When you read the account of Noah’s flood, does it fill you with terror? It didn’t me, either, until this time around. I generally saw it with Sunday school eyes: cute animals going in two by two, the rain came down and the flood came up, Noah trying to keep everybody happy.
But if you take a look at Genesis 6, terror lurks at every turn. The world of Noah was a world dripping with evil, marinated with self-indulgence, soaked in violence. God grieved at the chaos.
During creation, the earth was formless and void, water and land intermingled in chaos. Now, with the flood, the same picture emerges. Where God had brought order and life during creation, he now allows the churning waters to destroy life. There is a return of sorts to the first day of creation, where darkness and chaos ruled.
God’s presence brings order. When he withdrew his protection, chaos destroyed.
But the good news in the horrific flood scene was the ark, bearing the precious seeds of life. In the deep water, which for the ancient Hebrew represented the terrors of the unknown, the ark protected Noah, his family, and the animals. God protected a remnant. His commitment remained.
God had put Adam in the garden – that place of incredible fruitfulness, abundance, and presence – to work it and take care of it. The sons of Adam had rejected their part. God kept his part of the promise but people failed in their part.
Only Noah found favor in God’s sight and only Noah and his family were preserved.
A new covenant was formed: God would never again destroy life in such a terror-filled way. People from that time forward could understand God’s power and his purity for it had been clearly displayed.
There’s a simple lesson here: God hates wickedness and he keeps his promises. His work is always to preserve those who seek to escape its grip. Is there terror – or hope – in that truth?
The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
Gen 8:21
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3 comments:
Just last week, July 8th, we had a guest speaker at church and this is exactly what he talked about! He talked about how the Noah's flood story has been almost reduced to make believe, about the reason for the flood: man's widespread wickedness, especially lust and violence (which he pointed out we're seeing today) and about the ark of safety, our Jesus. So much like this post! It was so nice seeing how this sermon and your post correlated so well!
I have never really thought about how terrifying it must have been for all people at the time of the flood. I have a vivid memory of a movie I saw in my childhood about the flood and all the people banging on the side of the ark as the water rose. It is His protection and love alone that save us from drowning in our own sins. Thanks, Kathy. Meg
It's sad that we have turned Noah's Ark into a cute nursery room decoration. This is a powerful story about God's might and mercy. Thanks for the insights!
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