Genesis 8:20 · World English Bible
Genesis 8:20 Meaning Noah Built an Altar to Yahweh
Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
What does Genesis 8:20 mean?
The first act on dry land is to give something up. Noah does not celebrate his survival by hoarding what he saved.
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Clinical Psychology
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Clinical Psychology
The first act on dry land is to give something up. Noah does not celebrate his survival by hoarding what he saved. He takes the best of what he has and burns it, and by that costly gesture the shattered relationship between man and reality is set right again. Sacrifice is the oldest discovery of our species, the recognition that you surrender something of value now so the future holds together.
A flood always comes. Chaos rises and drowns the unprepared, and the only question worth asking is who you will be when the water reaches you. You want to be Noah. The man who builds the altar is signaling, to himself and to whatever he is answering to, that he will honor the order that carried him through. That posture, repeated, is what keeps the next catastrophe at bay.
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Live Genesis 8:20 today
- When something finally goes right, give away the first slice instead of the last. Send the money, the hour, the good thing you were saving for yourself, today, while the relief is still fresh.
- Thank the person who got you through the hard stretch, by name and in specifics, in a call rather than a reaction emoji. Tell them what they actually did.
- On the day the pressure lifts, do not spend it all on yourself. Take some of the freed-up time back into the house, the dinner, the dishes, the sitting with someone who needs you.
What did I survive lately without ever stopping to give anything back?
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