Tuesday 03 October 2023

Psalm 1

Background

We move on today to the time when the darkness which began with the murder of Abel by his brother, which we read about yesterday, has seemingly continued and indeed deepened as the population grew. Here we read of the Lord’s anger when he sees what has happened to the perfection he envisaged at creation. It is clear that God's inclination is to wipe it all out and begin again, seeing the human beings who were created to undertake the work of developing the wider world have failed. 

Not only is God inclined to clear the human race from the face of the earth, but all of animal life as well. We can feel God's despair I am sure. But then, he finds one man who is different from those he is condemning. Noah the text states “found favour in the sight of the Lord”. (v. 8)  He is married with three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and we will read more of their adventuring tomorrow. 

However these verses today bring to mind our own despair when everything falls apart in our lives. It seems that's how God was feeling, looking upon the world in those days. A hymn by Marjorie Dobson 'God hold us, enfold us' speaks of how we can ask God to hold us and enfold us as we come to terms with the darkness. Perhaps it was looking on Noah that helped God to think that all was not really lost. Here was one man and his family who could take up the challenge and make a difference if he was given the chance to do so. Noah is named as a righteous man, blameless in his generation. In other words he has turned away from the selfishness of many of his neighbours and is seeking to get on with life in the way the Lord intended. God felt Noah should have an opportunity to continue doing this, regardless of the darkness all around and what is to happen to his fellow human beings.

The journey will continue as we work our way through this week.

To Ponder:

• If you were God, looking on as your creation fall apart, would your instinct have been to do likewise and blot out humans from earth?
• Do you agree with those who I have heard quoted that the changes in weather we are seeing at present is part of a similar solution to that we read here?
• Is there a message for our own times in these early chapters of Genesis?

Prayer

Help us Lord to do our best to make the world as you envisaged at the time of creation. Prevent us from allowing our selfish desires to take over from what you would have us be as kingdom builders. Grant your Holy Spirit guide us and keep us safe. We ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.