MIT and LIT Study Group
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Genesis 6+7
Observation: The Story of Noah's Ark is not cutesy.
Many people teach Noah's Ark from a cute perspective - there are animals involved, and so it's often taught to young children using bright coloured elephants, giraffes and zebras, songs sung about it are along the lines of 'the animals went in two by two hurrah, hurrah' as though they're all off on a camping trip somewhere.
What seems often to be missed is the intensity of this situation. Grown ups often refer to this chapter and the following ones as 'the flood' - which it is, but we need to see this for what it is - the utter destruction of everything that has gone before - except for one family and the animals that God has put under their care. Everyone else died in a most horrific manner - the rain fell, and they were confused by it - streamlets gathered, and turned into rivers - the people withdrew from this water taking their herds and families with them - they'd be scared by what they feared would happen - nothing like this had ever occured before! They would search for higher ground, huddling together as the floodwater rose - this was rainwater, remember - it took time to build up - more and more people would huddle closer together, eventually, one by one they would drown until no one was left - animals would die first - sheep floating away bleating, until there was only people left eventually there would be too little land for them to stand on and people would start getting desperate - fear and selfishness would make some push others into the water to try and preserve themselves - natural swimmers would try to find more land to stand on, until they couldn't any longer and evetually give up, exhausted.
This flood was horrific. And we have to stop and think why would a good God do this? Well, the answer is given in the text - man had become so corrupt, so removed from God that God could no longer stand the sight of all this sinning. As an attempt to show them who they are supposed to be - they were designed to walk with God - He is forced to point out who He is in their lives - it is by His hand that they live or die, and yet in their arrogance, they believe that they are masters of their own destiny and can live as they please. God is forced to humble them, because they will not humble themselves.
For generations after the flood, mankind was able to look back and say 'God is BIG and He is worthy of our respect, our fear and our love - simply because He is the creator and He controls our living and our dying and our very next breath and heartbeat'. This is a hard lesson to understand if your perception of God is characterised only by His love - yes, He loves us, but we have to see Him for who He is. And that is GOD.
Many people teach Noah's Ark from a cute perspective - there are animals involved, and so it's often taught to young children using bright coloured elephants, giraffes and zebras, songs sung about it are along the lines of 'the animals went in two by two hurrah, hurrah' as though they're all off on a camping trip somewhere.
What seems often to be missed is the intensity of this situation. Grown ups often refer to this chapter and the following ones as 'the flood' - which it is, but we need to see this for what it is - the utter destruction of everything that has gone before - except for one family and the animals that God has put under their care. Everyone else died in a most horrific manner - the rain fell, and they were confused by it - streamlets gathered, and turned into rivers - the people withdrew from this water taking their herds and families with them - they'd be scared by what they feared would happen - nothing like this had ever occured before! They would search for higher ground, huddling together as the floodwater rose - this was rainwater, remember - it took time to build up - more and more people would huddle closer together, eventually, one by one they would drown until no one was left - animals would die first - sheep floating away bleating, until there was only people left eventually there would be too little land for them to stand on and people would start getting desperate - fear and selfishness would make some push others into the water to try and preserve themselves - natural swimmers would try to find more land to stand on, until they couldn't any longer and evetually give up, exhausted.
This flood was horrific. And we have to stop and think why would a good God do this? Well, the answer is given in the text - man had become so corrupt, so removed from God that God could no longer stand the sight of all this sinning. As an attempt to show them who they are supposed to be - they were designed to walk with God - He is forced to point out who He is in their lives - it is by His hand that they live or die, and yet in their arrogance, they believe that they are masters of their own destiny and can live as they please. God is forced to humble them, because they will not humble themselves.
For generations after the flood, mankind was able to look back and say 'God is BIG and He is worthy of our respect, our fear and our love - simply because He is the creator and He controls our living and our dying and our very next breath and heartbeat'. This is a hard lesson to understand if your perception of God is characterised only by His love - yes, He loves us, but we have to see Him for who He is. And that is GOD.
posted by Nick Cowan at 00:36
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