Genesis 8: The Flood is Finished

I was literally waiting all weekend to write this post just so I could post a link to something funny and semi-related to what I am doing. So here it is: The story of Noah’s Ark as told by characters on “The Office.”

You’re welcome.

So today it was Genesis 8. This chapter chronicles the story of the end of the flood and ends with the people and animals getting off the ark and back to the business of filling the earth and multiplying. My only beef with this chapter was that I could never quite tell what was going on with the water! Is it gone? Oh, it’s not. Ok, now it is. Wait, no, it is still receding. Seriously! The story made it very confusing to know what was going on with the water. Fortunately, I don’t think that was the point.

Noah seems pretty skilled in bird-craft. Wonder how he would match up against this guy?

Wow, that was an OBSCURE reference. Where was I?

Oh yes, how did I not know that they all were in that thing for over a year? Why did no one tell me that? Noah must have had incredible patience. The ark is literally in the same place for most of the time that they are in it. He even looks out the window and sees dry ground but still doesn’t leave until God gives him the all clear. That guy was determined to obey God, which probably got a lot easier to do after he saw what God was capable of . . . this would be the flood I am talking about.

God Smells.

There is this lovely little detail at the end of chapter 8. Noah makes a burnt offering and we are told “the LORD smelled the pleasing odor.” Now, it just so happened that I read this line as my housemate was frying up some sausages smothered in brown sugar. So I kind of know how God was feeling right then.

But God smells? I hadn’t heard of that one before. Smelling seems like a very earthy thing to do. It’s not something I would expect from God. That got me wondering what other “human” characteristics God has shown so far. Here are a few I found: remembering, speaking, feeling sorry, grieving, seeing, making clothes, calling, planting a garden.

What we have here is a God that we can identify with in many ways.

But we also have a God who can send a giant flood to destroy the entire earth (that He created using only words by the way) so maybe we shouldn’t get too comfortable either.

The Offer Still Stands

Well, ever since the garden, things have been going south. We ate the fruit. Cain killed Abel. And people got so wicked that God decided to kill them all and start over.  What precautions will God put into place to prevent it from happening again?

Apparently none.

The original call is still good and still applies. “Be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” Creation still gets a chance. And God promises never to do what he just did again.

So after some epic fails, God still invites us into what he is doing. He still has grace. He still has hope.

That is some good news. Where do you need to be reminded that God always has grace and hope for you?