“The Rainbow Bible”

&

Spiritual Devotional Series

of

Haven Noahide Fellowship

“The Rainbow Bible”

Published by ‘Noahide Books’, being a Public Domain copy of a Catholic Translation

The Publishing wing of ‘Haven Noahide Fellowship’

Additions to text © 2010

All Other Writings © 2010

By Daniel Thomas Andrew Daly &

Haven Noahide Fellowship &

Noahide Books

‘Noahide Books’

E-Mail:  noahidebooks@hotmail.com

Web:  http://www.noahidebooks.angelfire.com

‘Haven Noahide Fellowship’

E-Mail:  danielthomasandrewdaly@hotmail.com

Web:  http://www.myspace.com/noahides

I

Creation

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.  But the earth was empty and unoccupied, and darknesses were over the face of the abyss; and so the Spirit of God was brought over the waters.  And God said, “Let there be light.” And light became.  And God saw the light, that it was good; and so he divided the light from the darknesses.  And he called the light, ‘Day,’ and the darknesses, ‘Night.’ And it became evening and morning, one day.

God also said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide waters from waters.”  And God made a firmament, and he divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament. And so it became.  And God called the firmament ‘Heaven.’ And it became evening and morning, the second day.

Truly God said: “Let the waters that are under heaven be gathered together into one place; and let the dry land appear.” And so it became.  And God called the dry land, ‘Earth,’ and he called the gathering of the waters, ‘Seas.’ And God saw that it was good.  And he said, “Let the land spring forth green plants, both those producing seed, and fruit-bearing trees, producing fruit according to their kind, whose seed is within itself, over all the earth.” And so it became.  And the land brought forth green plants, both those producing seed, according to their kind, and trees producing fruit, with each having its own way of sowing, according to its species. And God saw that it was good.  And it became evening and the morning, the third day.

Then God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven. And let them divide day from night, and let them become signs, both of the seasons, and of the days and years.  Let them shine in the firmament of heaven and illuminate the earth.” And so it became.  And God made two great lights: a greater light, to rule over the day, and a lesser light, to rule over the night, along with the stars.  And he set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light over all the earth, and to rule over the day as well as the night, and to divide light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.  And it became evening and morning, the fourth day.

And then God said, “Let the waters produce animals with a living soul, and flying creatures above the earth, under the firmament of heaven.”  And God created the great sea creatures, and everything with a living soul and the ability to move that the waters produced, according to their species, and all the flying creatures, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.  And he blessed them, saying: “Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea. And let the birds be multiplied above the land.”  And it became evening and morning, the fifth day.

God also said, “Let the land produce living souls in their kind: cattle, and animals, and wild beasts of the earth, according to their species.” And so it became.  And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their species, and the cattle, and every animal on the land, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  And he said: “Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth.”  And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them.  And God blessed them, and he said, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  And God said: “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant upon the earth, and all the trees that have in themselves the ability to sow their own kind, to be food for you, and for all the animals of the land, and for all the flying things of the air, and for everything that moves upon the earth and in which there is a living soul, so that they may have these on which to feed.” And so it became.  And God saw everything that he had made. And they were very good. And it became evening and morning, the sixth day.

And so the heavens and the earth were completed, with all their adornment. And on the seventh day, God fulfilled his work, which he had made. And on the seventh day he rested from all his work, which he had accomplished.  And he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. For in it, he had ceased from all his work: the work whereby God created whatever he should make.

II

Adam and Eve

These are the generations of heaven and earth, when they were created, in the day when the Lord God made heaven and earth, and every sapling of the field, before it would rise up in the land, and every wild plant, before it would germinate. For the Lord God had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the land.  But a fountain ascended from the earth, irrigating the entire surface of the land.

And then the Lord God formed man from the clay of the earth, and he breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.  Now the Lord God had planted a Paradise of enjoyment from the beginning. In it, he placed the man whom he had formed. And from the soil the Lord God produced every tree that was beautiful to behold and pleasant to eat. And even the tree of life was in the midst of Paradise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And a river went forth from the place of enjoyment so as to irrigate Paradise, which is divided from there into four heads. The name of one is the Phison; it is that which runs through all the land of Hevilath, where gold is born; and the gold of that land is the finest. In that place is found bdellium and the onyx stone.  And the name of the second river is the Gehon; it is that which runs through all the land of Kush.  Truly, the name of the third river is the Tigris; it advances opposite the Assyrians. But the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.

Thus, the Lord God brought the man, and put him into the Paradise of enjoyment, so that it would be attended and preserved by him. And he instructed him, saying: “From every tree of Paradise, you shall eat.  But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For in whatever day you will eat from it, you will die a death.”  The Lord God also said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. Let us make a helper for him similar to himself.”  Therefore, the Lord God, having formed from the soil all the animals of the earth and all the flying creatures of the air, brought them to Adam, in order to see what he would call them. For whatever Adam would call any living creature, that would be its name. And Adam called each of the living things by their names: all the flying creatures of the air, and all the wild beasts of the land. Yet truly, for Adam, there was not found a helper similar to himself. And so the Lord God sent a deep sleep upon Adam. And when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and he completed it with flesh for it.  And the Lord God built up the rib, which he took from Adam, into a woman. And he led her to Adam.  And Adam said: “Now this is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh. This one shall be called woman, because she was taken from man.”  For this reason, a man shall leave behind his father and mother, and he shall cling to his wife; and the two shall be as one flesh. Now they were both naked: Adam, of course, and his wife. And they were not ashamed.

III

The Temptation

However, the serpent was more crafty than any of the creatures of the earth that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Why has God instructed you, that you should not eat from every tree of Paradise?”  The woman responded to him: “From the fruit of the trees which are in Paradise, we eat.  Yet truly, from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, God has instructed us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we may die.” Then the serpent said to the woman: “By no means will you die a death.  For God knows that, on whatever day you will eat from it, your eyes will be opened; and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”  And so the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and beautiful to the eyes, and delightful to consider. And she took from its fruit, and she ate. And she gave to her husband, who ate.  And the eyes of them both were opened. And when they realized themselves to be naked, they joined together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves. And when they had heard the voice of the Lord God taking a walk in Paradise in the afternoon breeze, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of Paradise. And the Lord God called Adam and said to him: “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard your voice in Paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and so I hid myself.” He said to him, “Then who told you that you were naked, if you have not eaten of the tree from which I instructed you that you should not eat?” And Adam said, “The woman, whom you gave to me as a companion, gave to me from the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “Why have you done this?” And she responded, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed among all living things, even the wild beasts of the earth. Upon your breast shall you travel, and the ground shall you eat, all the days of your life. I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. She will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel.” To the woman, he also said: “I will multiply your labors and your conceptions. In pain shall you give birth to sons, and you shall be under your husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over you.” Yet truly, to Adam, he said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, from which I instructed you that you should not eat, cursed is the land that you work. In hardship shall you eat from it, all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it produce for you, and you shall eat the plants of the earth. By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For dust you are, and unto dust you shall return.” And Adam called the name of his wife, ‘Eve,’ because she was the mother of all the living.  The Lord God also made for Adam and his wife garments from skins, and he clothed them. And he said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Therefore, now perhaps he may put forth his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live in eternity.” And so the Lord God sent him away from the Paradise of enjoyment, in order to work the earth from which he was taken.  And he cast out Adam. And in front of the Paradise of enjoyment, he placed the Cherubim with a flaming sword, turning together, to guard the way to the tree of life.

IV

Cain and Abel

Truly, Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have obtained a man through God.” And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. But Abel was a pastor of sheep, and Cain was a farmer.

Then it happened, after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord, from the fruits of the earth.  Abel likewise offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his gifts.  Yet in truth, he did not look with favor on Cain and his gifts. And Cain was vehemently angry, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said to him: “Why are you angry? And why is your face fallen? If you behave well, will you not receive? But if you behave badly, will not sin at once be present at the door? And so its desire will be within you, and you will be dominated by it.” And Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go outside.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and he put him to death. And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he responded: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And he said to him: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the land. Now, therefore, you will be cursed upon the land, which opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother at your hand. When you work it, it will not give you its fruit; a vagrant and a fugitive shall you be upon the land.” And Cain said to the Lord: “My iniquity is too great to deserve kindness.  Behold, you have cast me out this day before the face of the earth, and from your face I will be hidden; and I will be a vagrant and a fugitive on the earth. Therefore, anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him: “By no means will it be so; rather, whoever would kill Cain, will be punished sevenfold.” And the Lord placed a seal upon Cain, so that anyone who found him would not put him to death.

