Understanding the Bible - Part 5

The Flood
 
                In this chapter we learn of God’s intention to carry forward his plan for salvation through Noah and his family.  The world had become so irredeemably corrupt that only Noah and his family retained the spiritual and genetic purity to carry forward the seed of Eve.  In order to destroy the great evil that had taken over the earth, God brought forth a global flood to cleanse the earth.  God provided protection for Noah, his family, and a selection of every kind of animal in a massive ark.  When the flood waters subside, those saved emerge from the ark to begin a new age on earth.  The chapter ends with God establishing a covenant with every living creature, whereby he vows to never again destroy the world with a flood.  When you have finished reading Genesis 6:8 through Genesis 9:17 you are ready to consider the three questions.
 
1.  What does it reveal about God?

• God will go to great lengths to carry out his plan.  God was willing to destroy nearly everything he had created on earth to secure his plan for redeeming it.  One can almost imagine the shock of Satan, who had come so close to completely corrupting all of creation only to see those efforts wiped away in one bold stroke.  The Flood essentially reset the war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of Eve.
• God has a serious desire to redeem us.  Just as God chose to salvage humanity through Adam and Eve rather than destroy them and start over, God again chose to salvage humanity through the family of Noah rather than completely starting over.  This desire is manifested in the form of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice redeems all humans who believe in him.

 
2.  What does it reveal about us?

• We are capable of great faith.  It took Noah years to build the ark.  It is very likely that he was mocked by those who saw him carrying out his work.  Yet Noah followed God’s instructions completely and without question.  The same capacity for faith is in each and every one of us.  We only need to choose to act on it.  One such act of faith is believing in Jesus Christ.
• God thinks that we are worth saving.  Think of the lengths God has gone to in order to redeem you.  The Flood is not some cute Bible story about loading animals onto a big ship.  It is a story of God going to extreme lengths to secure your redemption.  He went to even greater lengths through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to complete that redemption.  You should reflect on the value of your life and how you lead it, because God has placed a great price on it.

 
3.  What does it reveal about God’s relationship with us?

• God cares about us on a personal level.  God identified Noah and his family and saved them.  He made sure to keep them safe during the worst disaster this world has ever seen.
• God makes promises to us.  These are called covenants.  God promised Noah and his descendants that he would never again destroy the entire world with a flood.  This is known as the Rainbow Covenant because God told Noah that the sign of a rainbow in the sky would serve as a reminder of his promise.

 
Key Passage

                “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.  And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.” – Genesis 9:6-8
 
                This verse reminds us of several key truths.  First, we are made in the image of God.  Second, God places great value on human life.  Third, God encourages human reproduction.  We see a disturbing trend in our modern world to erode these truths.
 
Other Notable Points

• Christian scientists have been building a compelling case that the Flood and its aftermath created the conditions that make a literal “young earth” interpretation of the Creation account possible.  This is explored in the movie “Is Genesis History?” (see Resources section of this website for a link to the movie).
• The use of rainbow symbology by the LGBT movement is concerning.  While I am sure many and perhaps most in the movement have adopted it as benign symbol of solidarity, it cannot be denied that it co-opts a symbol created by God and employs it for a purpose that is unquestionably against God’s will.  A less benign view of this situation is that Satan is mocking God, taking a symbol God pointed to immediately following the destruction of Satan’s attempted corruption of mankind and using it as the banner under which he is carrying out his renewed war of corruption.

Final Thoughts

• We see a cycle emerging: corruption, judgement, redemption.  Corruption entered Eden, God issued his judgement upon Adam and Eve, but then also announced his plan for their redemption.  Corruption entered the family of Adam in the form Cain, God issued his judgement on Cain, but then carried forward his plan of redemption through Seth.  Corruption consumed the world, God issued his judgement in the form of the Flood, but then saved the family of Noah to advance his plan of redemption.  We will see this cycle continue in the chapters to come.