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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Gen. 8-9
Hmmm….Noah made an offering to God. Because of that offering, God vowed mercy to all of creation. He said, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.” (Gen. 8:21b). So God made another covenant with Noah and with every living thing that was and was to be.
I can’t help but relate that to what Jesus did for us. He made a perfect offering to God. That perfect offering brought God’s mercy to all of creation. I also can’t help but think of all the New Testament references to water and fire, especially around the concept of baptism. It seems to me that the first judgment was with water, and all of creation was found guilty. The second judgment is with fire. Because of Jesus, however, some will be destroyed and others will be refined by that fire. God saved Noah and his family from the first judgment though faith that led to obedience as a sign to us. God will likewise save those who by faithful obedience enter into His provision of mercy through Christ Jesus. As the ark carried Noah and his family through the flood waters, so Jesus will carry us through the fire.
Gen. 10-11
Ah, Babylon…the symbol of human ‘greatness’. It is no coincidence that this is the area that Abraham and his family, starting with his father, Terah, were called out of. God set them apart as His people and led them on an epic, time-expansive journey through all kinds of hardship into His promised presence. And so the Bible story is already on repeat. It was the same with Noah and his family. God set them apart and carried them out of the human condition and into His grace.
This is God’s promise of redemption for those who set their hearts on Him. He calls us out of our human condition and into His merciful presence. However, as I have been noticing more and more in the Bible’s message and see in both Noah’s and Abraham’s stories, we have a whole lotta mess to endure on the way. I think it’s important that we understand that so that our expectations don’t become a stumbling block. How many people have let go of faith because life got hard? Too many, I’d wager. Which is why we also see the repeated theme of holding fast to faith and enduring to the end.