And so Cain, departing from the face of the Lord, lived as a fugitive on the earth, toward the eastern region of Eden.  Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city, and he called its name by the name of his son, Enoch. 

Thereafter, Enoch conceived Irad, and Irad conceived Mahujael, and Mahujael conceived Mathusael, and Mathusael conceived Lamech. Lamech took two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. And Adah conceived Jabel, who was the father of those who live in tents and are shepherds. And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of those who sing to the harp and the organ. Zillah also conceived Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artisan in every work of brass and iron. In fact, the sister of Tubalcain was Noema. And Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: “Listen to my voice, you wives of Lamech, pay attention to my speech. For I have killed a man to my own harm, and an adolescent to my own bruising. Sevenfold vengeance will be given for Cain, but for Lamech, seventy-seven times.”  Adam also knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and she called his name Seth, saying, “God has given me another offspring, in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos. This one began to invoke the name of the Lord.

V

The First Genealogy

This is the book of the lineage of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him to the likeness of God.   He created them, male and female; and he blessed them. And he called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. Then Adam lived for one hundred and thirty years. And then he conceived a son in his own image and likeness, and he called his name Seth. And after he conceived Seth, the days of Adam that passed were eight hundred years. And he conceived sons and daughters. And all the time that passed while Adam lived was nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died. Seth likewise lived for one hundred and five years, and then he conceived Enos.  And after he conceived Enos, Seth lived for eight hundred and seven years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth that passed were nine hundred and twelve years, and then he died. In truth, Enos lived ninety years, and then he conceived Cainan. After his birth, he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he conceived sons and daughters.  And all the days of Enos that passed were nine hundred and five years, and then he died.   Likewise, Cainan lived seventy years, and then he conceived Mahalalel.  And after he conceived Mahalalel, Cainan lived for eight hundred and forty years, and he conceived sons and daughters.  And all the days of Cainan that passed were nine hundred and ten years, and then he died.  And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and then he conceived Jared.  And after he conceived Jared, Mahalalel lived for eight hundred and thirty years, and he conceived sons and daughters.  And all the days of Mahalalel that passed were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and then he died. And Jared lived for one hundred and sixty-two years, and then he conceived Enoch. And after he conceived Enoch, Jared lived for eight hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared that passed were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and then he died. Now Enoch lived for sixty-five years, and then he conceived Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God. And after he conceived Methuselah, he lived for three hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch that passed were three hundred and sixty-five years. And he walked with God, and then he was seen no more, because God took him. Likewise, Methuselah lived for one hundred and eighty-seven years, and then he conceived Lamech. And after he conceived Lamech, Methuselah lived for seven hundred and eighty-two years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah that passed were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and then he died. Then Lamech lived for one hundred and eighty-two years, and he conceived a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will console us from the works and hardships of our hands, in the land that the Lord has cursed.” And after he conceived Noah, Lamech lived for five hundred and ninety-five years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamech that passed were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and then he died. In truth, when Noah was five hundred years old, he conceived Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

VI

The Sons of God

And when men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God, seeing that the daughters of men were beautiful, took to themselves wives from all whom they chose. And God said: “My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh. And so his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they conceived, these became the powerful ones of ancient times, men of renown.  Then God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great upon the earth and that every thought of their heart was intent upon evil at all times, repented that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with a sorrow of heart, he said, “I will eliminate man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man to other living things, from animals even to the flying things of the air. For it grieves me that I have made them.” Yet truly, Noah found grace before the Lord.

VII

Noah

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, and yet he was predominate among his generations, for he walked with God. And he conceived three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Yet the earth was corrupted before the eyes of God, and it was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth had been corrupted, (indeed, all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth) he said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has arrived in my sight. The earth has been filled with iniquity by their presence, and I will destroy them, along with the earth. Make yourself an ark from smoothed wood. You shall make little dwelling places in the ark, and you shall smear pitch on the interior and exterior. And thus shall you make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall complete it within a cubit of the top. Then you shall set the door of the ark at its side. You shall make in it: a lower part, upper rooms, and a third level. Behold, I shall bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, so as to put to death all flesh in which there is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are on the earth shall be consumed. And I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons, your wife and the wives of your sons with you. And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female, from birds, according to their kind, and from beasts, in their kind, and from among all animals on earth, according to their kind; pairs from each shall enter with you, so that they may be able to live. Therefore, you shall take with you from all the foods that are able to be eaten, and you shall carry these with you. And these shall be used as food, some for you, and the rest for them.” And so Noah did all things just as God had instructed him.

VIII

The Flood

And the Lord said to him: “Enter the ark, you and all your house. For I have seen you to be just in my sight, within this generation. From all the clean animals, take seven and seven, the male and the female. Yet truly, from animals that are unclean, take two and two, the male and the female.  But also from the birds of the air, take seven and seven, the male and the female, so that offspring may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For from that point, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will wipe away every substance that I have made, from the surface of the earth.”  Therefore, Noah did all things just as the Lord had commanded him. And he was six hundred years old when the waters of the great flood inundated the earth. And Noah entered into the ark, and his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons with him, because of the waters of the great flood. And from the animals both clean and unclean, and from the birds, and from everything that moves upon the earth, two by two they were brought into the ark to Noah, male and female, just as the Lord had instructed Noah. And when seven days had passed, the waters of the great flood inundated the earth. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great abyss were released, and the floodgates of heaven were opened. And rain came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day, Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. They and every animal according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and everything that moves upon the earth in their kind, and every flying thing according to its kind, all the birds and all that can fly, entered the ark to Noah, two by two out of all that is flesh, in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered went in male and female, from all that is flesh, just as God had instructed him. And then the Lord closed him in from the outside. And the great flood occurred for forty days upon the earth. And the waters were increased, and they lifted the ark high above the land. For they overflowed greatly, and they filled everything on the surface of the earth. And then the ark was carried across the waters. And the waters prevailed beyond measure across the earth. And all the lofty mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered. And all flesh was consumed which moved upon the earth: flying things, animals, wild beasts, and all moving things that crawl upon the ground. And all men, and everything in which there is the breath of life on earth, died. And he wiped away all substance that was upon the earth, from man to animal, the crawling things just as much as the flying things of the air. And they were wiped away from the earth. But only Noah remained, and those who were with him in the ark. And the waters possessed the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

IX

Redemption

Then God remembered Noah, and all living things, and all the cattle, which were with him in the ark, and he brought a wind across the earth, and the waters were diminished. And the fountains of the abyss and the floodgates of heaven were closed. And the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters were restored to their coming and going from the earth. And they began to diminish after one hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia. Yet in truth, the waters were departing and decreasing until the tenth month. For in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tips of the mountains appeared. And when forty days had passed, Noah, opening the window that he had made in the ark, sent forth a raven, which went forth and did not return, until the waters were dried up across the earth. Likewise, he sent forth a dove after him, in order to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. But when she did not find a place where her foot might rest, she returned to him in the ark. For the waters were upon the whole earth. And he extended his hand and caught her, and he brought her into the ark. And then, having waited a further seven days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening, carrying in her mouth an olive branch with green leaves. Noah then understood that the waters had ceased upon the earth. And nevertheless, he waited another seven days. And he sent forth the dove, which no longer returned to him. Therefore, in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were diminished upon the earth. And Noah, opening the cover of the ark, gazed out and saw that the surface of the earth had become dry. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was made dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons and the wives of your sons with you. Bring out with you all the living things that are with you, all that is flesh: as with the birds, so also with the wild beasts and all the animals that move upon the earth. And enter upon the land: increase and multiply upon it.” And so Noah and his sons went out, and his wife and the wives of his sons with him. Then also all living things, and the cattle, and the animals that move upon the earth, according to their kinds, departed from the ark.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. And, taking from each of the cattle and birds that were clean, he offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled the sweet odor and said: “I will no longer curse the earth because of man. For the feelings and thoughts of the heart of man are prone to evil from his youth. Therefore, I will no longer pierce every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, will not cease.”

