that Jesus could provide fresh water without the tools. How is Jesus to get water? Let alone living water? 

    It seems laughable. It seems like he’s making an impossible promise. They’re at Jacob’s well. Jacob, this venerated figure from the Old Testament. To the woman, it seems like he’s saying that he’s somehow greater than Jacob. 

    The irony is that Jesus is better than Jacob. And the water he provides is greater. 

    Verses 13-14:

    Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

    The water from the well will merely satisfy a physical need. But what Jesus is saying is that he provides the water that fulfills our Spiritual needs. It’s the water of salvation. It’s the water of grace. It’s the water of forgiveness. 

    And that when you believe in Jesus and trust in Jesus, the effort we put into justifying ourselves, the effort we put into trying to be good enough for God is forever quenched. 

    You must keep drinking regular water, returning to the well, the sink, the fridge, the water bottle. But Jesus eternally quenches our need for life and salvation with the living water that he provides because the water that he gives becomes a spring of water. 

    Because it’s from God and not our own efforts or merit, we cannot exhaust the supply. 

    The water that Jesus provides flows through the human soul. 

    And it wells up to eternal life. 

    And again, for Jesus, this language doesn’t come out of the blue. 

    Living water in the Old Testament

    Jeremiah 17:3 refers to the Lord as a fountain of living water. 


    Isaiah 12:2-3 talked of a future time when the Lord would bring deliverance to his people and draw water from a well of salvation.  

    Behold, God is my salvation; 

    I will trust, and will not be afraid; 

    for the Lord God is my strength and my song, 

    and he has become my salvation.” 

    3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 

    Jesus gives us access to the living water and it is through Christ alone that we can have this living water because the only way we can have it is for him to give it to us. 

    Jesus has just told this woman something amazing. 

    The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

    The woman at the well and Nicodemus

    In John 3, Jesus meets a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a prominent Jewish leader and an expert in the law. He’s heard of Jesus and has come to find out more. 

    Jesus tells Nicodemus: 

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). 

    Nicodemus also misses the point. He takes this rebirth literally. John 3:4:

    Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 

    Just like Nicodemus, who when he was told that he needed to be born again, and responded by questioning how he could enter a second time into his mother’s womb, this woman is still merely looking at this as physical water. 

    Verse 16, Jesus changes the subject, but in doing that, he helps the woman see that he’s not merely talking about water.  

    16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 

    This woman has had five husbands. And she has a sixth man who she lives with that’s not her husband. 

    Jesus knows. But she doesn’t know him. She’s never met him. Yet, he knows her background. He knows her situation. He knows her story. And in that, Jesus reveals to her that he’s not just some guy making grand claims. He reveals that he’s not just talking about water. 

    19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

    Before this, the woman thought that Jesus was trying to offer her a way to an easier life. Never having to get water again. 

    But in Jesus showing that he knew her, he knew her life, and that he was pointing to something far greater. 

    The Samaritan woman and Nicodemus

    Two stories. 

    Two encounters that Jesus has with two different people. 

    When considering these two stories side by side, it’s striking that these two people could not be more different. 

    Nicodemus is prestigious. The woman is part of a group who was hated.

    Nicodemus is an expert in the Law. The woman has her sin exposed. 

    Nicodemus seeks Jesus out. The woman stumbles upon Jesus. 

    Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. The woman finds Jesus in the middle of the day. 

    He’s a man. She’s a woman. 

    Nicodemus is mentioned by name. She’s simply called the Samaritan woman, or the woman. 

    Nicodemus never quite understands what Jesus is telling him. The woman grows in knowledge of who Jesus is throughout the passage. 

    But the one thing that they have in common is that they are both in need of Jesus. 

    The offer of salvation is there for both of them. The offer to be born again, the offer for living water. It’s for both of them. And not just for them, but the offer is for the whole world. To know Jesus, to follow Jesus, to believe in Jesus. 

    No matter how moral and righteous someone like Nicodemus was, Jesus told him “you must be born again” and that “unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

    No matter how sinful the Samaritan woman was, Jesus could say to her: If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

    No matter how righteous Nicodemus was, he still needed the saving grace of Christ. 

    No matter how much the Samaritan woman was looked down upon by society, Jesus still deemed her worthy of his grace. 

    Because we are all equally in need of grace. We are all dead in sin. And Jesus died for all who believe in him and his gospel. 

    With the gospel, you’re never so good that you don’t need grace, and you’re never so bad that you can’t have grace. 

    Are you going to the well of trying to justify yourself? Are you going to the well of self-righteousness?

    Or have you believed in Jesus and been given the living water of eternal life?