Genesis 6: 9 – 22
Genesis 7: 11-16
Genesis 8: 13-19
Genesis 9: 8-17
By the Time We Get to Noah...
In our first lesson we talked about the creation story, or creation stories. After God created the world, we then move to the story of the first human beings, Adam and Eve. Genesis 3-6 is about Adam and Eve getting tempted by a serpent, and then having the leave the Garden of Eden after eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Let's just say that they probably took sibling rivalry to a whole other level. Most of what takes place in Genesis 3-6 is about how poorly those who followed Adam and Eve did with their free will.We do have a genealogy from Adam to Noah, putting eight generations between these portions of the story. The ages that people lived to then seems amazing (the oldest living person listed in scripture is Methuselah at 969 years). Most were over 70 before having children. This raises the mystery if they used our modern way of telling time, or something different. However, an important part of that period was the problem of humanity (where did all the people come from? More mystery!) in living up to their responsibility to care for creation and each other.
When we get to the Noah, we find out that God really isn't happy with humans. "I wish I never made them," God says.
In our previous lesson, we talked about the fact that many cultures have creation stories. Well, many cultures also have flood stories like the one we are about to hear now. Does that mean some sort of global flood must have happened? Does it prove a climate shift and massive melt and freeze such as what we hear predicted by “Global Warming?”
It is impossible to know, so here we only deal with our tradition’s flood story in scripture. We get to see God's rage in this story. Yes, God’s anger is troubling, and it won’t be the last time we hear about God being angry. Also, it is good to remember that in the time these stories were put down on paper (papyrus actually), there was no understanding of good and evil as separate or opposing forces. People thought that all things came from God and whatever came, good or bad, was surely deserved. They thought that if bad things happened to good people, it must be due to the sins of their parents or children (Thus the expression, “sins of the father…”). Noah seems to have done well, however; that is where today’s story begins.
I'm Very Dissappointed in You... (Genesis 6:9-22)
The story of Noah and the Ark is a very familiar story to people. We can imagine Noah, an old man with a white beard and dressed in a cloak sitting in a large boat filled with animals. We might even see a bit of the rainbow that appears at the end of the story. It's a nice and pleasant story.
But the story in the Bible is far from nice and pleasant. When we start reading this text, we see that God is very angry with all of creation. God is so angry that God wants to get rid of all of creation.
Think about that for a moment. God wants to destroy all of creation. All of it. Even the little children who we tend to think did nothing wrong. Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman notes that thinking about the destruction of an entire society is upsetting and in fact it's supposed to be.
This passage also shows a God that is into judging in a big way. Theologian Terrence Fretheim notes that God is like a parent that is upset with how their children are acting. And like a parent, God wants to punish the wayward children.
But all is not lost for creation. God sees that Noah is still faithful and establishes a covenant this lone righteous man. God is not going to get rid of all of creation. Instead, God provides a plan of salvation. Noah is to build an ark for his family and for two of every animal. In this passage, we see God's wrath and judgement, but we also see God's mercy.
Questions:
- What do you think about a God that wants to destroy creation? What does that say about God?
- Is God a just God or a loving God? Which appeals to you more?
One account of the Flood story (called the Priestly account), there wasn't a flood as God hitting the reset button and the earth reverting back to the watery chaos that it once was (Genesis 1:2).
The other interesting note from this part of the text is verse 16, where God is the one that closes the door of the ark. It's a reminder that from the flood to the building of the ark God is the one in control, not Noah. This is also a harkens back to the Creation story which was also a tale the reminded its readers who was the One who called the shots.
Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows? (Genesis 8: 13-19 and Genesis 9: 8-17)
How many of us remember the song by Kermit the Frog called "The Rainbow Connection?" It's the opening song from "The Muppet Movie." It open with the lyric, why are there so many songs about rainbows?
After a rainstorm, the sight of rainbow gives us a sense of safety and assurance. We are no longer afraid of the storm that came before. Instead, we are captured by these sights of color.
In the last part of the flood story, Noah and his family are now out of the ark and the devastating flood that destoyed all of God's creation is now over. God makes a covenant with Noah which is in effect a covenant with all of humanity. God would never again destroy the earth with water. The rainbow was a sign of God's faithfulness and mercy to all of creation.
Closing Questions
- What parts of the scripture got left out in your telling?
- What is the lesson or moral behind this story?
- What questions do you have about this story?
- What gives you hope in this story?
- What makes you uncomfortable?
- What does this story tell us about God?
- What could you leave out of this story without changing the meaning?
- What could you not leave out?
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