And God blessed Noah and his sons. And he said to them: “Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth. And let the fear and trembling of you be upon all the animals of the earth, and upon all the birds of the air, along with all that moves across the earth. All the fish of the sea have been delivered into your hand. And everything that moves and lives will be food for you. Just as with the edible plants, I have delivered them all to you, except that flesh with blood you shall not eat. For I will examine the blood of your lives at the hand of every beast. So also, at the hand of mankind, at the hand of each man and his brother, I will examine the life of mankind. Whoever will shed human blood, his blood will be poured out. For man was indeed made to the image of God. But as for you: increase and multiply, and go forth upon the earth and fulfill it.”

X

The Covenant

To Noah and to his sons with him, God also said this: “Behold, I will establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, and with every living soul that is with you: as much with the birds as with the cattle and all the animals of the earth that have gone forth from the ark, and with all the wild beasts of the earth.  I will establish my covenant with you, and no longer will all that is flesh be put to death by the waters of a great flood, and, henceforth, there will not be a great flood to utterly destroy the earth.”

And God said: “This is the sign of the pact that I grant between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations.  I will place my arc in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the pact between myself and the earth.     And when I obscure the sky with clouds, my arc will appear in the clouds. And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that enlivens flesh. And there will no longer be waters from a great flood to wipe away all that is flesh. And the arc will be in the clouds, and I will see it, and I will remember the everlasting covenant that was enacted between God and every living soul of all that is flesh upon the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This will be the sign of the covenant that I have established between myself and all that is flesh upon the earth.”

And so the sons of Noah, who came out of the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now Ham himself is the father of Canaan. These three are the sons of Noah. And from these all the family of mankind was spread over the whole earth.

XI

Drunkardness

And Noah, a good farmer, began to cultivate the land, and he planted a vineyard. And by drinking its wine, he became inebriated and was naked in his tent. Because of this, when Ham, the father of Canaan, had indeed seen the privates of his father to be naked, he reported it to his two brothers outside. And truly, Shem and Japheth put a cloak upon their arms, and, advancing backwards, covered the privates of their father. And their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s manhood. Then Noah, awaking from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants will he be to his brothers.”  And he said: “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he live in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” And after the great flood, Noah lived for three hundred and fifty years.  And all his days were completed in nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.

XII

The Second Genealogy

These are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and of the sons who were born to them after the great flood.

The sons of Japheth were Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And then the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan were Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. The islands of the Gentiles were divided by these into their regions, each one according to his tongue, and their families in their nations.

And the Sons of Ham were Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush were Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dadan. And then Cush conceived Nimrod; he began to be powerful on the earth. And he was an able hunter before the Lord. From this, a proverb came forth: ‘Just like Nimrod, an able hunter before the Lord.’ And so, the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, and Erech, and Accad, and Chalanne, in the land of Shinar. From that land, Assur came forth, and he built Nineveh, and the streets of the city, and Calah, and also Resen, between Nineveh and Calah. This is a great city. And truly, Mizraim conceived Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, Naphtuhim, and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, from whom came forth the Philistines and the Caphtorim. Then Canaan conceived Sidon his firstborn, the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, the Girgashite,
 the Hivite, and the Arkite: the Sinite, and the Arvadian, the Samarite, and the Hamathite. And after this, the peoples of the Canaanites became widespread. And the borders of Chanaan went, as one travels, from Sidon to Gerar, even to Gaza, until one enters Sodom and Gomorrah, and from Admah and Zeboiim, even to Lesa. These are the sons of Ham in their kindred, and tongues, and generations, and lands, and nations.

Likewise, from Shem, the father of all the sons of Heber, the elder brother of Japheth, sons were born. The sons of Shem were Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. But truly, Arphaxad conceived Shelah, from whom was born Eber. And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth became divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. This Joktan conceived Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, Jerah and Hadoram, and Uzal and Diklah, and Obal and Abimael, Sheba and Ophir, and Havilah and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their habitation extended from Messa, as one sojourns, even to Sephar, a mountain in the east. These are the sons of Shem according to their kindred, and tongues, and the regions within their nations. These are the families of Noah, according to their peoples and nations. The nations became divided according to these, on the earth after the great flood.

XIII

The Tower of Babel

Now the earth was of one language and of the same speech. And when they were advancing from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them with fire.” And they had bricks instead of stones, and pitch instead of mortar.   And they said: “Come, let us make a city and a tower, so that its height may reach to heaven. And let us make our name famous before we are divided into all the lands.” Then the Lord descended to see the city and the tower, which the sons of Adam were building. And he said: “Behold, the people are united, and all have one tongue. And since they have begun to do this, they will not desist from their plans, until they have completed their work.} Therefore, come, let us descend, and in that place confound their tongue, so that they may not listen, each one to the voice of his neighbor.” And so the Lord divided them from that place into all the lands, and they ceased to build the city. And for this reason, its name was called ‘Babel,’ because in that place the language of the whole earth became confused. And from then on, the Lord scattered them across the face of every region.

The End of the Rainbow Bible

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER ONE: ‘INTRODUCTION TO HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP AND CORE DOCTRINE’

Haven Noahide Fellowship is a rainbow bible-based Noahide Fellowship. The Rainbow Bible is the traditional set of scriptures known as Genesis 1 - 11:9 (from creation to the end of the tower of Babel incident). The teachings of the Rainbow Bible go back to the giving of the Covenant and earlier, and are central tenets of Haven Noahide Fellowship Faith. It appears that Noah himself, or perhaps one of his sons, recorded the details we have today in the Rainbow Bible as it talks of historical detail which only they, apparently, would have access to. The sign of the Covenant, as shown in Genesis 9, is the Rainbow.

This brief article examines the Rainbow Bible to answer the basic question of what constitutes the spiritual requirements before God of a Noahide. It will be split into 3 main sections: 1) Law 2) Imperative 3) Principle. Please consult the scriptural citations for greater clarification.

1) Law

Technically speaking there seems to be only three times the Lord specifically commands the Nations of the world as a whole.

• The first is found in what would apply to Adam and his seed in an uncorrupted paradise. This is the command to abstain from the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:16 & 17).

• The second is found in the command to Noah and his offspring after the flood to not eat blood. (Genesis 9:4).

• The third command is to be fruitful and replenish the earth (Genesis 9:7)

2) Imperative.

An imperative in the sense I will define it is a principle which appears to have obligatory acceptance required by a Noahide but not written within scripture as a direct command but rather implied or assumed. For example the wording of the imperative not to murder is worded in such a way that God did not specifically command directly to Noah and his offspring in a personal sense by stating ‘Thou shalt not’ or ‘You must not’ etc, but made it so obvious to know that such is a requirement for Noah and his offspring in generalization. The Noahide Imperatives are:

• To abstain from Sin (Genesis 4:7)

• To not murder and to put to death murderers (Genesis 9:5-6)

3) Principle

There are many ideas within the written Rainbow Bible which are not specified as commands or imperatives but are shown as an active part of universal Noahide life. They include:

• A calendar system based on the sun and stars and natural cycles (Genesis 1:14)

• Permission to eat plants (Genesis 1:30)

• The implication within the command to abstain from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that God has the right to command mankind, especially due to him being the creator. This is a fundamental principle of Noahide faith (that God can Command us).

• The importance of keeping genealogies (Genesis 5 & 10)

• The importance of offering sacrifices. The type of sacrifices implied that are acceptable are: Field offerings, Blood sacrifices of animals which are ‘Clean’ animals. Sacrifices are offered on altars. Sacrifices probably should be offered with a ‘Positive’ spirit. (Genesis 4:3-5, Genesis 8:20). Sacrifices are completely voluntary and mainly made to God to show we love him.

• The understanding that drunkardness, while seemingly not forbidden, can cause problems (Genesis 9:20-27)

• The idea that God can call individual Noahides for specific purposes in the way he called Noah and gave Noah specific commandments.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER TWO: 'FINDING PEACE WITH GOD'

God encouraged Cain to conquer the spirit of sin which was always at his door, tempting him to its evil ways. (Genesis 4:7)
 
All of us know of people in our lives and people we see in TV who talk of troubles of the heart - anxiety, worries, depressions, sadnesses and miseries.  It seems so many people are miserable in their lives, all of them searching for an answer which eludes them.
 
