The Flood

Last updated on: March 3, 2014 at 3:44 pm by Scott Slayton

The Flood 2014-03-03T15:44:27-05:00 Scott Slayton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As I blog through the Bible chapter by chapter, there are going to be occasions where it is necessary to stop and work through several chapters together before looking at them individually. The flood in Genesis 6-9 begs for a larger consideration before working through the details in each individual chapter.

Often when we think of the flood, our minds turn to Sunday School images of animals climbing on two by two. As we get older, we start to think about the horrible suffering which took place in the flood. If you are the Bible nerd type, you wonder what on earth is going on with the “sons of God” and “daughters of men.” None of these details are the main point of the flood narrative.

The narrative of the flood begins in Genesis 6:10 and concludes at 9:19. Commentators have detected a chiastic structure in writer’s presentation of the flood. This type of structure presents topics in order and reverses the order in the second half of the passage. When this takes place, whatever is in the center of the structure is the writer’s main point. You can see the structure of the flood narrative below. (This structure is slightly adapted from Kenneth Mathews’ commentary on Genesis 1:1-11:26.)

Introduction (6:9–10)
A Violence in Creation (6:11–12)
B Resolution to Destroy (6:13–22)
C Command to enter the ark (7:1–10)
D Beginning of the flood (7:11–16)
E The rising flood waters (7:17–24)
God Remembers Noah (8:1a)
E’ The receding flood waters (8:1b–5)
D’ The drying of the earth (8:6–14)
C’ Command to leave the ark (8:15–19)
B’ Resolution to preserve order (8:20–22)
A’ Blessing and Peace (9:1–17)
Conclusion (9:18–19)

Notice the center of the flood narrative. “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark.” The word “remember” in the Bible does not mean God had forgotten about Noah and the animals on the ark. The word is covenantal and has overtones of calling a promise back to memory. God promised Noah at the beginning of the narrative that He would bring his family safely through the flood. Now the earth is flooded and God “remembers” His promise to Noah. Notice the very next thing that happens. “And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” God remembers Noah and those on the ark, so He causes a wind to blow over the earth so that the waters subside. God remembers His promise and acts to fulfill it.

The flood narrative teaches us that God is faithful to His promises. God makes promises, remembers them, and acts on behalf of His people to fulfill them. This truth carries tremendous implications for Christians. The Christians stands on the receiving end of many tremendous promises. God will not remember our sins. He grants us an inheritance in Christ. He will never leave us nor forsake us. These promises form a bedrock for confident Christian living. Living as a Christian means walking by faith in these promises throughout everything life throws at us. When we are tempted to believe God has abandoned us, we remember He will never leave us. Those who are pulled to love this present world and all it offers can remind themselves of the massive inheritance awaiting those who are in Christ. Men and women struggling with chronic guilt draw encouragement from God’s promise to forgive when we confess our sins.

Related Posts:
“Genesis 4”
“Genesis 5“

Bible

Life

Previous Post

February 24, 2014

The Bible and the Alabama Legislature

Next Post

March 10, 2014 Why the Bible Doesn't Have Much "Marriage Advice"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Books Church Life Marriage Parenting Photos The Ministry Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 March 2020 July 2019 April 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz