—Genesis Chapter 9, Verses 1-17!DO 276311/90

—Bible Classtime with Grandpa!

1. (David: Thank You Lord for this class & for this time that we can read Your Word. We pray that we'll be able to listen & really learn lots from this Chapter, in Jesus' name‚ amen!) Amen! And help us to get some good spiritual values as well as knowledge out of these Chapters. Praise the Lord! What Chapter of what Book are we studying tonight? (Kids: Genesis Chapter 9.) Praise the Lord! Bless it & make it a blessing.

God Blesses Noah!

2. (Verse 1:) "And God blessed Noah & his sons‚ & said unto them, Be fruitful, & multiply, & replenish the Earth." Why did they have to replenish it? (David: Because it had been sort of depleted.) Sort of?!—Ha! They were the only ones left!

Animals Given to Man for Meat!

3. (Verse 2:) "And the fear of you & the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the Earth, & upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the Earth, & upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered." Have you found that true, children, that even with pets, they have a very healthy fear of you? (Kids: Yes.) When you try to get close to some of them & pet them‚ they'll just naturally move away, won't they? It's because He's put a healthy fear on them.

4. Now the next verse tells you why He has put this fear on all of the animals & fowls, etc. (Verse 3:) "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you"—that is, of course, except the unclean ones—"even as the green herb have I given you all things." What did Man eat before this day? (Techi: "The green herb.") Right, only vegetables. Men were strictly vegetarian, think of that! But now, from this time on, God has given them meat to eat.

How Long after Creation Was the Flood?

5. And when was this time? (Techi: After the Flood.) And what was the approximate date of the Flood? (Techi: 2‚000 B.C.?) No. (David: 1,500 B.C.) Actually it's 2,500 B.C., about 1,500 years after Creation. If you subtract 2,500 years from the 4,000 years between Creation & year 0, what do you get? How many years after Creation did the Flood occur? Why don't you have scratch paper that you can work these things out on, kids! You could learn a little math while we're at it! From 4,000 B.C., subtract what amounts to 2‚500 in round numbers. We're going to the nearest hundred because it's much easier to remember. You don't have to know the exact dates.

6. Anybody got the answer yet? (David: Yes, 1,500.) That means the Flood occurred about 1,500 years after Creation (or around 2,500 B.C.) in round numbers, rounding off to the nearest hundred. I can remember that, but I can never remember the exact date, nor the exact number of years. It's easy to remember hundreds. You don't have to remember exact dates‚ really, except maybe in modern history. But way back yonder, if you come out within 100 years of the exact date, that's pretty good! How long was it after Creation that the Flood occurred, in a round number? (David: 1,500 years.) Right! Now don't forget that.

(Editor's Note: Please remember that Grandpa uses approximate dates in his classes, rounding figures off to the nearest 100–year period or so. Many great Bible scholars have minor disagreements as to the actual time some of these events occurred‚ but all of their dates fall within a few hundred years of each other, so in his classes Grandpa gives dates in round numbers. Trying to nail down specific dates is the kind of thing that the churches & their theologians have split doctrinal hairs over for centuries, & they still can't agree on all of these dates! As the Bible warns, "endless genealogies minister questions, rather than godly edifying, which is in faith!"—1Tim.1:4. So kids, because Grandpa's trying to make it easier for you to remember, please try to stick with his approximate dates rather than trying to learn the more precise [and difficult to remember] ones brought out in the Age of the Earth Chart. Thanks!)

Forbidden to Eat Blood!

7. So He said, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you." And He gives a list later on in the Mosaic Law of what's clean & what's not clean, & we're not to eat the unclean. (See Lev.11.) (Techi: How did Noah know? Did God just tell him?) Well, yes, He probably told him then.

8. (Verse 4:) "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." What does that mean? (Techi: That means you can't eat blood.) Right! You're not to eat blood, & you're not to eat the blood of the meat that you eat. So what are you supposed to do if you have to kill an animal for food? (Techi: You drain the blood out.) Yes, you hang'm up by the feet & drain out the blood‚ as much as you can, so that you don't drink or eat blood.