The professional psychiatrists all have various answers which they think work, but the real truth to human existences questions of the soul are found in the religious text of the holy scripture which God inspired millennia ago.
 
What keeps us from finding true peace of heart is our SIN.  It is doing things which are carnal, nasty, viscious, mean spirited and hateful which leads to a sense of anxiety in life.  And this anxiety will always stay with us until we learn the fundamental lesson which Cain, who killed his brother Abel, failed to learn.  We need to repent of the carnal and sinful ways we can be so prone as humans to fall into and become, instead, children of love, joy and peace.
 
Finding peace with God is found in learning the principles of scripture and applying them to life.  It is found in being honest and truthful towards God and our fellow neighbours and doing the very best to show everyone LOVE coming from an honest heart.
 
The more we love, the more we show kindness, the more we show integrity, the more peace of heart we will find and the more happy we will end up being.
 
 
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER THREE:  ‘THE BIBLICAL CALENDAR

The Biblical Calendar

(NOTE:  Ensure you check scripture quotations to ensure accuracy for personal verification.  An important point to remember is we are dealing with approximations to the nearest YEAR as months and days are rarely specified.  Thus a plus or minus figure range of a dozen years or so can be reckoned into the final date.)

SC = Since Creation       

Genesis 5  

No of Years               SC

Adam to Seth           130          0 – 130 SC

Seth to Enosh          105          130 – 235 SC

Enosh to Kenan       90            235 – 325 SC

Kenan to Mahalalel  70            325 – 395 SC

Mahalalel to Jared   65            395 – 460 SC

Jared to Enoch        162          460 – 622 SC

Enoch to Methuselah   65                622 – 687 SC

Methuselah to Lamech 187      687 – 874 SC

Lamech to Noah       182          874 – 1056 SC

Genesis 11

Noah to Shem          502          1056 – 1558 SC

Shem to Arphaxad   100          1558 – 1658 SC

Arphaxad to Shelah 35            1658 – 1693 SC

Shelah to Eber         30            1693 – 1723 SC

Eber to Peleg            34            1723 – 1757 SC

Peleg to Reu             30            1757 – 1787 SC

Reu to Serug            32            1787 – 1819 SC

Serug to Nahor         30            1819 – 1849 SC

Nahor to Terah         29            1849 – 1878 SC

Terah to Abram                70            1878 – 1948 SC

Genesis 21:5

Abram to Isaac         100          1948 – 2048 SC

Genesis 25:26

Isaac to Jacob          60            2048 – 2108 SC

Genesis 47:9

Jacob to his arrival

In Egypt                   130          2018 – 2238 SC

Exodus 12:40                 

Jacob’s arrival to

The Exodus              430          2238 – 2668 SC

1 Kings 6:1

From the Exodus to the beginning of the Temple in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign in the month of Ziv                480          2668 – 3148 SC

1 Kings 11:42

Solomon’s Reign      40            3144 – 3184 SC

1 Kings 14:21

Rehoboam’s Reign   17            3184 – 3201 SC

2 Chronicles 13:1

Abijah’s Reign          3              3201 – 3204 SC

2 Chronicles 16:13

Asa’s Reign              41            3204 – 3245 SC

2 Chronicles 20:31

Jehoshaphat’s Reign        25            3245 – 3270 SC

2 Chronicles 21:20

Jehoram’s Reign      8              3270 – 3278 SC

2 Chronicles 22:2

Ahaziah’s Reign       1              3278 – 3279 SC

2 Chronicles 22:12

Athaliah’s Reign       6              3279 – 3285 SC

2 Chronicles 24:1

Joash’s Reign           40            3285 – 3325 SC

2 Chronicles 25:1

Amaziah’s Reign      29            3325 – 3354 SC

2 Chronicles 26:3

Uzziah’s Reign         52            3354 – 3406 SC

2 Chronicles 27:1

Jotham’s Reign                16            3406 – 3422 SC

2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz’s Reign            16            3422 – 3438 SC

2 Chronicles 29:1  

Hezekiah’s Reign      29            3438 – 3467 SC

2 Chronicles 33:1

Manasseh’s Reign    55            3467 – 3522 SC

2 Chronicles 33:21

Amon’s Reign           2              3522 – 3524 SC

2 Chronicles 34:1

Josiah’s Reign          31            3524 – 3555 SC

2 Chronicles 36:2

Jehoahaz’s reign      3 mths     3555 – 3555 SC

2 Chronicles 36:5

Jehoiakim’s Reign    11            3555 – 3566 SC

2 Chronicles 36:9

Jehoiachin’s Reign   3mths

10days     3566 – 3566 SC

2 Chronicles 36:11

Zedekiah to the

Babylonian Exile      11            3566 – 3577 SC

The Babylonian Exile in the Christian Calendar is marked as 587BC which was 3577 SC

3577 SC = 587BC

3577 + 587 = 0 AD

3577 + 587 = 4164

4164 SC = 0 AD

Adding 2010 years, 2010 AD = 6174SC

Thus we are currently in the 6,174^th year since creation.

Mankind’s millennial rest began on the 6001^st year, which was 1828AD

It ends at 2828 AD

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER FOUR:  ‘SERVING GOD WITH FAITHFULNESS’

Faithfulness to God means being committed to God.  It means most importantly that when you are having difficult times in life – when things are going against you - when things seem to challenging or difficult to cope with - when everything seems to be going well for everyone EXCEPT you - that THAT is the time to remain
faithful and committed to God.
 
It is easy to praise God and tell him you love him and do everything to please him when things are easy.  But that is not the true test
of your loyalty.  The true test is this:  When everything is against you can you still study your bible, praise the goodness of God and
remain faithful?
 
God wants followers who will remain faithful to him - through the good times AND the bad times - for better or for worse.  Anything less than that is a 'fair-weather friend' and not a true follower of
God anyway.
 
So STAY COMMITTED, STAY FAITHFUL AND KEEP GOD IN YOUR HEART, SERVING HIM CONSTANTLY.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER FIVE:  ‘STUDYING SCRIPTURE - A DAILY FOCUS’

I strongly recommend that you make a habit of picking up your bible every day if possible, but at least every other day.  For Noahides I strongly recommend a LONG course of study in the Rainbow Bible, which is Genesis 1 - 11:9.  This covers mankind’s history from the creation to the end of the Tower of Babel incident.  Why this
section is so important for Noahides is that all Noahides are descended from the figures in this section of scripture.  The Tower of Babel incident ends with the scattering of ALL mankind, and the prior chapters also relate to ALL mankind.  This it is very important you learn the Rainbow Torah as the FOUNDATIONAL reading material in your Noahide walk with God.
 
If you are capable, actually memorizing the whole Rainbow Torah could become a lifetime goal.  Apart from people with photographic memory, I don't think anyone could really memorize the entire bible (at least not without a monumental effort).  But memorizing the Rainbow Torah for a Noahide over a lifetime of committed study could become a reality.
 
A pastor of Haven Noahide Fellowship really needs to know the Rainbow Torah intimately.  He needs to have large sections of it memorized and be on his way throughout life to memorizing the entire text.  For a pastor of the fellowship a reading of the entire Rainbow Torah (genesis 1 - 11:9) is recommended on a daily basis.  Really, a pastor needs to make the Rainbow Torah his 'Daily Bread' and then also pay attention to the rest of the Torah and Tenakh at other times (primarily the Sabbath day which should be devoted to spiritual things).
 
Our job is to become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven who need not feel any shame having dedicated our lives, in faithfulness, to a God who will richly reward us for our efforts.
 
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER SIX:  ‘CONQUERING SIN - A BASIC LIST OF SINS’

Remember, God admonished Cain to conquer 'SIN'.  We understand sin as not only rebellion against God, but things which are 'IMMORAL' in
nature.
 
