16 February 2021
And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favour in the sight of the Lord.
Genesis 6: 5-8, 7: 1-5, 10, NRSV
Today we hear part of one of the best known passages of the Bible. The “story” of Noah is so graphic and compelling that many people remember it from childhood days. At face value, it seems to be a story of God’s anger, but as with all good stories there are layers of meaning. Just a few days ago we heard about God’s creation of a world that was deemed to be “very good”. Now we are told that with the passage of time people have become increasingly disobedient and wicked. It could be said that humankind was on a path to self-destruction. God’s intervention was a way of renewing the human race and providing it with another opportunity to live good and godly lives. We see through God’s instructions to Noah and his family that the intention of the flood was not to bring about total destruction. Those who loved and obeyed God as well as animals were spared. Even in the lengthy time of preparation for the flood, Noah preached a message of repentance allowing people the chance to change their ways. So, the story of Noah can be seen not only as one of the destruction of sin but also of God’s mercy.
- Why do you think Noah found favour with God?
- Who would find favour with God today?
Today’s reading offers a truncated version of the story – you may find it helpful to read it in full from Genesis chapters 6 and 7.
Image – Noah’s Ark by Edward Hicks
