The Flood and a Remnant by Grace (Gen 6.9-8.22) WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella November 2, 2014 6.9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9-22 ESV) 7.1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 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. 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. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in. 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. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 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. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. (Genesis 7:1-24 ESV) 8.1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore. 13 In the six hundred and
first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh-- birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth-- that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." (Genesis 8:1-22 ESV) Introduction 6.9a These are the generations of Noah. This heading (toledoth) introduces events that happen in the lifetime of Noah. Thus, the main topic following 6.9 is the Flood and a remnant by grace. We have been prepared for a day of reckoning by the previous discussion of the escalation of sin from Adam to Noah (Gen 5.1-6.8). In outline of 6.9-8.22, we have anticipation of the Flood, protection during the Flood, and aftermath of the Flood. I. Anticipation of the flood, 6.9-22 In anticipation of the coming judgment, the text sets out a contrast between Noah and his generation as the context. Noah s integrity before God and his obedience to God serve as bookends for 6.9-22. Shelved between the bookends, we have God s perspective on the corruption of the human race, His word to Noah about judgment, His command to build an ark, and His covenant of protection. A. Noah s integrity is one bookend Noah, we are told, walked with God in contrast to his generation that was corrupt and violent: Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God (6.9b). Included in his holy life was his fulfillment of the creation mandate to have a wife and children; so, his righteous walk includes the blessing of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (6.10). B. The first book on the shelf is God s perspective on the sinful world Man s sin was in His sight (v. 11) and something He saw (v 12): 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. Stating that the earth was corrupt is a universal reference to man wherever he lived on the globe, however far he had migrated. It also bonds man with the earth: if man is judged, so will the earth be judged because man has charge of it. His conduct affects the earth that he was to subdue and rule for the glory of God. His sins inevitably affect his environment, as it did at the time of the fall. C. Next is God s word to Noah about judgment and the construction of an ark And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth (6.13). The universality of sin on the earth brings the announcement to Noah of the judgment of the world. That is the context for the Lord s instructions to make the ark: 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. God gave the design of the ark to Noah. It was to be a huge rectangular box with a side door, rooms, three decks, and a roof (14-16). The roof apparently has an extra cubit for windows and ventilation perhaps all the way around the top of the ark (J.Vos, Origins, 168). A cubit is 2
about 18 inches, so, the ark was wider and longer than a football field (and 45 feet high). Then the Lord specifically announced the destruction of all flesh by a flood of waters: 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die (6.17). Thus, the ark was not designed for navigation as a boat; it was designed for buoyancy to float safely in the waters of total destruction. D. Last on the shelf is God s covenant of protection, 6.18-21 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them. The Lord makes a covenant with Noah and his family with stipulations. The eight persons are to enter the ark. They are to take two of every sort of living creature to keep them alive. So, they are to be pairs of male and female for propagation after the flood. Through the ark and the provision of stored food a remnant of the human race and of the animal kingdom will be kept alive; that is Noah s task. E. Next, we are told that Noah was obedient At this point, we come to the other bookend regarding Noah s integrity: Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him (6.22). The writer of Hebrews speaks of this obedience calling it faith and reverent fear: By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith (Heb 11:7). II. Protection from the Flood God s gracious protection of His elect remnant is described from various perspectives: entry into the ark, judgment on the earth, covenant remembrance, and human discovery. A. To begin, protection is described from the perspective of entry into the ark Entry into the ark is repeated a number of times using literary recapitulation for emphasis. Entry is mentioned before the Flood, at its beginning, then in retrospect. Let s follow the theme of entry to get a sense of God s protective care. 1. First, a view of entry before the Flood began God commanded entry in a process of seven days before the Flood: Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground (7.1-5). God s protective care begins a week before the Flood when He speaks to the patriarch about the imminency of the judgment. God tells him that the Flood will begin in seven days so he can use that time to take the animals by pairs, male and female, into the ark. Nothing is recorded of what Noah said, only action, which is significant. His obedience is emphasized. Additional to 6.22, in this recap of 7.1, the Lord tells Noah that He has witnessed His righteous conduct with His own eyes: I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Over the 120 years leading up to the Flood, you did your work, the Lord says, before me. Then in 7.5, the Holy Spirit gives His commending report that Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Thus, there is command then faithful response to God s command. God said: Go into the ark because in seven days I will blot out every living thing from the face of the ground, and Noah did so; no words just action day by day for 120 years. 2. Second, we are given a view of entry into the ark when the Flood began 3