A basic list of things which could be considered sinful for Noahides are:
 
* Hatred
* Slander
* Violence
* Murder
* Lying
* Stealing
* Adultery
* Homosexuality
* Incest
* Rape
* Paedophilia
* Bestiality
* Kidnapping
* Blasphemy
* Idolatry
* Insults
* Eating Animal Blood
* Offering impure sacrifices to God
* Cheating
* Lust
* Greed
* Breaking the Civil laws of your own society
* Practicing the various forms of Magic involving demons
* Gossiping
* Failing to honour parents
* Failing to honour God
* Failing to devote some time in your life to spiritual things
 
All of these things, and many more, can be constituted as ideas which are contrary to a sound Noahide faith.  A Noahide is called to be holy as God is holy and thus, as Cain was exhorted to by God, master his nature and repent and resist all sinful impulses.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER SEVEN:  ‘THE CREATION WEEK’


God created in this order:
 
Day 1
Created Light & Dark - Separated light from dark called light 'Day' and dark 'Night'
 
Day 2
Created an expanse in the midst of the waters on earth below and above the earth (the vapour canopy) - the expanse is the SKY
 
Day 3
Separated the Seas from the Land.  Brought forth vegetation on land.
 
Day 4
Created the Sun, Moon & Stars - which serve as signs for the seasons
 
Day 5
Brought forth Sea creatures & Birds from the oceans
 
Day 6
Brought forth land creatures from the earth.
Made man from the earth.
 
Day 7
Sabbath day rest
 
 
 
Later on God 'BURST' the vapour canopy which provided the water for the flood.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER EIGHT:  ‘THE VAPOUR CANOPY & RAINBOWS’

As I briefly alluded to yesterday, there was a vapour canopy hanging over the earth 'IN THE BEGINNING'
 
We read on the second day of creation that God created the expanse and named it 'SKY' or 'HEAVEN' in between the "WATERS".
 
Where were the waters above the 'Sky'????
  
Well, we all know that mankind launches satellites into space and we use them for mobile phones and international television and radio and so on.
 
These satellites are suspended above the earth in a zone in which they spin around the earth and do two things:
 
1) they do not spin off into space
2) they do not fall to earth
 
So it is quite likely that the vapour canopy, being waters 'ABOVE' the sky was suspended here, possibly above the ozone layer, in space.
 
When the flood came scripture says 'God OPENED up the heavens'.  He literally tore apart the vapour canopy and the world was flooded
because of it.
 
Finally, because the vapour canopy, prior to the flood, was between the Earth and the Sun, it appears that 'RAINBOWS' were never visible.  It says right in the beginning of Genesis that it did not rain, but that streams came up and watered the earth.  So, because it never rained, and because there was a vapour  canopy over the earth, this seems to be why the language in
Genesis 9 says 'God set his rainbow in the clouds.'
 
In other words, the Rainbow always had the potential to be seen, (as we see the rainbow on a sunny day when we use a sprinkler), but it had not materialized until AFTER the flood and the rain came.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER NINE: "23"

Anthropoids have 24 pairs of Chromosomes, universally.
 
Apes, Monkeys, Baboons, Chimps etc all have 24 pairs of Chromosomes.
 
Mankind is traditionally viewed as an 'Anthropoid' but we have only "23" pairs of Chromosomes.
 
However, right along the centre of the first Chromosome in our DNA is a segment or strip which seems to indicate that at one point this
first chromosome were 2 separate chromosomes which joined together.
 
Evolutionists often teach that mankind thus developed from an anthropoid ancestor with 24 chromosomes, but that a genetic defect led to us having 23 and evolving distinctly from them.
 
Genesis teaches that Adam and Eve (as well as the Serpent) were to be punished for partaking of the forbidden fruit.  What happened to Eve was that, prior to the curse, when she was to have children she would not have felt any pain.  But with the curse God said 'With Pain shall you bring forth children.'
 
What seemed to happen, to my way of thinking, is that mankind was perfect with 24 chromosomes right in the beginning.  Because of the CURSE God altered mankind’s genetic structure, merging the first and second chromosomes together, which not only caused women to feel pain in childbirth, but possibly
led to many of our diseases and other things to do with a fallen or altered nature.
 
There is another interesting "23".  The earth is tilted on a perfect 23Degrees axis.  Perhaps, to actually cause the heavens to give forth the rain for the flood, the bursting of the vapour canopy was caused by God changing the degrees of the earth’s axis from a perfect "24" to the new,
altered, 23Degrees axis.  An interesting idea, isn't it?
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TEN:  ‘LIFE AFFIRMING CHOICES’

The fall of Adam and Eve teaches us many lessons.  But one of the most important ones is this: immediately after declaring their punishment God made clothes of animal skin to ‘HIDE’ the nakedness of Adam and Eve.  Because Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, gained knowledge of good and evil, God gave them clothing to start teaching them the fundamental lesson that they needed to choose ‘Goodness’ when confronted with a situation in which good and evil were involved.  They knew they were naked immediately, but God clothed them very quickly, and helped them in their ‘sinful state’.  God shows he cares by doing this.  You see, the fundamental lesson we can learn from this historical event is this:  God knows we have already chosen to have knowledge of good and evil, but he sets us an example by clothing us to help us to choose the ‘GOOD’.  God wants us to choose goodness as opposed to evil in ALL our life choices, and helped us to make that choice right there at the beginning by clothing us.

Thus, in all our life circumstance were decisions are to be made which involve good and evil, God has already given us an example that he wants us to ‘Choose the GOOD’.

We must make ‘GOOD’ and ‘POSITIVE’ and ‘LIFE AFFIRMING’ choices in every choice we make through our lives.  God desired ‘GOOD’ and ‘HOLY’ people who make the ‘RIGHT’ Choices.

The ‘Rainbow Bible’ is a primary text we utilize to learn the basis for doing good as opposed to evil.  But God has also given us the people of Israel and the writings of the TENAKH to also assist us in learning good from evil.

The fellowship teaches that the teaching of the ‘Rainbow Bible’ is mandatory for the fellowship.  The things in the Rainbow Bible MUST be complied with.  But it is always useful and sensible to commit to following those teachings within the TENAK that we find ourselves capable of following.  We should BUILD ON THE ROCK OF ISRAEL whenever and wherever we are capable of doing so.  We should strive to become as holy, by the fullness of God’s law, as we are capable of doing.

God expects the teaching of the Rainbow Bible as a minimum for children of Noah.  But we should strive to please God and put into practice as much of the Torah of Israel as we are capable of doing so.  This pleases God even more so.

We MAY NOT practice the Passover.  This is forbidden unless we are converted to Judaism and circumcised (as a male) or converted to Judaism as a woman.  Further we can not practice the priestly laws or laws which don’t apply to us directly.  But those which apply to the people of Israel in general, apart from the Passover, we can practice, and ideally should follow as much of God’s holy law as we are capable of doing so.

Orthodox Judaism teaches that Noahides may apply teachings of the Torah if they so choose, so we are not contrary to the teaching of Orthodox, and Karaite Judaism generally expects Noahides should convert to Judaism anyway, so they don’t object to us putting into practice these holy laws.

So, let us strive to please God by choosing Goodness and Holiness in our lifelong walk with the Almighty.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER ELEVEN:  ‘CHILDREN OF PEACE’
 
Children of Noah need to be "Children of Peace".  The world’s most popular sign or symbol for Peace is usually the 'DOVE'.  As fortune would have it, one of the key symbols for Noah's covenant, alongside the Rainbow, is the 'Dove'.
 
The Dove represents Peace, Purity and sacrifice in biblical language.   They were used in official sacrifices because of their gentle nature and their purity for sacrificial food.
 
What we as "Children of Peace" and "Children of Noah" need to be are "Sacrifices of Peace" to all mankind.  We need to sacrifice our own egos, desires and ambitions on the altar of Yahweh in service to all mankind for the "Peace Offering" which will heal ALL the children of Adam & Eve and 'Noah'.
 
Children of Peace are not interested in violence or bloodshed.  We are interested in bringing healing when others would bring pain.  We are interested in bringing love, when others would bring hate.  We are interested in bringing 'Peace' when others would bring 'War'.
 
We strive to be friendly and at "Peace" with our neighbour and fellow citizens.  We are lawful and try to be Just in all our dealings.  We are gentle and soft and kindhearted.
 
We are Children of Peace and Children of the Dove.  For this is the will of God for all the children of Noah.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER TWELVE:  ‘CONFRONTING EVIL’

It is never easy or pleasant to have to deal with hostility.  To deal with deceitful men and violent men can often be the very bane and hardest part of our lives.  Sometimes, especially in youth, we can be confronted with people who don't show any affection towards us and are even judgemental, hostile and violent.
 