9. And yet there are some people that have a tradition & custom to eat what they call "blood pudding." (Techi: Real blood?) Well, there's real blood in it. So don't ever eat any blood pudding! (Also known as "blood sausage," made out of diced pork fat, pork blood, etc.!) (Techi: Just because it's unhealthy, or what?) Well‚ I'm sure that's what the Lord meant, that it's not good for you. (Techi: We're not super kosher, there's still a bit of blood in the meat when we eat it.) Oh, Honey, with red meat, of course, you can't avoid that. But you're not to drink blood or eat meat that's still got the blood in it. (Techi: Which means it's not cooked?) Yes, apparently the Lord knows it's not good for you raw.

10. There are natives in Africa who drink blood fresh out of the animal! (Techi: Why?) It's probably a part of Satanism & the devilish things that the Devil has gotten people into just because it was forbidden by the Lord.

Blood Transfusions!

11. By the way, this includes intravenous blood transfusions! (Techi: Really?) Yes, that's drinking blood, isn't it? (Techi: I guess so, yes.) Of course it is! So as far as we're concerned, according to the laws of the Lord, blood transfusions are illegal!

12. But the System can get you on that! The Jehovah's Witnesses even go to jail for it, although I think that's carrying it a little too far. For example, if the doctor tells someone in our Family that they've got to have a blood transfusion because they've lost a lot of blood, what do you think they should do? (Techi: Pray for the Lord to heal them.) Yes, but right there in the hospital, right that minute, they've lost a lot of blood, & the doctor says, "We've got to rush this person into the blood transfusion room & give them some blood!" What are you going to do? (Techi: We're not going to do it?)

13. Well‚ I believe it's better to be sensible & "agree with thine adversary quickly‚ whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge"—& the judge deliver you to jail!—Mat.5:25. (Techi: So you can go to jail for that?) Yes, it's considered neglect, or they could even call it manslaughter* if you denied this member of your family blood, & they died. They could take you to court for it & to jail. So what are you going to do when that's the way the System is set up? *(manslaughter: the killing of one human being by another, especially when done in an accidental or unintentional way.)

14. Obviously the Lord doesn't want you to do that, but if the System makes you do it—& they're as good as making you when it's either that or they're going to charge you with neglect or manslaughter or something like that, & put you in jail—which do you think is the wise thing to do & that would cause the lesser evil? Now think!

15. If we should ever have anything like that happen, we certainly don't want to get in trouble with the System, do we? We don't want to have to go to jail if we can help it; that would cause a lot more trouble. I'll tell you what I have done. I have said, "Lord, we're not supposed to do this‚ but the System is going to cause me a lot more trouble than that if I don't, so I'm just going to plead Your blood over this. You know I don't want to do it, You know my heart. But they're insisting on it, so I'm going to have to do it. Just don't let it cause any bad reactions‚ Lord." (The same goes for mandatory vaccinations.)

16. I had to do that with Mother Eve once. She had a miscarriage & they said she had lost too much blood. She'd gone & done a lot of Christmas shopping, & then she was moving furniture around to get ready for Christmas. She was in about her 6th month of pregnancy, if you can imagine, so the strain & all caused her to have a miscarriage. (Techi: That was quite a big miscarriage‚ wasn't it?) Yes‚ that's considered a very serious miscarriage. I had to just grab her & take her to the hospital.

17. And they said, "Oh my, she's lost so much blood, we're going to have to give her a transfusion right away!" You have to give your consent, of course, & if you don't give your consent, they can make you. They'll just do it anyway. So I thought, "Well, what can I do?" And I prayed, "Lord, You know I have to do this. They're making me & I don't want to have any trouble." I didn't want to go to jail over that. That would have caused more trouble & I would have no money for my family & children & food, etc., & we wouldn't have been very useful to the Lord's Work. So I said, "That's the System, Lord, it's not my fault. It's the fault of the System." (Techi: But would she have died without it?) Well, maybe & maybe not‚ we don't know. (See also DB9, ML #2345:6-8.)

Kill or Be Killed!

18. (Verse 5:) "And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, & at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man." In other words, men were going to do a lot of killing.—Not only of beasts for food, but each other! (Techi: Does the Lord forbid that somewhere in the Bible?) Oh, of course! He says, "Thou shalt not kill!"—Exo.20:13. Of course, there are 26 capital crimes for which, by the Mosaic Law, they were required to kill you!