4 In quick strokes the narrative moves forward to the entry of the remnant into the ark giving Noah s age when the Flood began: Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah (7.6-9). Again, he is obedient doing all as God had commanded [him] (7.9b). 3. Finally, entry into ark is viewed in retrospect after forty days and nights of rain As I read 7.10-16, consider the narrative timeline that covers the seven days, the first forty days of the Flood, and has more than one reference to entry into the ark: 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 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. 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. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in. We are again given Noah s age when the Flood came upon the earth, specifically to the year, month, and the very day. The Flood began when he was 600 years, one month, and seventeen days old; that was the very day that eight persons of the old world boarded the box-shaped vessel (7.13: 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). Two important comments close this section: Noah s obedience is repeated and God s action is stated: Noah did as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in (7.16). The covenant Lord made sure that all had entered the ark of safety and He shut them in to His blessing at the same time that He closed the door on the world subject to His wrath and destruction. B. Protection is described further; this time from the angle of judgment on the earth 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. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 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. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days (Gen 7:17-24). The first forty days of the Flood are mentioned again in relationship to the ark that floated high above the earth (7.17). How high is described to confirm the sobering truth that the judgment of God covered even the mountains so that all flesh died that moved on the earth (7.21) man and animals were blotted out from the earth (7.23a). To make the point emphatically clear, the other side of the equation is summarized: Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark while the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days (7.23b-24). If any further confirmation of the severity of this judgment is needed, we have it in the timeline of 150 days in which the waters prevailed on the earth mightily (7.24; they prevailed mightily, per v. 19). C. Next, protection is described from the perspective of covenant remembrance 8.1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (8.1-4). In covenant
5 remembrance, God sent a great wind at the same time that He restrained both sources of water (the fountains of the deep and the rain from heaven) so that the waters receded (for 110 days; 40 plus 110 totaling 150) bringing the ark to a resting place on land (on the mountains of Ararat, 8.4). D. Finally, protection is described from the perspective of human discovery How did Noah come to an assurance that he had arrived safely to a new world beyond judgment? There is no explicit word from God that the Flood is ended. Noah gets information from the Lord s general revelation by the use of his own eyes. According to 8.5 (given a 30 day month), the waters continued to abate for two months when (on the first day of the tenth month, or precisely 74 days later), the tops of the mountains were seen. Thus, Noah could open a window and look out before he opened it to send forth a bird. Then, after 40 more days, he sent forth a raven that went to and fro, away from the ark and back again until it returned no more when the waters were sufficiently dried up from the earth (8.7). In overlap with the raven (again in a kind of recap), Noah sent forth a dove. He did so in three seven day intervals. First, the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth (8.9). Second, after he waited another seven days (8.10), he sent the dove out from the ark again and it returned in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her mouth (10.11a). By this use of a winged animal, knowledge of its habits, and a good use of logic, Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth (8.11). Then, third, after waiting yet another seven days, he sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore (8.12). In the end, by the use of his own eyes, he looked out and saw dry ground (8.13-14): In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry [it was no longer water covered]. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out [it was no longer water soaked]. 1 The protection is complete; a watery earth now has dry ground. III. Aftermath of the Flood In the aftermath, we have God s command with Noah s obedience, and Noah s worship with God s response. This is the epilogue and high point of the story (is the epilogue higher?) A. God s command with Noah s obedience As throughout the account, the steps that unfold are very deliberate. Although Noah understood that the waters had receded and the ground was dry, even knowing this by his own eyes and by the bird experiments, Noah did not decide the moment (the year, month, and day) of his departure from the ark. He left the ark in obedience to God s command: 15 Then [371 days after entry into the ark] God said to Noah, 16 "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh-- birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth-- that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth. 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. B. Noah s worship with God s response 1 According to 7.11, 8.13, and 8.14, the departure from the ark is precisely marked off to the day from the start of the Flood. 1. Beginning of the Flood, 7.11: Noah is 600 years and 47 days old (second month, 17th day) 2. Uncovering of the ark, 8.13: Noah is 601 and one day old (first month, first day) This is 10 months, 13 days plus one day or 10 x 30 = 300 + 13 +1 totaling 314 days 3. Then Noah departed from the ark, 8.14, the second month on the 27th day; 30 + 27 = 57 (or 29 + 27 = 56). Whitcomb, Genesis Flood, p. 3, has 57 with a total of 371. So, from the beginning of the Flood to the departure from the ark is 314 + 57 = 371 days (or 370)
