The Story - Watery Consequences

In the story of the universe, the plot continues to develop and the world continues to spiral down into evil. Adam, Eve, Cain, and Lamech are followed by nearly every inhabitant of the earth, and the wickedness of the human race becomes great. All hope for humanity seems lost, despite the promise that one day, all evil would be crushed. 

But one man did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and that man was named Noah. 

It's a recurring theme that sin must be punished. We saw it in the Fall, and we see it again here. And God determines to punish the evil of the world by wiping it out with agreat flood, destroying both them and the earth. But God is just, and he has mercy on Noah and his family, because Noah is righteous—so he tells Noah to build a boat, a ship of huge proportions, and to fill it with his family and every kind of beast in the field. 

Here, we see God's righteousness and mercy side by side. Though he can't ignore the evil of the people in the world, he wants to show them mercy, and he does. God didn't have to warn Noah about the flood—God doesn't have to do anything, at least nothing for our sake—and yet he did. Why? 

But back to the story. Noah builds the ark, ignoring taunts from people who have no clue why he's building such a big boat, of all things, and after years, it's complete. The family and animals board it, and we wait, in hushed anticipation, for the water. 

And the water comes. 

It comes from the sky, from the floodgates of the heavens. It comes from the earth, from the springs of the deep. The water comes, for forty days and forty nights. And it destroys everything in its path. 

Except for the ark, and its inhabitants. Noah and his family are kept safe. 

And for 150 days—almost half a year—they float, on the surface of the tumultuous ocean that has covered everything they have ever known. 

But God remembers them. And he pulls back the water, so that the earth can begin to heal. Eventually, the ark comes to rest on the top of a mountain, and soon, the dove that Noah sends out to check if the ground is dry doesn't return. 

After nearly a full year of living on the ark, it's finally time to leave. Noah steps off the boat—imagine how that step must have felt!—and sacrifices to the Lord. God promises never to destroy the earth with water again. And he makes a covenant with Noah and his family, to fill the earth with their fruitfulness. As a symbol of this covenant, he places the rainbow in the sky. 

In the story of the flood, we see sin. We see sin's consequences, and God's mercy. And we see the redemption that occurs for those who trust in the Lord and obey his commandments. It's a beautiful story, and a beautiful resolution—but one that isn't quite complete, because even Noah and his sons aren't perfect. 

But the story parallels the greater story, the one that will be resolved perfectly. When the earth will be cleansed once more, not by water, but by fire, and when God's followers will be made new. And we'll be able to step out of our ark, onto the dry land, and we'll know that we're finally, finally safe.