15 February 2023

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelt the pleasing odour, the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

From Genesis 8:6-13,20-22, NRSV

We are told that Noah’s first action after leaving the Ark was to build an altar and to make a sacrifice to God. Noah’s sacrifice involved the use of “clean animals” which he and his family may well have needed for sustenance as they rebuilt their lives following the flood. But Noah knew that a worthy sacrifice in atonement for sin had to be done in this way. We are told that Noah’s sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord. As a result of Noah’s fidelity and sacrifice, peace was restored between God and Creation and God promised that despite the evil that humans had committed and most likely would commit again, that there would never again be such an act of destruction.

• • Why do you think that Noah wanted to make a sacrifice to God?
  • Why do you think God made this promise to Noah?

Take time to appreciate the gift of God’s Creation