Because children of Noah are meant to be a peaceful and friendly people, it can be difficult to know how we are supposed to react.
 
In Isaiah 53 the suffering servant did not 'Yell Out' or 'bitterly accuse' his oppressors.  Instead he went silently to his slaughter.
 
Children of Noah need to be 'Meek' and 'Gentle' in the face of opposition.  We need to return 'Love' for 'Hate', and 'Gentleness' for 'Hostility'.
 
We need to serve as an example to those who oppress us of the patience and love of Almighty God.
 
On a societal level the Police have an important role.  These brave souls are required by God to confront the lawless members of our society and
deal with evil on a day to day basis.  If God calls you to the Police force it is because you have the strength of character to deal with this work.
 
Judges and law courts also have important responsibilities in confronting evil and we must always support them by being upright citizens and making their jobs easier.
 
Ultimately, though, regular everyday children of Noah need to be gentle and peaceful.  A quiet and sensible flock of God our shepherd, quietly
going about life and keeping the peace.  We only confront evil as a last absolute, and then only with special roles in society for people equipped to do as such.  Ultimately, when confronted with evil, show peace.  As King Solomon says in his proverbs:
 
"A Gentle Answer Turneth Away Wrath"

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER THIRTEEN: ‘THE WORLD LIES AT THE FEET OF A DISCIPLINED MAN’

Here is a proverb:
 
"The World lies at the Feet of a disciplined Man"
 
A disciplined man has the ability to:
 
* Pray, because he finds the time to do this daily on routine.
 
* Study, because he is motivated and WORKS hard to achieve his goals.
 
* Teach others, because his inspiration from God leads him to work to strengthen society.
 
* Achieve success, because he gets up every morning dutifully for work, is disciplined
enough to follow the correct work procedures, is disciplined enough to work his
FULL allotment of hours without shirking, is disciplined enough to attend ALL work
meetings and is disciplined enough to show a good attitude and ethic to his employers.
 
 
Being disciplined means having the ability to work hard under the Authority of God
who will lead you and PUSH you to achieve the kind of goals you are capable of.
 
 
It is a true saying,
"The World lies at the feet of a disciplined man'.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER FOURTEEN:  ‘A WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER (PROVERBS 31:10-31)’

A Wife of Noble Character
(Proverbs 31:10-31)
 
^{10 [c]} A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.
 ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.
 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

 ¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

 ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

 ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

 ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

 ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

 ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of

the land.

 ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

 ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

 ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

 ²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER FIFTEEN:  ‘THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS’

Have you noticed how when people say kind things about your personality it makes you feel good.  And have you also noticed that when people insult you or say nasty things about your
friends or family that you feel bad and negative.  So much of how we react to other people in life is not only in what they do but what they SAY.
 
Words have power.  It has been said 'The Pen is Mightier than the sword' and how true that is.

Perhaps the greatest public speaker of all time was Jesus of Nazareth.  The gospel says Jesus spoke with 'Authority.'  Perhaps the real key to this authority was that it challenged the established ruling class of the Sanhedrin priesthood.
 
Our greatest political leaders usually have that about them as well - a sense of authority.  As if they have something we all want to listen to, and a divine mandate to speak these words.
 
In life, the words you yourself speak come from your own authority - your own personal power.  They reflect you perfectly and communicate to others what you are about and what you believe.
 
They have the power to speak positively and the power to speak negatively.  Here is a quotation from the New Testament book of James on the power of the Tongue.
 
JAMES 3:3-12
³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
 ⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, ⁸but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
 ⁹With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ¹¹Can both fresh water and salt^[a] water flow from the same spring? ¹²My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
 
 
Watch over your tongue for it is your own power and, in many ways, the power of death and life.  To curse or to heal.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER SIXTEEN:  ‘THE NOAHIDE SHEMA’

As you probably know, Isralites pray the 'Shema' every day.
 
It goes:
 
Shema Israel
Adonai Eloheinu
Adonai Achud
 
translated
 
Hear Israel
The Lord our God
The Lord is One
 
 
The Noahide Shema is similar and goes
 
Shema Noach
Adonai Eloheinu
Adonai Achud
 
 
We simple replace 'Israel' with 'Noach'.
 
This can be a daily prayer each morning or each evening - at least sometime
during the day.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER SEVENTEEN:  ‘SATAN’

The ‘Serpent’ tempted Adam and Eve.  Scripture teaches that before the serpent was turned into a snake-like form, he had another form which walked upright.  In the ‘Pseudepigrapha’ book of ‘The Life of Adam and Eve’, the Serpent is shown to be ‘Satan’.  This is a part of ‘Jewish Tradition’.

In the book of Job, Satan opposes people who try to serve God.  He opposed Job with the line ‘Skin for Skin a man will give all he owns to save his life.’  This teaches that Satan is somewhat cynical, and very adversarial to humanity.  He expects the lowest common denominator from us and does not seemingly have a high opinion of us.

I, personally, have heard demons mock me.  These voices were separate and apart from the typical voices associated with schizophrenia.  They were literal demonic voices encountered early on in my walk with God.

Scripture does not really say if Satan is the head of the demons, but this is the tradition which has been built up.

In our example of Job in scripture, Satan TESTS us.  Remember when Jesus is talking to the apostles and says ‘Satan has asked to SIFT you.’  Satan TESTS the genuineness of our faith, as the example in Job illustrates.  In this sense, then, he is a servant of God, doing his will, by testing the genuineness of our faith.

There is no point in cursing Satan, reviling him or accusing him.  This is pointless.  He simply does his job in finding our weaknesses.  We may complain about our weaknesses being exposed, but they are better of being dealt with sooner than later.  Really, in truth, we should be grateful for the testing, realizing we will only be made holier in the end.

Christianity calls Satan ‘The great old devil, the serpent, the dragon.’  This, really, is a fabulous misconception about what the Devil is all about.  He is our adversary to make us REAL – to get all the fakeness out of us.

So do not curse the devil or his agendas.  He is only exposing what needs to be exposed before the throne of God anyway.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER EIGHTEEN:  ‘SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES OF HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP’

These are my personal judgements for what should be part of the practices of Haven Noahide Fellowship
  
No tattoos - this is a deliberate marring of the flesh

No Cuttings of the flesh - a deliberate marring of the flesh

No ear-rings or nose-rings through holes in flesh - a deliberate marring of the flesh
 
Fingernails: Fingernails always grow back and continue to grow if uncut.  As such it
is the right thing to do to trim fingernails.  God designed us to trim
our fingernails.
 
Facial Hair: Facial hair, like fingernails, always grows back and continues to grow.  It is entirely appropriate to trim facial hair and even be fully shaved if someone desires to.  Because the hair grows back and continues to grow it can be
styled according to fashion if desired.
 
Women's hair length: Women may cut their hair short in the western style of they so wish.  Women's hair likewise continues to grow back so this is a non-issue.  Being fashionable and practical are important principles for women.
 
Makeup: Makeup to cover blemishes is important, but women should not be ashamed of their own particular 'NATURAL' look as well.  As such a woman who refuses to wear makeup should not be ashamed at the look her creator naturally gave her.  Our natural look is beautiful in God's eyes, and never an issue of shame.  However it is entirely appropriate to use makeup to cover blemishes as this can cause personal embarrassment otherwise and God cares about our feelings.
 
Cigarettes:  These very often cause cancer and other diseases and should not be used or, if used, only smoked in very small quantities (a few cigarettes a year).
 
Alcohol:  Can cause all sorts of health problems and needs to be kept to a minimum.
Drunkardness should be completely avoided.
 
Illegal drugs:  We should not use these because civic law forbids it.  However, in countries were they are legal, all health concerns about the drugs need to be taken into consideration.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER NINETEEN:  ‘BEING GENTLE’

It is so easy to answer someone sharply or aggressively.  It is so easy to be proud and think we know better than others and, out of that pride, answer back as if we know it all.
 
But God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
 
Being gentle is the call of all the children of Noah.  We have to be strong people, but we have to show our strength through our gentleness.
 
Being gentle means being soft.  It means being kind to people, even when they show their harsher sides to us.  It means being meek and timid like.
 
