TEACHING NOTES Introduction In the previous sessions we have learned that after Adam and Eve’s disobedience evil, violence, and murder has increased. Cain has murdered his brother Abel and continues to disobey God by building a violent city with violent descendants. Hope arises in Gen. 5 with the birth of Seth whose descendants are worshipers of Yahweh. But by Gen. 6 we find another rebellion has occurred in God’s heavenly family to corrupt humanity. Along with the sons of God and daughters of men giving rise to violent Nephilim, humanity has plunged into sexual immorality, violence, and murder. Now God has get involved before humanity causes its own extinction. Seven Stages of the Flood Story: 1. The decision to send the flood and save Noah (Gen. 6:5-12). 2. The command to build the ark (Gen. 6:13-22). 3. The command to enter the ark (Gen. 7:1-5). 4. The flood comes (Gen. 7:6-24). 5. The flood subsides (Gen. 8:1-14). 6. The command to exit the ark (Gen. 8:15-19). 7. The building of the altar and the covenant (Gen. 8:20-9:19). *from The Pentateuch As Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary by John H. Sailhamer. Perspective/Point of View Changes: As we read the story closely we will notice that the camera angle changes. The story begins from God’s perspective as He looks down from heaven. We’re given a vertical angle to see as God sees. But when the flood begins the camera goes horizontal and God becomes strangely absent. During the flood we only see from our point of view. Only after the dry land reappears the story returns to God’s perspective again. Pattern: Creation - Decreation - Recreation Exodus - 10 Plagues brought on Egypt and their gods Joshua - the conquest of the Promised Land Revelation - describes 7 plagues, war and violence, and ends with a new creation in which there is no sea (Rev. 21-22). Pattern: Salvation through Water Exodus (Red Sea) - Exodus 14 Joshua (Jordan River) - Joshua 3 New Testament (Baptism) - 1 Pet. 3:18-22 Revelation (No More Sea, but a River of Life) - Rev. 21-22 Genesis 6:5–6 ESV 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. The LORD saw = A common pattern in the Torah. Anytime the authors tell us that “the LORD saw” or “God sees” we should pay close attention and recall the previous stories that include this idea. Remember that the first time this pattern was introduced in Gen. 1, when God saw that His creation is good. Gen. 6:5 is a clear contrast and plot twist. Wickedness = Heb. ra’at - evil, no good Intention = Heb. yeser - creation, shape, striving Thoughts = Heb. mahasabah - reasoning, thinking, plans Heart = Heb. lib - the inner self Only evil = Heb. raq ra - only bad or only evil Continually = Heb. kal ha yom - all the day Regretted = Heb. naham - to want comfort or rest Grieved = Heb. asab - to feel emotional pain Wordplay: Noah, Comfort, & Regret Noah = נֹחַ - noah Comfort = נָחַם - naham Regret = נָחַם - naham *While the common translation is “regret”, a better way to understand this is that God was so grieved that He wanted “comfort” or “rest” from seeing all the violence and evil in His creation. The flood not only brings comfort to humanity but also to God. Question: How could an all-knowing God feel regret? This is a common question that contains an assumption. It assumes that one cannot regret or feel grieved about something that they know is going to happen. It assumes that if one feels regret or sorrow, they cannot know the future. But we know this assumption is not true. We all know that people will die, but we still experience pain when death occurs. We know what a bad decision will lead to, but we still experience regret when the consequences come. God experiencing regret or grief does not mean that He doesn’t know the future nor that He made a mistake. God knows the outcome of His and our decisions, evil grieves Him, and He knows the plan to fix it. God created humanity with free will, which is the opportunity to choose. Since God declared in Gen. 1:26-27 that humans will rule the earth, and God cannot go against His own word, He allows humans to choose good and evil. God repeatedly refuses to override human free will. Therefore, the evil in the world, and the consequences of it, are not God’s fault. Humans commit, allow, and promote evil. Just because God created humans knowing that they would rebel does not make Him responsible for their rebellion. God gives humans a choice and we are responsible for what we choose. ​ Genesis 6:7–8 ESV 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. I will blot out man = While this sounds like harsh judgment and punishment, we should consider God’s point of view. The earth has become so violent that it is headed to self-annihilation. We see this in the Hebrew of Gen. 6:13 which says, “And Yahweh said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them...’” God sees that the end is near for humanity. Therefore, God decides to save humanity by choosing Noah to restart the project. Noah found favor = This is another wordplay with Noah’s name. The Hebrew word for “favor” (חֵן) is Noah’s name spelled in reverse. It’s as if the author wants us to think that God is going to reverse the evil and violence through Noah. The Hebrew word for “favor” (Heb. hen) refers to fondness and grace. Another reading could be, “The eyes of Yahweh found grace for Noah.” Why Noah? Gen. 6:9 tells us that Noah “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” Noah was like Enoch, so God saved him. However, we find out that Noah eventually fails (Gen. 9:20-21) and his son Ham rebells (Gen. 9:22-25). Pattern: God Brings Comfort/Rest through a Man In Gen. 2 God creates a man to spread His garden and presence. The man and his wife function as priests of God’s temple/garden for humanity. In Gen. 6 God chooses a man (Noah) to bring comfort and rest. Noah functions as a priest in Gen. 9 by making sacrifices and entering a covenant with God. In Gen. 12 God chooses a man (Abram) to create a nation of priests (Ex. 19:6). In the New Testament, God sends a “man” (Jesus) to bring comfort and rest (Matt. 11:28-30). Jesus is the High Priest for humanity (Heb. 4:14-15). Jesus promises to send a “Helper” or “Comforter” to His followers (John 14:16). Jesus’ followers become a kingdom of priests (1 Pet. 2:9) who bring the gospel of salvation, comfort, and rest to humanity (Heb. 4:9-10). Because of God’s salvation through Jesus, all who die in the Lord from now on are “blessed” and receive “rest” (Rev. 14:13). ​ Genesis 6:9–10 ESV 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These are the generations of Noah = Again we have a genealogy that tells us that the author is making a transition in the story. Gen. 6 begins with a large-scale rebellion of the sons of God and the violence of mankind. Now the author is going to zoom in to Noah’s story. Righteous = Heb. צַדִּיק (ṣǎd·dîq) - This does not mean that Noah was perfect or sinless. This word refers to right standing or right relationship. Blameless = Heb. תָּמִים (tā·mîm) - This means without defect, unblemished, or good quality. This is the same word used later in the laws about what kind of animals could be sacrificed. Only tamim (unblemished) animals were to be used. Noah walked with God = The same is said of Enoch in Gen. 5:22, 24. In order to correctly understand Noah’s righteousness, blamelessness, and walking with God we must keep reading. The author tells us that Noah believed and obeyed God against all odds. This sets us up for Abraham’s story where we find that he “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Pattern: Faith as Righteousness Noah’s story gives us the framework of how we should understand faith and righteousness. The fact that God calls flawed men righteous and they are portrayed as people of great faith (Heb. 11) should make us stop and think. Faith is not simply belief but an attitude of loyalty proven by action. When people declare their faith/loyalty and show it by obedience, God declares them righteous. This concept begins with Noah and Abraham where their faith led to righteousness for others. In the New Testament, Jesus’ faith and obedience leads to righteousness for all of humanity. ​ Genesis 6:11–12 ESV 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. Corrupt = Heb. שָׁחַת (šā·ḥǎṯ) - ruined, destroyed, blemished. The earth was filled with violence = Violence and murder is so prevalent that humanity is ruined and at risk of extinction. ​ Genesis 6:13 ESV 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. I have determined to make an end of all flesh = This is a poor translation and is even acknowledged as such by the footnote in the ESV. The Hebrew literally reads, “The end of all flesh has come up before me.” This concept of something on earth rising up to God is a common pattern from Gen. 4:10. I will destroy them with the earth = Lit. “I will corrupt (שָׁחַת - šā·ḥǎṯ) them with the earth.” Humanity has ruined the earth, so God is going to use the earth to ruin humanity. God uses the “fountains of the deep” and rain, all parts of the system of the earth, to end humanity. Instead of going through the flood story verse-by-verse, we will observe several interesting details and their meaning to the overall story of the Torah. Interesting Observations: Sevens: The number seven is used in the flood story a few times. The literary design of the story itself has seven sections. Noah is told to take seven pairs of clean animals and seven pairs of birds. God brings the flood after Noah and his family are in the ark for seven days. Noah waits seven days in between sending forth the dove to find dry land. The flood ends on the 17th day of the 7th month. Building the Ark & Creation: In Gen. 1 God speaks, a command is given, and then the command is carried out. In Gen. 6 God speaks to Noah, commands him to build the ark, and the commands are carried out. The creation narrative ends with a divine blessing (Gen. 2:1-3). The flood narrative ends with a divine blessing (Gen. 9:1-3). Building the Ark & Building the Tabernacle: In Gen. 6:14-16 God gives Noah specific details of how the ark is to be built and ends with a covenant and obedience (Gen. 6:18; 9:8-17). Later in Ex. 25-39 God gives Moses specific details of how the tabernacle is to be built and is signified with a covenant contained in an ark and they obey and build it (Ex. 40). Clean Animals for Sacrifices: In Gen. 7:2-3 Noah is told to take seven pairs of clean animals and birds on the ark. In Gen. 8:20 the reason for these clean animals is revealed as they are for sacrifices. In Lev. 1 sacrifices of clean animals and birds are commanded. In both Gen. 8:21 and Lev. 1:17 the same exact phrase is used to describe God’s pleasure with the sacrifices, “a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” After the flood, God moves the waters... ​ Genesis 8:1 ESV 1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. God remembered Noah = This does not mean that God had previously forgotten Noah, but is a common Hebrew way of saying that God was faithful to Noah. God made a wind blow…the waters subsided = In Gen. 1:2 God’s Spirit (wind) is hovering over the face of deep waters before the days of creation begin. In Gen. 8:1 God uses wind to remove the flood waters. In Ex. 14:21 God uses wind to divide the Red Sea. In the New Testament, Jesus has the ability to calm storms on the sea and walk on the surface of deep waters. Noah begins to function as a priest... ​ Genesis 8:20–22 ESV 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Noah built an altar = Noah is acting like a priest. He makes sacrifices for himself and his family. In Gen. 3:21 God killed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve. In Gen. 4 Cain and Abel are offering a sacrifice at the door of the garden in Eden. Now Noah is following that example. