Tag: #Noah

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.

Proverbs 14:32

In our last post, we summarized the biblical story of Noah and the Ark. Today, we will reflect on the story to find the sacredness in the ancient event known as the Great Flood. 

The Story of Noah provides a different snapshot of God.

The Heavens and the Earth

God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between, and it was good. Then, humankind wandered away from God. Except for Noah. God rewarded his righteousness by saving Noah and his family from the flood. 

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

…At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down…

Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.” 

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them,
“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

Genesis 6:9, 8:3,15,16, 9:1

I Am God

God was in the tragedy as the conductor of the orchestra. In this case, God was the Giver and the Taker of life. He created humankind and wiped out the human race except for Noah and his family, for they re-populated the earth. A message was sent to the world: “I am God.”

Why Was Noah Saved?

He was righteous.

Noah, a man of unwavering righteousness, stood out among the people of his time. He walked with God, a living testament to his faith. In scripture, we see very few people explicitly identified as “righteous.” They included: Abel, Abraham Lot, David, John the Baptist, Cornelius the Centurion, Simeon, and Jesus. And even, Rahab the prostitute.

So, what is righteousness about?

Psalms and Proverbs, and other obscure passages offer insights about what it means to be “righteous.” Let’s read them…

The righteous give generously (Ps. 37:21) & without sparing (Prov. 21:26)
The righteous choose their friends carefully (Prov. 12:26)
The righteous see their ruin and rejoice (Job 22:19)
The righteous care for the needs of their animals (Prov. 12:10)
The righteous eat to their hearts content (Prov. 13:25)
The righteous shout for joy and are glad (Prov. 29:6)
The righteous care about justice for the poor (Prov. 29:7)
The righteous lead blameless lives (Prov. 20:7)
The righteous are as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1)
The righteous stand firm (Prov. 10:25)
The righteous are rewarded with good things (Prov. 13:21)
The righteous hate what is false (Prov. 13:5)
The righteous detest the dishonest (Prov. 29:27)
The righteous attain life (Prov. 11:19)

The righteous will inherit the land (Psalm 37:29)
The righteous will rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 64:10)
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree (Psalm 92:12)
The righteous will never be shaken (Psalm 112:6)
The righteous will never be uprooted. (Prov. 10:30)
The righteous will thrive like a green leaf (Prov. 11:28)
The righteous will live by faith (Gal. 3:11)
The righteous will see their downfall (Prov. 29:16)
The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13:43)

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom (Psalm 37:30)
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11)
The lips of the righteous nourish many (Prov. 10:21)
The lips of the righteous know what finds favor (Prov. 10:32)
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers (Prov. 15:28)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Prov. 11:30)
The light of the righteous shines brightly (Prov. 13:9)
The path of the righteous is level (Isaiah 26:7)
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun (Prov. 4:18)
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16)

Did a shiver run down your spine as you read this list?

Fret not.

Here is another perspective to consider.

As the wise Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, [there is] no one who does what is right and never sins.”

Instead of seeing some of these scriptures as contradictions, as I did at first, let us remember that the Bible was written by many people, each one with a different perspective. Their points of view differ from one another – anywhere from ever so slightly to clearly more boldly. We can glean one truth in all of this so far today.

To walk with God is to have faith in God, to do what is right when we can, and to live our lives with love toward ourselves and others. When we live in love, we cast out fear and anxiety. This allows God’s love to shine a light on our path. 

Like Noah, we have a choice. We can walk faithfully with God. Or not. We can choose to believe in God or not.

In essence, Noah saved us all as the flood rid the earth of life (almost). If it weren’t for Noah’s walk with God, there would be no world as we know it today.

Therefore, the sacredness of Noah’s  story lies in hope. 

Hope

Hope that God will find favor with us.

Hope that God will save us from death.

And hope for everlasting life.

We can blame God for the flood. Or we can accept that tragedies are part of a bigger picture that we can’t comprehend—and trust God even so. This is called “faith.” And in faith, there is hope.     

In part 6, we will continue to pursue finding the sacredness in tragedy.

#Noah #Flood #Sacredness #WhereWasGod #Tragedy #LifeQuestions

It is natural to question adversity, suffering and other overwhelming experiences. But maybe it is not so natural to question their sacredness. Is it?

If we truly are created in God’s image, then it makes sense to question God about our trials and tribulations as we go through life. People have been asking God such questions since the beginning of time. 

What has Been Covered Thus Far

Part 1 discussed The Challenger disaster, which forever changed the lives and dreams of so many on that fateful day in January 1986. Part 2, the Story of Cain and Abel revealed a glimpse of God’s very nature. Part 3, we grappled with sacredness and how it fits into tragic events.

Today, we will peek at the story of Noah and continue to explore some of the questions we ask ourselves when tragedy strikes.

“Where was God?” and “Why did this have to happen?”

The Story of Noah

Most of us are familiar with Noah and The Flood. For those who aren’t, God instructed Noah to build a large boat (the Ark) and bring animals and his family into it when it was time. The rains came and flooded the land. The villagers and city dwellers alike perished, as did all other living things.

God had created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between, including the human race. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells us that God was pleased with all of it. Note that the story of creation is detailed in Genesis Chapter 1.

 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 
And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 

Genesis 1:31

IT. WAS. VERY. GOOD. Or was it?

Then, in Genesis Chapter 4, we read story of Cain and Abel. Two chapters later, there is the story of Noah. So, we see the progression in the first few chapters. It is a downward spiral, if you will, that hit rock bottom with The Flood.

God was beginning to doubt what had been done. The Bible puts it more strongly, telling us: “the Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:6). You can imagine the pain and suffering God experienced witnessing the intended GOOD that was slowly unraveling. Which revealed the EVIL that was ruining what he had created.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
 —But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

Genesis 6:5, 8

Simply put, God wanted to wipe out the human race because the hearts of the humans became hardened and fell out of community with their Creator. Except for Noah, who was the one righteous man who acknowledged God’s sovereignty, ie: God’s wisdom, power, and authority over all creation. Noah remained true to God and was obedient to him. His building of the Ark, and its subsequent settling on Mount Ararat, saved humanity from the floodwaters of death.

A Rainbow

The story ended with a promise—a rainbow. God’s covenant promised never to destroy the entire planet again. 

In Part 5, we will continue to search for the sacredness in tragedy by reflecting more on the Story of Noah.

#Noah #Flood #Sacredness #WhereWasGod #Tragedy #LifeQuestions