Through the Bible in 2012

Day 5 Readings:

Genesis 7
Genesis 8
Psalm 8

Comments:

The story of Noah is one of the more well known stories. It is one that children love to hear. It has a big boat. And lots of animals. You can often find an ark with animals and Noah's family in children's toy stores.

As we grow older, we may wonder about this God who destroys everyone except Noah and his family. This will not be the first time we will wonder about God's actions. A careful reading of chapters 7 and 8 reveal not a focus on the destruction, however. The focus is on Noah and God's response to Noah after the flood. Noah worships God after building an altar to God. God is pleased with this. And God makes a promise. Never again will God destroy all the living creatures as he did in the flood. In chapter 9 we will see that God establishes a covenant with Noah. God is not a far off God. On the contrary, God seems to have a desire to be involved in the lives of God's creations. It would appear God is interested in relationship.

On the one hand, we see a God who is able (and does) destroy. On the other hand, we see a God of graciousness. God does not completely destroy, but saves Noah and his family through an ark. In the context of judgement, there is mercy and grace.

There are times today when people bemoan the state of humanity. Famines, wars, evil. Just today I saw online that a woman drowned her one year old in a bucket while her husband watched live over the Internet via Skype. My first thought was how awful and my second thought is that no matter how much we think we have advanced as a society, there is still a great capacity to sin. Evil still exists.

What was it about Noah that God saved him? What was it about everyone else that God destroyed them in a flood? I may not ever figure it out, but what I do know is that God does not give up on us! The story continues.