The Last Family on Earth
In Genesis chapters 5-9 God tells the story of the last family on earth. At one point they were the last family on earth still following God. After the judgment of God on their generation, they literally became the last family living on earth. Here’s an interesting question for you to think about. How would you handle it if you were the last family in the world following Jesus in your generation?
Gustave Dore’s famous engraving “The Dove Sent Forth From the Ark” (1866) captures the depiction of both salvation and judgment in a graphic and dramatic fashion.
Genesis 5:6 says that all the people on earth were doing “evil continually.” Our generation is no stranger to that. It is hard to stay holy, meaning literally set apart and different, when everyone around you is indulging in or celebrating what the Lord calls sin. We live in a generation that calls evil good and good evil. There are a lot of convincing deceptions around identity, sexuality, content, success, and idolatry. Are you preparing your family to follow God no matter what? To follow Jesus even if evil seems good to everyone else on earth?
Genesis 5:9 says that Noah was “blameless in his generation.” That he “Walked with God.” This conjures up familiar cross references in the New Testament. Verses like Philippians 2:15-16, “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” and Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Being a follower of Jesus in this generation will make you stand out like a star in the night sky. Your family will be distinct, even weird, for walking with God. Are you ready to seem strange to a “crooked and twisted generation” even if you are the last family on earth following God?
Genesis 7:5 tells us that Noah did “all that the Lord commanded him.” This was in reference to building a huge ark in preparation for judgment. It took a very long time and it was surely a lot of very hard work. Noah didn’t obey God in some of what he was asked to do. The bible tells us that in this he did it all. It is tempting to be selectively obedient to God, to give up after a long time or when facing a significant challenge – to choose when and where we will do those things that honor God. Are you ready to listen to every word of God even the commands and statutes that make you and neighbors uncomfortable? Even when it take a lot out of you for a long time? Are you raising your children for complete obedience to God in all things even if you are the only family doing it?
Genesis 7:23 tells us that after the flood only Noah and his family were left. They were literally the last family on Earth. The judgment of God is an uncomfortable reality for a lot of people in our “tolerant” and often implicitly universalist generation. The reality is that judgment is coming and it will not be wonderful for those who are not covered in the blood of Jesus and His righteousness. We can’t be a generation that pretends that everyone will be saved. It would be unloving not to raise our kids to know and believe that their generation will suffer without faith in Jesus. Are you leading your family to be committed to the exclusivity of Christ even if you are the last family on Earth trusting in it?
Genesis 8:20 tells us that as soon as Noah left the ark he built an altar to worship God. The right response to the salvation afforded to those who trust in God is to worship. Our generation loves to sell the lie that “you are enough” and that low self-esteem is the root of most of our problems. It is not the most welcome ideology to say “we are not enough” and that we should all rightly surrender to and bow before a greater being. God gives His people the gift of worship. The fear of God is actually the very beginning of wisdom for us. Are you worshiping with your family like your very souls depend on Him even if the world around you is telling you that you are strong enough on your own?
Genesis 9:1 tells us that God blessed Noah and his family. Those of us who trust God can believe that He will take care of us regardless of our circumstances. This is not a promise that we will be wealthy if we follow God, but that we will be at peace and content. Like Paul says in Philippians chapter four, we can be content in all circumstances through Christ who gives us strength. Are you raising a family that can only be happy with worldly success? Is your attitude dependent on having health and wealth? Let’s lead a family that is grateful for all we have and content with all the Lord gives us depending on Him in every situation.
Genesis 9:21 starts a story of Noah and his sons’ sins post-flood. Even the last family on Earth was not a perfect family. Any family truly following God in this life will still have to be a family that is ready to repent and confess and to reconcile and to repair and to correct and to accept correction. We follow a perfect God, but we are not a perfect family. We need the grace of God in order to follow Him and even while we follow Him. Our families should be little classrooms where the most frequent lessons are of grace and forgiveness. Your family will see that they are just as much of a sinful family as every other family on Earth. Are you leading your family to trust in the grace of God even if they are the last one’s pleading for it?