One Degree to Another
As I blog through the Bible chapter by chapter, there are going to be occasions where it is necessary to stop and work through several chapters together before looking at them individually. The flood in Genesis 6-9 begs for a larger consideration before working through the details in each individual chapter.
Often when we think of the flood, our minds turn to Sunday School images of animals climbing on two by two. As we get older, we start to think about the horrible suffering which took place in the flood. If you are the Bible nerd type, you wonder what on earth is going on with the “sons of God” and “daughters of men.” None of these details are the main point of the flood narrative.
The narrative of the flood begins in Genesis 6:10 and concludes at 9:19. Commentators have detected a chiastic structure in writer’s presentation of the flood. This type of structure presents topics in order and reverses the order in the second half of the passage. When this takes place, whatever is in the center of the structure is the writer’s main point. You can see the structure of the flood narrative below. (This structure is slightly adapted from Kenneth Mathews’ commentary on Genesis 1:1-11:26.)
Introduction (6:9–10)
A Violence in Creation (6:11–12)
B Resolution to Destroy (6:13–22)
C Command to enter the ark (7:1–10)
D Beginning of the flood (7:11–16)
E The rising flood waters (7:17–24)
God Remembers Noah (8:1a)
E’ The receding flood waters (8:1b–5)
D’ The drying of the earth (8:6–14)
C’ Command to leave the ark (8:15–19)
B’ Resolution to preserve order (8:20–22)
A’ Blessing and Peace (9:1–17)
Conclusion (9:18–19)
Notice the center of the flood narrative. “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark.” The word “remember” in the Bible does not mean God had forgotten about Noah and the animals on the ark. The word is covenantal and has overtones of calling a promise back to memory. God promised Noah at the beginning of the narrative that He would bring his family safely through the flood. Now the earth is flooded and God “remembers” His promise to Noah. Notice the very next thing that happens. “And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” God remembers Noah and those on the ark, so He causes a wind to blow over the earth so that the waters subside. God remembers His promise and acts to fulfill it.
The flood narrative teaches us that God is faithful to His promises. God makes promises, remembers them, and acts on behalf of His people to fulfill them. This truth carries tremendous implications for Christians. The Christians stands on the receiving end of many tremendous promises. God will not remember our sins. He grants us an inheritance in Christ. He will never leave us nor forsake us. These promises form a bedrock for confident Christian living. Living as a Christian means walking by faith in these promises throughout everything life throws at us. When we are tempted to believe God has abandoned us, we remember He will never leave us. Those who are pulled to love this present world and all it offers can remind themselves of the massive inheritance awaiting those who are in Christ. Men and women struggling with chronic guilt draw encouragement from God’s promise to forgive when we confess our sins.
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