January 8: Genesis 8
Themes from the Flood
The first theme of this chapter is scientific. While I am hesitant to map ancient events like the Flood to the findings of modern science, there are some coincidences that are too rich to ignore. First, nearly every ancient culture had a flood narrative. The most reasonable explanation is that all these peoples descend from one flood, and the stories changed over time as the people scattered (see January 11).
The second theme is environmental. Once Noah is settled on Arat, God commands him to leave the ark, commissioning him the same as He did Adam:
17c “…and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
This is a generous God Who loves to see His creation multiply. There is not a whiff here of environmental fundamentalist fear in God that mankind will become too numerous and outrun the earth’s resources. The God Who created the Garden with overflowing, magnanimous generosity - holding back only one tree - has infused the very fabric of creation with that same generosity. As mankind is fruitful and multiplies, so will the earth yield her fruit to support that growth.
Thirdly, this growth comes about through families. Families are the basic building block of civilization. It is, in my view, no coincidence that while polygamy is so common in the Old Testament, both points at which multiplication is so crucial - with Adam and with Noah - each of them only has one wife:
18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
The power for fruitfulness and multiplication has never been about sheer numbers. After all, God will later promise barren, childless Abram that from his seed will come offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Sadly, Noah’s family will break down very quickly (see Genesis 9). Noah was a great man, but we need another, better Noah. That “better Noah” is prefigured in verses 20-22.
The last theme is spiritual. One thing we need not be taught is how to sin (21). Yet God is gracious; He will not cause the earth convulse in judgment from its basic, natural processes again. If He did there would be none left. Instead of cursing the ground, He will let loose the flood of his judgment by cursing His Son, hung on a tree for us.
It is no wonder that at Jesus’ death the earth convulsed and the skies unnaturally darkened. By faith in him we are taken through that flood of judgment, yet safe on the other side (2 Peter 3:6), cleansed, as though through baptism (1 Peter 3:21).
Therefore, trust in Christ, for the next judgment will be of fire (2 Peter 3:10).