The Bible CourseSample

The flood, the ark and the rainbow – time for a new start

Reflect:

‘Why can’t I change?’ Have you ever asked yourself this question? You may have resolved to change your lifestyle, break a bad habit, or listen more and speak less. The Bible continues to give us the most compelling explanation for the complexities of our human nature. Within us all there is a deeper problem, and until it's dealt with, it will always be there. This is why true change is so hard.

Once out of Eden, the story portrays the expansion of the human race. With its expansion comes a spreading darkness. No wonder God's ‘heart was deeply troubled’(Genesis 6.5).

How is the God of the Bible different from how we might think?

God is not a robot. He's tender-hearted and feels deeply. Sin saddens him and forces him to act decisively. He recognises a need for a new start: the whole human race will be wiped out through a mighty flood, except for one family.

What does the flood reveal to us about God's nature and ours?

There’s more here than extreme weather fronts. Sin requires judgement. The ark here is a symbol of mercy triumphing over judgement. One family is chosen to be saved, not because Noah was perfect but because God is perfect, and he’s set on restoration, not destruction. Noah’s rescue can be our rescue. We deserve judgement too, but God has made a way of escape.

God saves Noah’s family from judgement, for a purpose. Using virtually the same words he spoke to Adam, God commissions Noah as the new Adam to ‘be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth’. The rainbow is the sign of God’s promise (Genesis 9.13). It symbolises the hanging up of his war bow, meaning he will not give up on his people.

But our condition is revealed by what happens next. Noah gets drunk, passes out naked in his tent, and is humiliated. The world has been given a wash, but something’s gone wrong on the inside. The heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart. That’s the message of the flood.

Respond

God longs to restore you, and he often uses other people to show us this. Today, take a first step towards restoration by sharing with a friend an area of your life that you know needs to change but is proving to be difficult. Ask them to encourage and pray for you.