6 Noah worshipped God with burnt offerings, 8.20: Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. We should notice the mention again clean animals (as 7.2, where the Lord distinguishes between the clean and unclean). Surely, we have to understand this from what Moses says elsewhere. For example, cows are clean but camels and pigs are unclean, the former can be eaten but not the latter (Lev 11.1-8). The diet was controlled for ceremonial purposes of holiness for a chosen people (you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth, Deu 14.2). The Lord s response at Noah s altar gives us some insight into this event for a man who walked with God and to whom God spoke, even though we have no record of what Noah said in thankful worship. Within the narrative, Noah is not a man of words but of action. He obeys the word and commandments of God. There is no saying I will do this or that with no follow through. So, what can we understand about building an altar to the Lord and offering burnt offerings on it, burnt offerings of clean animals and birds, which, notably, are eatable according to God s directives later when Israel is a nation under His Lordship? Because we have no direct information about animal sacrifices beyond the hints of the covering of Adam and Eve with animal skins, and beyond the offerings of Abel (of animals) and Cain (of grain), it seems to be inferring too much to think that Noah is here making an offering for sin. If so, he would be acknowledging his sins and embracing the gospel of God s promise of forgiveness through blood sacrifice. But that is not the direction of the text regarding the aftermath of the judgment and the grace already shown to Noah, the grace of forgiveness instead of destruction with the rest of the world. It is better to understand this event from God s response to the burnt offerings, namely, that He smelled the pleasing aroma (8.21a; intuitively, it does not seem likely that a totally burnt offering would have a pleasing aroma) and when He smelled it, He, in effect sat back in deep thought and self-reflection regarding the sin of the world, His deep grief, and the display of His destructive wrath. Before we consider this thoughtful self-reflection, it will serve us well to get the picture of what is happening on this occasion in which we have the first use of the word altar (it becomes dramatically important later in the life of Abraham, 12.7; 22.9). Is the language of smelling a pleasing aroma simple metaphor, as they say, anthropomorphism? Is this ascribing something to God that does not properly belong to Him but that is attributed to Him for our understanding of something that does properly belong to Him, the fact that He is in Himself pleased with Noah s worship? You may be ahead of me here. Another way of reading this account holds the same truth but in a more intimate, and for me, a more meaningful way. Let s start with the fact that what the Lord smelled was the pleasing aroma of cooked food, like roasted lamb or grilled beef. It seems that the best way to understand this is to take the altar as a table on which some cooked food is placed for a meal. Thus, the Lord presented Himself to Noah, walked with him, spoke to him, and now meets with him at a table meal of fellowship. The Lord God took to Himself human attributes of a body, temporarily, to meet with Noah and enjoy a mutual relationship in which Noah s thankful worship for the Lord s covenant love gives Him an experience of pleasant aroma and thus of sweet fellowship with His precious elect saint. The Holy Spirit then informs us of what the Lord pondered in His heart when He, in effect, sat back in deep thought and self-reflection about the sin of the world, His deep grief, the display of His destructive wrath, and the worship of a thankful saint. He then made a commitment in His heart: 21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his
7 heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Gen 8.21-22). The Holy Spirit through Moses tells us that this is what happened there at the table when Noah brought a meal with pleasing aroma to the Lord. He records no words between Noah and God. Words were no doubt exchanged between them but we are given only this glimpse into the event to reveal the plan of God and His determination regarding the future of the human race. These thoughts do not pertain to Noah alone or to his family alone; they pertain to all future generations, despite the fact that the race will continue to reveal its fallenness. Man s evil is of the heart and from his youth; it is thus so deep-seated that no judgment can cure it (Vos, BT, 63). So, the reason for this revelation of common grace (including animals) is to point back again to the promise of redemption through Eve, Seth, and Noah. Christ, the offspring of Eve, is the only way that the human race, in remnant, can pass through divine judgment to enter the new world of eternal rest in the coming glory; there to ride on the heights of the earth; [higher than mount Ararat]; there to be fed at the table of the Lord along with all the redeemed from the fallen human family (Isa 58:14). Conclusion The pre-flood text, Genesis 6.8, serves as an umbrella over the destruction of the world in a watery grave. Noah found grace, distinguishing grace, in the eyes of the Lord. This verse in this context teaches that the deliverance of Noah from a universal catastrophe that engulfed the entire human race was due to sovereign electing grace. That means that the Flood was a differentiating event designed to separate the elect from the reprobate. With efficacious (saving) grace, God showed mercy to whom He chose for salvation and with righteous severity, He passed over the rest of the human family, leaving them to the just punishment of their sins (the ones left behind are the reprobate as Jesus affirmed looking back on Noah s day applying it to those who are left, according to Mat 24.40-41). Finally, marvelously, the details of anticipation, protection, and aftermath of the Flood reveal God s covenant love that tenderly cares for Noah and his family down to the details from the very day of entry into the ark to the exact day of departure from it. God protects His people, His elect remnant, from the wrath they deserve as members of the fallen race; their salvation is by amazing grace and grace alone. May we fall down before the sovereign majesty of God who is strong in salvation and severe in judgment; may the Holy Spirit soften our hearts to the sovereignty of God who creates and destroys according to perfect justice, wisdom, and covenant love; to the glory of the triune God, forever, amen.