It means having NO AGGRESSION.
 
God wants children of Noah to be very, very GENTLE.  To be soft, kind and pure.
Seek gentleness.
 

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER TWENTY:  ‘A DEEPER MEANING IN GOD ASKING ABRAHAM TO SACRIFICE HIS SON’

Here is the 'TESTING' of Abraham from Scripture
 

Genesis 22 (New International Version)

Abraham Tested

 ¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
      "Here I am," he replied.  ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

 ³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

 ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
      "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
      "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

 ⁸ Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

 ⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
      "Here I am," he replied.

 ¹² "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

 ¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram ^[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

 ¹⁵ The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your offspring ^[b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

 ¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
 
 
 
In the immediate sense, God was testing Abraham's loyalty.  But there is a far more significant basis behind this - something very fundamental.
 
I have, in the past, thought Abraham was gutless for not standing up to God when God asked him to kill his son.  I felt to myself if it was my son I would have told God to go to hell.  And, in a sense, that is why God asked Abraham to kill his son.
 
For a man of the ancient world like Abraham, and still to a degree today, the son represented the 'SEED' of the man or 'HIS LEGACY'.  When Abraham complained to God before this that he had no seed and a servant in his household would be his heir it reflected how important the legacy of children was to them.
 
But what a legacy of descendants can turn into, if we are proud, is a sense of our own greatness and the pride which accompanies it.  And more than that – in our seed we seek to dominate other seeds and rule mankind.  It is the nature of the competitive spirit which all to easily overcomes ambitious men, and even women too.
 
Going back in time to the early centuries AD, this is the time when many of the famous surnames and clan names came into being.  What you could perhaps surmise is that the progenitors of these clans all gained a sense of pride at their great accomplishment.  You see, having children can lead to a great sense of pride as if we have accomplished something great.
 
But God does not like pride in men.  Because in pride we have hatred, conflict and war.  We have tribal divisions and wars between them and have for a long time suffered racial hatreds and divisions because of the jealousies and prides
held in one clan hierarchy against another.
  
When God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac he was cutting right to the core of Abraham's dreams of Glory.  Abraham had ambitions for his children, to see them in Glory one day, as God had indeed promised him, but God needed to test Abraham.  He needed, in that testing, to destroy the pride which had built up in Abraham because of the promises of God and by asking Abraham to kill Isaac, he broke Abraham's pride.  And then God did not have a barbaric son in the people of Israel, but a people of law, justice and peace.
 
God asked Abraham to kill his pride.  To kill his glory.  And the real step all of us need to take in our lives is to leave behind us the sense of accomplishment and pride we achieve in our children's lives and realize that it is the purpose
of men to glorify the creator God who gave us our abilities in the first place.
  
Children are meant for joy, not pride, as if we are something special.
  

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP
SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES
SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-ONE:  ‘PERSEVERANCE & SUCCESS’

One of my personal proverbs is this:
 
"To succeed - Persevere"
 
You see, completing a work task, especially a long and complicated one, takes a lot of effort and often is not done at one sitting or at one go.  To gain success in achieving goals you need to be committed to your goal and work steadily to achieve it.
 
Success does not come through a half-hearted attempt at achieving glory.  It comes through patient, careful, thoughtful and methodical
planning - and then working to that plan to carefully achieve your goals.
 
There are some principles for reaching goals:
* Start with the end in mind
* If at first you don't succeed, try, try again
* A good beginning makes a good ending
* A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step
 
Often, to succeed in life, we need to simply get of our butts and actually make a beginning to a project.  But to achieve the ultimate goals we have in life, you must PERSEVERE.  This means facing up to challenges and obstacles and doing your best to work through them.  It means honestly facing up to the challenge and doing the required work for success.
 
If you desire success, God will provide the means for you to achieve it.  Your part is to make a good start and persevere to accomplish the goal.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-TWO:  ‘LIFE’S FRUSTRATIONS’

Members of Haven need to really learn this important truth.  God loves us, dearly.  But it is also a real truth that God has not yet completed perfecting planet earth, and a lot more work needs to be done in improving our societies and bringing wealth and blessings.  We can get so frustrated because of our lack of blessing in life, and we often end up blaming God and saying he doesn’t really care about us and doesn’t answer our prayers.  It is true – a lot of the time God doesn’t answer our prayers for blessings, especially finances, and we are left wondering if he really cares about us or is devoted to us. 

There is this saying popular in the western world – ‘God helps those who help themselves.’  A lot of the time God will simply provide us with the knowledge we need to be able to go about doing the work on gaining our OWN blessing from our OWN hard work.  God wants to see in members of Haven Noahide Fellowship the attitude that WE will take care of our own lives as well as his own input.  You see, God is making leaders and holy people out of us, and training us to be responsible and take care of things ourselves.  He doesn’t want us to always have to rely upon him, especially when we are capable of getting our own blessing through our own perseverance.  When there are challenges in life, especially the challenge of low incomes, God wants us to do everything in our power to work hard and look for all the opportunities we possibly can in life to further our own situation.

A big part of that and a real key to success, wether you notice this immediately or not in the first instance, is gaining a very good education.  I am not just talking about qualifications from schools and colleges and universities, but real life education as well.  If you have internet access LEARN as much as you can.  Seek out ‘Good Advice’ websites, and also seek out websites on basic things such as ‘Mathematical knowledge’ and ‘Language teaching’ and ‘History websites’ and ‘Geography websites (Ie Maps of the world etc) and all sorts of knowledge and information.  You must commit to ‘Lifelong’ learning.  A very, very good start is to buy a dictionary, even a small one, and learn a new word every day to increase your vocabulary.  Try and learn the meanings of words that you don’t know and talk with a partner or a friend about the word and try and bring it into a conversation.  Remember, language is how we communicate in society, so the more words you know, the stronger your communication skills, and the better your chances of success in life.  Often success can be done not just through exterior schoolings, but simply our own home efforts to improve were and when we can.  Dictionaries are an excellent way to start and should be studied regularly.  If you can afford an ‘Atlas’ (maps of the world) this is an excellent idea, and it really is worth studying the names of the countries of the world and their capital cities and major geographical features.  Remember, nations don’t change their names a lot, so learning who else is in your world and about them and STAYING INFORMED and BROADENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE is always the best thing to do.

A good lesson is to ‘DO THE BEST WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.’  With the things God has already provided for you, learn to make use of them already.  If you have access to the internet remember to spend whatever time you have learning new things.  A useful thing to do when wanting to know about something on the internet is also typing in ‘wikipedia’ with whatever you want to look up as wikipedia has a lot of information.  Try looking up online dictionaries if you need to and just learn a new word from an online dictionary every now and again, write it down or try to remember it, and talk about it with your partner or friends and family.  Remember this truth – ‘THE BETTER EDUCATED A SOCIETY, THE MORE WEALTH AND PROSPERITY WILL COME TO IT’.

So remember, when you find all these frustrations in life, DON’T BLAME GOD, but try to do the very best with what he has already provided for you.  When you persevere at life and work hard the blessing inevitably comes.  So, DON’T GIVE UP, KEEP THE FAITH, TRUST IN THE LORD, AND LOVE ALWAYS AT ALL TIMES.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-THREE ‘SUPPORTING THE PASTORAL SYSTEM’

The intention of Haven Noahide Fellowship is to slowly grow into an international fellowship.  We desire to have a system of connected fellowships, all serving a common mission of providing a spiritual ‘Haven’ or ‘Sanctuary’ to children of Noah, Mankind, today.  The Pastoral system, in which a pastor is responsible for the running of each fellowship, answerable to a national pastor or overseer in each country, who is in turn answerable to the head pastor of the Australian fellowship, were the fellowship began, is the basic hierarchical system which we intend to have operating.

The pastoral system is to be maintained similarly to a Rabbinic system or a Catholic Priestly or Christian Pastoral system.  In this sense it is important for the pastors who devote themselves full time to ministry within the fellowship as a whole to be supported by members of the assembly.

Haven accepts the ‘Tithing’ system, which both Abram and Jacob followed, as an acceptable means of support for the pastoral hierarchy.  Our pastors are meant to be representatives of the divine on earth, acting as intercessors and as elders responsible for ministering spiritual values to their respective flocks.  The ideal is to maintain a full-time pastor for each assembly, who would be supported through ‘Tithes’ of faithful and committed members and any other freewill offerings.

