But, we are not required to. I am thankful that my God our Creator does not change; one of His expectations of me, is to self improve. Which requires that I change.

Genesis 4:7a
“If you do well, you will be lifted up…”

The Artscroll publishers choose the word ‘forgiven’ for the Hebrew word that usually translated as “lifted up”in the English. For it is used as or to point toward forgiveness in other Hebrew scriptures.

It is the first part of the verse I want to look at; “if you do well” this points to self improvement – change

We have many men of the Hebrew scriptures that did all that the Creator asked of them. Noach did the same thing, he did all he was told to do. But is this what the Creator expects of us?

There is a big Jewish question asking that if Noach would have lived in Abraham’s time, would he been as righteous as Abraham.

The difference told to us and recorded in the text is that Abraham prayed for the world around him and Noach didn’t.

Noach as listed by the text in Genesis, Noach did all that God commanded him. Abraham prayed on behalf of a sinful people; he challenged the Creator over the subject of justice. He brought before the Creator one of the Seven Laws that He wanted us to live by. It was as if Abraham took on a lawyer mentality. That is the difference between Noach and Abraham.

The Mountain

Think that the Creator is like a mountain. A mountain is a solid rock and it can be seen from miles around. As we draw close to the mountain our perception changes not the mountain, as we draw closer and closer we begin to see the trees and the bluffs that make up the mountain, we see it in greater detail.

The Creator gave man two covenants, one was to all of man that would inhabit the nations of the world after the Flood. Then a He gave a second one to just to one nation that He would separate from the rest. He gave only 7 basic commands to all humanity to keep and 613 for the separate nation to keep.

We, God fears of the world,  keep our eyes on the Mountain. We use the Seven Commandments obey and draw closer to it but it is the separate nation of Israel who drew closer and went on to settled at the foot of the mountain.

The separate nation  was made up of 12 different tribes each using their own talents to serve the Creator in the 613 commandments they were given. This is proof that a nation under one rule of law in all their differences  can serve the Creator in unity not conformity.

This is an example for the rest of us of the nations.

Even though we were given Seven Commandments under our covenant, each of us can serve the Creator using them no matter of our respective cultures. And each of us approach the mountain at a different journey.

We should respect others in their observance of the Seven Commandments; we should give thanks to the Creator for others being able to see and find the Seven Commandments given to man. The Seven Commandment were never to bring man into conformity but unto unity with one another. Every nation with the same base laws which leave room for our perspective cultures and languages.

Again, Israel is to be our example; in how 12 different tribes with their own differences have 613 commands as a nation. Among the rest of humanity with all its cultures has 7 commands from the same Creator. It up to us to use the commandments we are given to change us and our society.

If you do well, you will be lifted up

Terry W. Hayes
12/2017