19. (Techi: So if you eat blood‚ then you get killed, is that what it's saying here?) No, no. (Techi: "At the hand of every beast.") It just means that "now that I'm giving you the beasts to eat, they're going to be afraid of you, & in a way, I'm requiring the blood of the beasts by giving them to you to eat. And, because they're going to be afraid of you, I'm going to be requiring your blood at their hands—or their paws! Savvy? Because they know that when you chase them, you're either going to kill them, or they're going to kill you! That happens in a lot of hunting, especially in Africa with those big lions & animals like that.

20. In other words, from now on you're going to have to be afraid of the beasts, & they're going to have to be afraid of you, & it's either kill or get killed, one or the other, both ways. (Techi: So why did the Lord do that?) As a part of Man's punishment for sin. (Techi: That they'd have to eat the animals then?) Yes, & that the animals would try to eat them! (Techi: It's sort of sad that the Lord would have to use the animals to punish Man.)

Man Needed Meat for Strength

21. I figure it this way: There are some vegetarians even today who claim they're so healthy & strong & blah blah blah‚ but I don't think I've ever heard of a vegetarian athlete who won any medals! Because Man seems to need that extra strength that meat gives since the Flood‚ & since the Fall of Man. Man seems to need that extra strength of amino acids which cannot be gotten from any kind of vegetable. They say that Man very desperately needs amino acids for strength today, therefore you need meat & other animal foods like milk, cheese, eggs & so on. The Lord knew after the Flood—& by this time Man was living a much shorter life anyhow—that Man would need meat for strength, therefore he could not survive as well on just vegetables.

22. Now there are people who would argue with me about that, but that's my opinion & you can take it or leave it! There's been a lot of controversy regarding why the Lord did this, & you can bring up all kinds of controversy about it if you want to, but we'll never get through with this Chapter if you do! OK? Do you understand? (Kids: Yes!)

23. And since Man was going to be after the animals to kill them for meat, the animals were going to be after Man, to protect themselves. In other words, the World was going crazy because of the wickedness of Man & sin, etc.‚ & the poor animals too were going to have to suffer as a result. But God did it for Man's sake, really. And also there was going to be a lot of fighting between men & they were going to kill each other. The wages of sin is what? (David: Death.)—Rom.6:23.

24. (Verse 6:) "Whoso sheddeth Man's blood, by Man shall his blood be shed." There's another verse like that in the New Testament using the word "sword." (David: "They that live by the sword shall die by the sword."—Mat.26:52.) Exactly. So the penalty for shedding Man's blood is death: "By Man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God made He Man." God did not want men to kill each other, but it all came as a result of sin.

God's Covenant with Noah!

25. And now God speaks to this good righteous family: (Verse 7:) "And you‚ be ye fruitful & multiply; bring forth abundantly in the Earth, & multiply therein.

26. "And God spake unto Noah, & to his sons with him‚ saying, And I‚ behold, I establish My Covenant with you, & with your seed after you." Whose seed are we? (Techi: Their seed.) Yes, we're Noah's seed. "And behold, I establish My Covenant with you, & with your seed after you; & with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, & of every beast of the Earth with you; from all that go out of the Ark, to every beast of the Earth. And I will establish My Covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood."—There it is specifically. "Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the Earth."

27. Have there ever been any more floods? (Techi: Yes, but not that covered the Earth.) Aha! I thought I'd catch you on that! Right! It specifies a flood to destroy the whole Earth. There have been oodles of floods that have destroyed lots of people, but not the whole Earth.

28. (Verse 12:) "And God said, This is the token of the Covenant which I make between Me & you & every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations." Now here comes the rainbow, & we saw one just the other day! (Verse 13:) "I do set my bow in the cloud, & it shall be for a token of a Covenant between Me & the Earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the Earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud." You never have a rainbow without a cloud or haze, do you?—Because a rainbow is the prism effect of sunlight passing through the droplets of water in the sky.

29. (Verse 15:) "And I will remember My Covenant, which is between Me & you & every living creature of all flesh; & the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; & I will look upon it‚ that I may remember the everlasting Covenant between God & every living creature of all flesh that is upon the Earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the Covenant, which I have established between Me & all flesh that is upon the Earth."