As new members of a fellowship, you should not feel obligated to commit your own finances to the fellowship until a time in which you feel it is the kind of spiritual fellowship you feel you can personally make a commitment to.  If you desire to be a committed member of Haven Noahide Fellowship on an ongoing basis it then becomes appropriate to make financial commitments as well.  However, if you are new and are simply trying to work out if you fit in our assembly or not you needn’t concern yourself with any financial commitments.

For committed members we do not make inquiries into how much you give to the assembly.  The offerings are meant to be collected anonymously, and nobody is meant to know what or how much you give to the assembly.  As a fellowship we teach that the ‘Tithing’ system of 10% of income is biblical and consistent with scripture and practice in the community of other biblical organisations.  However, while we recommend the tithe as both a way of supporting the pastor and a way of bringing individual blessing to the giver (as the person who gives to a shepherd of God is seen as supporting God’s will, and we believe God, in return, blesses such an individual) we do not teach it in any way as a mandatory practice and happily enough accept whatever people are willing to offer.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR ‘BURIAL OR CREMATION’

In Biblical religious tradition Burial is usually the practice for dealing with the bodies of dead people.  Abraham, Jacob and Joseph were all buried, as was Sarah.

In the prophetical writings of the ‘Neviim’ in the Tenakh (The Jewish Bible) the scripture speaks of dead bones being resurrected.  There is a biblical idea that the resurrection to the world to come is from the dead bones of buried people.  Contrasting this is that in non-monotheistic cultures ‘Cremation’ was and still is a prevalent practice.

Haven has the view that God is capable of resurrecting a spirit which has died in a new body in the ‘World to Come’ if he so desires, wether that be from a buried body or a cremated body.  But perhaps there is a reason why the monotheistic religions have buried for so long, and the reason cemeteries have become such an important part of the monotheistic world.

The decision to bury or cremate for a monotheist can thus be a crucial decision.  It must not be taken lightly and if one has biblical beliefs that it is necessary to bury for the future resurrection then you should certain arrange for this.

Haven thus makes the general ruling that when and were a member of the fellowship is capable of affording burial they should in fact do so.  It is important to pray to God for guidance in this area and follow his will.  We can not say wether burial is necessary for life in the World to Come or not, but for those with such concerns they should be mindful to ensure they are buried and have arrangements made for this act before they pass on.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE:  ‘MARRIAGE – A ONE FLESH RELATIONSHIP’

The Rainbow Bible records Adam and Eve becoming one flesh as husband and wife.  In fact, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife and the two shall be one flesh.

Marriage between a man and a woman is a fundamental and natural human relationship.  When we are born into the world from a very young age there is a yearning to be close with people, and it is in the union of marriage upon a suitable age that the most defining of life’s relationships can arise.  Marriage between man and woman can bring children – more people in the human race.  Certainly, children can be born outside of the marital relationship, but when marriage occurs, strengthened by the bonds of commitment and love, a happier home for children ensues, one in which they can be taught traditional family values and become pillars in their society.

Haven stresses the ‘Normality’ of the choice of marriage and that, in most circumstances, this should be the normal choice a human being would make for their life upon a suitable age.  Certainly, we are of the opinion that many people choose to remain single throughout their lives, feeling marriage is not for them.  We do not condemn such choices, and respect people’s fundamental human right not to marry if they so choose.  But we do strongly recommend marriage and stress that it should be considered the ‘Usual’ or ‘Normal’ course of action for a human being upon becoming mature enough to marry.

Homosexual relationships can not produce ‘Natural’ offspring through procreation, which is perhaps a chief reason that latter portions of the Torah speak so strongly against such unions.  As a fellowship we will not condone marriages amongst homosexual people in our fellowship.  All such unions are in the domain of civil society and not to be considered part of the life functioning of Haven Noahide Fellowship.

Adulterous relationships are encounters which contravene the purposes of marriage, were trust is meant to be promoted and sexual purity between a man and a woman maintained.  We disavow adultery in our fellowship, noting that Leviticus 18 & 20, by which Egypt and Canaan were judged, includes prohibitions against adultery, as well as homosexuality, incest and bestiality.

Marriage is intended to be an important union between man and woman, is a fundamental aspect of the Rainbow Bible, and Haven Noahide Fellowship upholds and maintains this tradition completely.

Marriage rites and ceremonies can be determined by the individual’s marrying, but there is no problem in national customs in marriage being followed by members of Haven Noahide Fellowship.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-SIX: ‘WORSHIPPING GOD’

Part of Israel’s Torah is to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength’.

As children of Noah we are not specifically commanded to cleave to God in a relationship of love, but this is most definitely a part of a faith-filled Noahide walk with God.  El Shaddai is a loving and compassionate creator.  When God has drawn us into a relationship with himself, often drawing us away from a sinful lifestyle to knowledge of him, helping us to repent of our sinful ways, often a way we want to express our hearts desire in our love towards him is through the act of worship.

In ancient cultures idolatry was the act of worship and devotion to a believed in ‘deity’ or ‘god’.  Today, Hinduism is still an expression of idolatry, as is Oneness Christianity with its belief that Jesus is God the Father.  The usual problem with idolatry is that it is a mis-focus on the one who actually deserves to be the central focus of our true love and adoration, Jehovah himself.

Christians often talk about a relationship of love they have developed towards the person of Jesus.  They often claim special encounters have happened in their lives which lead them to believe Jesus is there lord and saviour.  While this is a significant thing in Christian faith, as Noahides our focus is on Yahweh himself, who we would tell Christians is the God of Israel, or God the Father in ancient Christian Pre-Trinitarian belief.  In fact, we teach that Jesus believed in God and worshipped God, a being he taught was separate and distinct from himself. 

The Jehovah’s Witnesses, the main branch of Unitarian Christianity, are a group which do not view Jesus as God or a member of the Trinity and Noahide faith shares this basic viewpoint.  While we do not believe that Jesus was a ‘god’ in the way the Jehovah’s Witnesses do, nor that he was the Archangel Michael, we do accept that he was a very real historical personage, and the author of much of the Gospel teaching.  But we do not worship Jesus of Nazareth, and view him as a very real ‘Human Being’, a son of Israel, and a teacher of Torah based spirituality.  In essence we view Jesus as a ‘Rabbinic’ type figure (Rabbi means Teacher), but someone totally human in origin, and not a focal point of worship.

Jehovah God, also known as ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Yahovah’ or various such wordings of the divine name, in Haven’s belief is the creator of the universe, and the source of pure and true love.  Worship of God is not just an acknowledgement of his sovereign power, but a way of drawing close in love with a being that will always treat you with love in return.  God is the author of morality – holiness emanates from his very nature – so when we commit to a relationship of love and worship of God we will connect to a source of love which will flow back to us in untold blessings of mercy, kindness and affection.  There is a scripture which says ‘Taste and see that the Lord is Good’.  We strongly advocate such a testing, for you will come to know the love and faithfulness of Jehovah, a God who will always remain faithful and never let you down.

HAVEN NOAHIDE FELLOWSHIP

SPIRITUAL DEVOTIONAL SERIES

SERMON NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT ‘CONTINUE LEARNING’

This Rainbow Bible with its list of sermons is meant to give an introductory idea and feel of the simplicity of faith in God and walking with him as a child of Noah.  Really, we can complicate things if we wish to and, in life, sometimes things can get complicated.  But spirituality is meant to have a simple essence of simply ‘Doing the right thing’.  Christians often use the slogan ‘WWJD’ which stands for ‘What Would Jesus Do’.  While that is admirable for Christians, perhaps as Noahides we could ask ‘WWND’ or ‘What Would Noah Do’.

In all of life’s difficulties you are not going to find an answer to every question in a book.  You are going to have to think for yourself and put some real ‘Heart and Soul’ into solving your lifes difficulties.  As a spiritual person your real quest is to do the right thing in each circumstance you find yourself in life and be a good representative of the name of your father ‘Noah’.  God is there for each and every child of Noah, and as we continue to learn from others and for ourselves let us rest in the grace which comes from the love and benevolence of our Almighty Heavenly Father.