Thursday 08 November 2012

Background

If God's actions, as described in chapters 6 and 7 of Genesis,had taken place in our lifetime and not in the ancient past, theywould probably warrant the term 'ethnic cleansing'. Humankind hadso messed up God's good creation that God thought it would bebetter to make a completely fresh start.

We know of and have lived through experiences now described as'ethnic cleansing' - in Nazi Germany, in Rwanda, in the Darfurregion of Sudan and currently, it would seem, in Burma with theminorities in that country.

When such horrors happen, the cry often goes up, 'how could agood God allow such a thing as this to happen?' Rarely do we, ashuman beings, turn the gaze and the question on ourselves and say,'what sort of creatures are we that can do such terrible things tofellow human beings?' There is more than ample evidence that thesin against which God reacted in the story of the flood is still asendemic now as it was then.

God had created a good world but the human creatures God createdhad acted in a disobedient and sinful manner and messed up thatgood creation. No wonder God was fed up and "determined to make anend of all flesh".

Yet, as we know, God did not give up on humankind. God did bringabout a disastrous flood which had devastating consequences but Godalso offered humanity an 'escape clause' in the person of Noah. Godinvited Noah to build an ark and take his family and examples ofall living creatures into the ark until the flood subsided.

Why an 'escape clause'? And why Noah? There is no answer exceptthe undeserved grace of God - a grace which elicited a response inNoah, a response of faithfulness and trust.

To Ponder

• In the face of horrific incidents or natural disasters, whenpeople ask you, 'how could God allow this to happen?' how do yourespond?

• We have experienced a lot of serious flooding in Britainrecently. Why do you think flooding, perhaps more than othernatural events, hold such a primordial dread for people?