Kids Can Write Tomorrow's Test!

30. Now because the rest of this Chapter is a very deep subject, I think we'd better stop there tonight. Is that OK with you? (Kids: Yes!) And we'll read the rest of the Chapter tomorrow night. (Techi: Oh, we won't have a test?) No, unless you want to have a test on this first half of the Chapter. We could‚ it would be an easy short one, I'm sure. There's a lot in this first half, & because there is so much in the next half too, if we wait & have a test on both parts, we're probably going to have 50 questions on the test! So I think it would be better to have a test on the first half, just through the 17th verse. Is that all right with you? (Kids: Yes, that's fine!) That'll make a short lesson tonight & a short test tomorrow night. Is that OK with you?—Or do you want to take the test tonight?—Ha! (David: Well, tomorrow night maybe.) I think we need more time, all right!

31. There's no reason not to have nice little short lessons, then you don't have to remember so much for so long. OK? And then the test won't be too long. I think we can get 20 questions out of these first 17 verses. Some of them could stand two or three answers. All right! Praise the Lord! Let's have our closing prayer.

32. (Techi: Thank You Lord! Amen! Praise You Jesus! Thank You, Jesus, for this good class & for Grandpa teaching it to us. We pray that You'll help us to really learn it, in Jesus' name.) Amen! Thank You Lord!

33. Maybe you kids could work together & write the test & see what questions you can get out of each of these verses! That's what I do, I go verse by verse & say, "Let's see, what's in that verse that we can make a question out of?", the most important things. We could have just ten questions, for that matter. Of course that means they're much more valuable. If you miss one‚ you miss quite a bit!

34. I always tried to make at least 20-25 questions on all of my tests when I was teaching school‚ so see if you can make 20-25 questions. I think you can pretty well easily do that because some of these verses have several things to say that you need to remember. OK? Make 10, 20 or 25 questions.—Or if you want to, you can make 50 questions! But I don't think you can get that many out of it because some of those things are repeated several times. But it's good experience for you to try to think of a good question that only requires, if possible, a one-word answer. I don't care too much for "true & false" questions, but if you can't figure it out any other way, I'll allow you to make true & false questions out of it.—True or false!

35. All right! Are you going to try? I think it would be a good experience for you. You look at the verse & think, "Now, let's see, what's really important in this verse that we really need to remember?" Don't pick just any ol' question, going down the line & hitting everything, but instead, think: "What's important in this verse? What's important in this verse that we can make into a question that will only require a one-word answer?" Good? (Kids: Yes!) All right! Praise the Lord!

Picture captions & fact boxes:

Page 1:

"And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord...and offered burnt offerings." (Gen.8:20.)

Irene Mountford, from The Bible Story.

Page 2:

B.C. & A.D. Dates

The years before Jesus' birth are called "B.C.," Before Christ. When you see a date that has B.C. in it, the smaller the number is in the date, the more recent the event. For example, Creation (4,000 B.C.) happened around 4,000 years before Jesus was born, & the date of the Flood, which happened later, was around 2‚500 B.C. Then the numbers continue to get smaller until we get to "0," which is around the date Jesus was born. So the larger the number is in the B.C. date, the farther away it is from when Jesus was born; the smaller the number is in the date, the closer it is to Jesus' birth, & also the further the event happened from Creation. So for example something that happened in 299 B.C. actually happened 1 year later than something that happened in 300 B.C., even though the number is smaller.

The years after Jesus' birth are called A.D. (from the Latin words "Anno Domini," "in the year of our Lord‚" which means years after Christ) So B.C. & A.D. are used to show the difference between dates before Jesus' birth & after Jesus' birth. For example, if someone just gave the date "70," you wouldn't know if they meant 70 years before Jesus' birth or 70 years after‚ unless they added B.C. or A.D. to the date.

Creation4,000 B.C.

The Flood2,500 B.C.

300 B.C.

Birth of JesusThe year "0," separating B.C. & A.D.

Today!1992 A.D.

Page 3:

The Jehovah's Witnesses are willing to go to jail rather than have a blood transfusion.

Page 5:

"I do set My bow in the cloud, & it shall be for a token of a Covenant between Me & the Earth."

Blas Gallego, from Bible for Students

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family