Day 3 of 40 Daily Bible Reading

04 January 2014, Saturday

Genesis 8

This is the chapter about Noah and the Ark with all the animals, where God stops the rain in Genesis 8:1-5.

When does God stop the torrential downpour of the rain? After 150 days, verse 3.

Where? The boat stops on the mountains of Ararat in Genesis 8:4. (For more information about the Mountains of Ararat, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountains_of_Ararat.) It’s in what we call Turkey today, according to some sources. Others say Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Mount Ararat today is located in Turkey.

It took 150 days for the boat to come to a stop on the Mountains of Ararat, verses 3-4.

Why? Why did it take 2.5 months + 40 days before Noah released the raven to see if they could leave the ark? (See Genesis 8:6-9.) Answer: Think about it. Think of all of the people, animals, and plants that were swept away and killed from this storm. Think about the stench of the decay. That’s why it took so long. The smell needed to die down.

How long did it really take before Noah and family and animals could leave the ark? See Genesis 8:3-14.

Verses 21-22 are God’s never again list. RE-read them. They are interesting.

Other resources:

1 The Noah’s Ark Searches: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Searches_for_Noah%27s_Ark

2 Mount Ararat in Turkey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ararat

How does Genesis 8 apply to my life?

God took special care of Noah, the family, and the animals. Hence, He does the same for me. He does not change, so that’s how I can be confident He cares about me and even the smallest of details.

Matthew 8

Key verses in my opinion today: 2, 8, 13, 18, 24-27,

Jesus calmed the storm and rebuked it in Matthew 8:23-27.

How does Matthew 8 apply to my life?

Trust Jesus in the days of calm and in the days of storm. Don’t doubt or question. Just trust.

Ezra 8

Key verses in my opinion: 21-23, 34, 36.

How does Ezra 8 apply to my life?

Pray for all of life’s journeys, whether traveling or walking the path of the life in general.

Acts 8

Key verses are: 1, 3, 4

How does Acts 8 apply to my life today?

Verse 4 made me stop in my tracks. This is one of those verses I could spend days to weeks to months to even years on—where I think on it all day and night.

So, I am going to stop and allow this verse to sink in for a while and what it means to me and my life. I think it’s critical for us to stop and rest, Selah, in a verse whenever it gets our attention—and allow God to help us glean everything we can from it. Acts 8:4 is one of those verses for me.

If this pause means I take longer than 365 days to read the Bible, or more than 30 days to get through Psalms and Proverbs, so be it. I think it’s far more important for me to get the most out of Acts 8:4 as possible.