Genesis 8: 20-22

Yet another demonstration of how God delights in those who choose to honour him. As we saw with Abel's offering, it pleases God when we give him our best. Noah's first thought when he left the ark was to build an alter to the Lord and to make an offering. How tempting it would have been to put his own needs first. Huge questions loomed over him, 'where will I live, what will I live in, how will I feed my family?', yet in the face of those uncertainties he made his priority to worship God. Is there any better example of how to face the uncertainties of tomorrow? It is our tendency to marginalise God when we face the pressures of life. By busying ourselves we somehow think we can succeed in our own strength. It might seem to make sense to search relentlessly for work when we face unemployment, to work longer and harder when the bills can't be paid or to study on Sundays when our exams loom. How often do we stop and build an alter when the pressures of life close in? How often do we make space for the sacrifice of praise? Noah's faith demonstrates to us the importance of choosing the right priority.

God's response to Noah's faith is delight. His offering is sweet to Lord's senses. It pleased God. Can you think of any greater joy than bringing delight to your creator? Can their be a higher aspiration? Oh that we would know what it means to give our best for Him.

God's response is to offer Noah grace and certainty for the future. He promises to never again destroy the earth in this way despite the wickedness of man's heart. In other words, 'even though your offspring might deserve this kind of judgment Noah, I will show mercy to them'. God promises to endure with us despite our inclination towards evil. He will give us the opportunity to turn to him for healing. What grace.

Genesis 8: 1-19

This passage begins, as many of the passages in this book have, with God. His centrality to each story is distinctive. The rhythm of the book continually returning us to God. We began with His supremacy displayed through creation, causing us to express joy and wonder at all He did. Now we discover him at the heart of this tragedy. Many would expect such an occasion to be marked by his absence but the truth is that His presence is the reason why so many are found dead. In our society we are reluctant to acknowledge God as sovereign and we try and persuade ourselves he is not a judge. Chapter seven however reminds us of His character and His refusal to tolerate sin. It should be a reminder to us not to be comfortable about the state that our world is in.

Verse one doesn't leave us with God the judge, but presents us again with His redemptive nature. With Noah left floating high above the mountain tops and the world washed out, his hope of survival was dwindling as the food supplies grew thin. The passage reminds us that God is active, taking the iniative in restoring all things. It was God who caused the waters to subside and without Him Noah would have been doomed. We are reminded that God's work in our lives may be dismissed as nature when in fact He issued the command. It was the wind that Noah heard but it was God's intervention that caused it. What followed, probably because Noah knew who was behind the wind, was expectation and action. He began to send the birds out to determine the state of the land.

Noah's relationship with God is marked by God's instruction and Noah's obedience. God instructs Noah when to the leave the ark and Noah steps out again into the unknown. It is a beautiful sequence of hearing and responding that should mark the lives of all who embark on the life of faith. God's commission to Noah is redemptive, to multiply in the land and cause the world to abound again with life.

Genesis 7:17-24

Building on the verses that we have already reflected on, this passage reinforces the horror of these events. In verses 17-20 we are told in four different sentences that the waters swelled and covered the earth. The use of repetition leaves us in no doubt that this flood was unique and all consuming. Then comes further repetition, this time driving home the devastation that accompanied the flood - 'He blotted out every living thing'. If we were watching a play or a film of this passage you can imagine the eerie silence that would accompany these scenes. If the audience could be drawn into the magnitude of these events then no doubt they would be left either stunned or distraught.

I was struck the other day, as I thought about the cross, that these events were almost the exact opposite of what happened as Jesus died. In this case God's judgment was being poured out on everyone and only one escaped it. On the cross God's judgment was being poured out on one man and all around were being saved. As we have reflected on the tragedy of the flood it is remarkable to contemplate the grace demonstrated to those who have chosen to abide in Christ - we have escaped the devastation of God's judgment. He is our ark.