Were there parts of today’s reading that surprised you or spoke to you? Feel free to share in the comments. I always the love the rainbow promise and remember as a child always rushing outside after a storm to see if there was a rainbow. Even as an adult, seeing a rainbow brings a certain amount of peace.
Can you imagine finally getting off the boat? Walking on dry land. Looking around and seeing nothing familiar and realizing you were charged with starting everything over! I’m not sure I can really fathom the enormity of that task and responsibility. I have moved to a new place many times and have had to start over. It takes a while to get your bearings, to find the right connections: church, doctors, shopping, etc. Noah had none of that. He had God to watch out for him and a loving family to help him.
God warned them and gave them strict instructions about what to eat and how to punish anyone who takes a human life (even an animal). A life for a life. I have to admit I don’t know what happens around the world now. But with all the wars and fighting over this and that, there is a lot of bloodshed. If we were true to God’s command here, anyone that kills should also be killed. Many soldiers wrestle with this. I would have a hard time with it.
Having been trained in the martial arts, I am confident I could subdue an attacker without killing them. However, should my life or the life of a loved one be in danger beyond my training, I cannot say how I would respond. The assailant is still a child of God. We live our lives thinking those kinds of tragedies only happen to “other” people. We do need to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings at all times. As we read in the news regularly, there are a lot of messed up people in this world doing very messed up things.
I was thinking about all the tasks I have ahead for today, and then I thought of Noah having to repopulate the earth. My tasks are pretty much small scale in comparison. Still the same, I need to be mindful of what I have been tasked to do in this world. I need to keep my mouth open and be telling others about Jesus. He’s coming soon, we need to be ready.
Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for the promises you give us. It saddens me that our world is full of corrupt and unloving people once again. Forgive me when I stray from you and get caught up in my selfish ways. Help me to open my mouth and give you the praise you deserve. May I be mindful of my job in this world and keep that as my main focus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
