What can we learn about worship from Noah's actions in Genesis 8:20? Setting the Scene Genesis 8:20: “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took of every kind of clean animal and clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” The floodwaters have just receded. Judgment is finished, salvation is experienced, and creation is about to begin anew. Noah’s very first recorded act after leaving the ark is worship. Immediate Response to Grace • Salvation motivates worship—Noah’s family survived solely by God’s mercy (Genesis 7:23). • Worship is not delayed; it is the believer’s first priority. Compare the Samaritan leper who “returned, glorifying God with a loud voice” the moment he was cleansed (Luke 17:15-16). • Genuine faith responds promptly: “By faith Noah… prepared an ark” (Hebrews 11:7). His faith now expresses itself again—this time on an altar instead of an ark. Sacrifice That Costs Something • Clean animals were few in number (Genesis 7:2-3). Offering them reduced Noah’s small breeding stock. • Worship that pleases God is costly (2 Samuel 24:24). It places God’s worth above personal security. • Romans 12:1 calls believers to present their bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” Noah models that principle centuries earlier. Centrality of the Altar • The altar marks sacred space where God meets His people. Adam had no recorded altar, but after the fall and flood the altar becomes essential (Genesis 12:7-8; 26:25). • Worship gathers around atonement. The burnt offering is wholly consumed (Leviticus 1:9), symbolizing total consecration. • Today the cross fulfills the altar’s function (Hebrews 13:10-12). Our worship centers on Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. Recognition of God’s Sovereignty and Grace • Noah offers burnt offerings “to the LORD,” acknowledging covenant Lordship (YHWH). • He does so before receiving any further command or blessing (Genesis 8:21-22). Worship is rooted in who God is, not merely in what He gives. • Psalm 116:12-14 mirrors this attitude: “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me? I will fulfill my vows to the LORD.” Foreshadowing the Ultimate Sacrifice • The pleasing aroma (Genesis 8:21) anticipates Christ, whose offering is “a fragrant aroma” to God (Ephesians 5:2). • Noah’s altar prefigures the redemption that will come through the Seed promised in Genesis 3:15 and tracked through Genesis 9:9-17. Practical Takeaways for Our Worship Today • Begin with gratitude: recount God’s deliverance in your life before requesting anything else. • Make worship your first act, not your last resort. Schedule time with God immediately after milestones. • Offer what is costly—time, talents, resources—demonstrating trust in God’s provision. • Keep Christ’s sacrifice central. Sing, pray, and give in light of the cross, the true altar. • Let every act of obedience be an act of worship, following Noah’s seamless movement from faith to action. |
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