THE FLOOD
Genesis 6: 7-22, What Happened, continued
HAMACO Lesson #2, 1/18/09

If you remember from two weeks ago we read the beginning of the “J” version, which we said was the earlier of the two Flood stories. And we ended with verses six, seven and eight: 6) The Lord was grieved that he had made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7) So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8) But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Let’s begin there and read verses nine through thirteen. As we read you will see that the story seems to be repeating itself, even though it isn’t word for word, and it adds some information. This is because today’s verses come from a different version of the numerous flood stories in circulation then. This, then, is the “P” version, written by priests during the Babylonian captivity. READ vv. 9-13

Now let’s compare the “J” and “P” versions verse by verse, reading “P” first each time. Notice first that “P” begins without any mention of the “J” story of which it is probably unaware. Verse 9: This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. The “J” version says: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Verse 10: Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. “J” does not mention Noah’s three sons directly. Only later, (in 7:7) does he refer to “Noah and his sons and his wife and his son’s wives.” Verse 11: Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. “J” says, “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become…” Right away these words make it easy for us to identify with this story. Now “P” continues: Verse 12: God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. “J” had said it this way: “…and that every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time.” Verse 13: So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them… Here is how “J” said it: “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain. Verse 13 continues: I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” Very similar to what “J” says “So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals…creatures that move along the ground, [and] birds of the air…’” ( Now Read vv. 14-16)

Now let’s read verses seventeen and eighteen with an eye more toward the theological implications rather than the physical descriptions of the rain and the ark. Remember, this is still “P’s” version as God tells Noah, 17) I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18) But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

So the facts of the story itself, in the form we have it, are largely self-explanatory. Before it rained for forty days, Noah, on orders from God, built a huge ark to survive the ensuing flood. (Just a little side bar: it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. What an apt description of faith.) In that ark he preserved enough of each species to eventually replenish the earth in accordance with the covenant God made with him. But if that were the sum and substance of this story do you really think it would have survived thirty or forty centuries? Probably not.

So there is more to it, and that “more” is theological. In other words, we, by knowing it is more than just an interesting story, are moved to ask, what is its meaning, especially in light of the fact that almost all civilizations have similar stories from their antiquities? And could God really have become murderously angry with humankind? There are many, many questions one could ask about this story; but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We will get to some of them in coming lessons. But today we must resist the temptation to get ahead of our text.

So let’s begin with our first question, “What is the story’s meaning, in light of the fact that almost all civilizations have similar stories from their antiquities?” This event may have happened. Nobody really knows. Positive evidence would be nice, but there is none. I used to think that the many similar stories from other ancient civilizations were strong evidence that a worldwide flood did happen. After all, why else would they all have had these stories? But geologists, especially those from Christian and Jewish belief systems, have found no evidence of that. Can we say, though, that since no positive evidence has been found, the Flood didn’t happen? That seems a little premature in the sense that significant artifacts proving ancient events, people and places are quite often found. So armed with some evidence and continued hope, the digging continues.

Our second question, “And could God really have been murderously angry with humankind?” is more difficult because we have to begin with the presumption that God really did get that angry, either that or this is a story he left us to illustrate an important truth he wants us to have. Neither choice satisfies everyone. However, I think I have a way we can utilize both. Let us assume God really did get this angry—but then ask ourselves ‘Why?” Let the geologists continue their search for the “what” of the story, but in the meantime we shall seek its meaning, as either a historical event or a God-inspired story, what does it mean—for us? For that answer, we who revere the Bible as God’s word must dig in other places—holy places. We seek wisdom from words centuries old as if they were written for us; and we believe they were. Too often we are disappointed by the pronouncements of humankind—those who claim to know the Bible isn’t true, but can’t say what is. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us about 1) ancient problems that persist today, situations we can instantly recognize, 2) of ancient inclinations which seem eerily familiar, 3) of the meaning of faith in God and the lack thereof, 4) and of consequences we would rather not consider. To read these stories with our eyes open, so to speak, usually finds us looking uncomfortably into a mirror.

I would suggest that finding God’s will in the stories he has left us is light years ahead of finding the ark. I’ll not soon forget a pastor many years ago, who, when I shared with him my hope for what the Shroud of Turin, if it did belong to Jesus, could reveal, said to me, “Phil, what if it isn’t the authentic shroud of Jesus? Would that destroy, or even lessen your faith?” I guess my answer to that question had to be “No”, for sure enough, we are no closer now to proving or disproving the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin than we were then, yet my faith has grown without such proof. Similarly, finding the historical ark, while it would be very exciting, actually would do nothing for my belief, for as a Christian I am to, “Walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7)

So what would cause God to become this angry? If we go back to the text both versions will give us the answer. Let’s read verses eleven and twelve, “Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” Our narrative prefaces all God’s destructive action with this indictment. He became murderously angry because everything he had created had become corrupt and violent.

Now that’s an interesting paring of words: “corrupt” and “violent.” So what is the evil that first corrupts us and eventually leads to violence? Christian poet, Lucy Shaw says, “We can talk endlessly about power for good versus power for evil, but it has long been understood that no matter what its motivation, personal power may corrupt, and…that results in the destruction or annihilation of another.” In the same vein, Lord Acton of England famously said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Now I know such a lust for power doesn’t answer every question about the genesis of corruption. For instance, theologian H. Richard Niebuhr says, “…we are convicted of having corrupted our religious life through our unquenchable desire to keep…our love of our good in the center of the picture.” But does this, too, not reflect the use of personal power? How else do most individuals and nations acquire and exercise domination and control over others? And for what other reason than, “…to keep…our love of our good in the center of the picture”?

So is it not possible just from our reading of this text to say that in the same proportion that we relax our hold on God, we insure our own corruption? And would it not be true that when we think first of ourselves and what we declare to be ours, we are trifling with the root source of corruption. Do you know why I don’t like to hear this, why I would rather disown such a theory? Because I’m implicated—and I don’t want to face that! Because God, if we use the Old Testament phraseology in this story, destroys us for that. And it doesn’t get any better if we use a more modern understanding of how God deals with our sin; allowing us to destroy ourselves.

The important thing, I think, is to understand that this story, while interesting and time honored, isn’t about a flood. It is about us, and about the consequences of separation from God. But there is hope! That’s the good news. The bad news is that you will have to wait until the next lesson to find out what that hope is.