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma = This same language is used later in the Torah to describe God being pleased with the obedience of humans. I will never again curse the ground because of man = In Gen. 3:17 God had cursed the ground because of Adam’s disobedience. Lamech (Noah’s father) laments this fact and hopes that his son will bring relief from this curse (Gen. 5:28-29). The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth = This does not mean that humans are born evil. The Hebrew word for “youth” is neurim which refers to a person who is young enough to be unmarried. God is saying that all humans start to sin when they are young. While the earth remains…shall not cease = This could be translated, “The earth’s days will remain…and shall not cease.” If this translation is correct, God would be promising that the earth would never cease to exist. ​ Genesis 9:1–3 ESV 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. God blessed = From previous passages in Genesis we learned that when God blesses someone it is a statement of purpose. Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth = Noah and his family are given the same blessing/purpose as Adam and Eve. God is restarting His project with Noah. Fear, dread of you = It seems that before this point animals and humans lived in harmony with each other. After the flood, animals have fear of humans. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you = Before the flood, humans only ate fruit and plants. After the flood they are allowed to eat meat. ​ Genesis 9:4–6 ESV 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. You shall not eat flesh with it life/blood = Since the blood represented life, the humans are not to eat or drink blood. This concept will be developed further in the Torah, especially in the laws of God’s covenant with Israel. For your lifeblood I will require a reckoning = We might understand this as a first law after the flood. Murder requires capital punishment. Whereas previously God enacted protection or punishment for violence and murder, after the flood God now requires humans to protect or punish other humans. Before the flood violence and murder ruined humanity. After the flood a deterrent is given, which is the death penalty, that would ensure justice and protection for humanity. For God made man in his own image = Here we are given God’s reason for such high value on human life. Humans are made by God in His image. This means that when murder has occurred, a person has actually killed a fellow image of God. Therefore, an attack on a person is an attack on God. ​ Genesis 9:7–11 ESV 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Be fruitful and multiply = Again, God reminds them of their purpose. I will establish my covenant with you and your offspring = God’s covenant is a promise to Noah and all future generations that He will never again cut off all flesh. While this verse focuses on the flood as the method, earlier in Gen. 8:21-22 God promises not to curse the earth and that the earth will remain. This means that God has promised not to destroy the earth again in any way. Question: Will God destroy the earth in the end times? Some have said that God only promised not the flood the earth but that in the future God will destroy the earth by fire. This idea is based on 2 Pet. 3 where the flood is mentioned and also fire. However, this text does not say that the earth will be destroyed but actually purified. The new heavens and new earth that we read about in Rev. 21-22 is not an entirely new creation. Rather, the heavens and earth will be renewed or remodeled into something new. God is not destroying the earth and creating a new one, but creating something new from the old. ​ Genesis 9:12–13 ESV 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Sign of the covenant = In Gen. 4:15 we see that God gave a sign for Cain, which was protection from being attached. When God makes a promise or covenant, He often gives humans some sort of sign as proof or a reminder. For Noah the sign is the rainbow. For Abraham and Israel the sign was circumcision. For us several signs are given: the cross, baptism, communion, the indwelling Holy Spirit, etc. For all future generations = This tells us that God’s covenant with Noah is also with everyone who would live after Noah. God’s covenant with Noah is also a covenant with us today. Set my bow in the cloud = God seems to like giving signs in the clouds. In this case it is the rainbow. For Israel God would show up in the clouds or even as a cloud. God’s presence could be seen in the tabernacle and temple by a cloud of smoke. Finally, Jesus will return on the clouds. The Main Point of the Flood Story: God refuses to give up on humanity.