All of us, I am sure, love to listen to the classical and often humorous way in which children describe how they understand Scriptures. Here is one about Noah: "Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check."

I recently came across a list called "The ten most used excuses", containing excuses that are used on a regular basis, especially in an office or business environment. It struck me that these are almost exactly the same excuses that people are using time and again for not taking Scriptures seriously – even while they are self proclaimed believers or followers of the Messiah. The habit of trying to think of an excuse every time one is confronted with a clear directive from Scriptures that makes one feel uncomfortable, is one that may cause many people to miss out on the blessings that Yahweh had set aside for them. It happened in the time of Noah, it also happened in the time of Messiah, when people preferred to attend to their own personal matters rather than following Messiah. Let us look at "The ten most used excuses" and try to establish what Scriptures are teaching in this regard.