Flood - The Path From Ruin to Renewal

Wednesday, October 21
 
Noah waited, we wait, we grow when we trust in the waiting. But trust what and who? Back to the flood narrative.
 
Genesis 8:16-19- 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” 18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
 
I know this may sound like it is simply an animal parade, where the animals, Noah, and his family exit the ark. But pay attention to a few things.
 
There is a key phrase in the middle of this passage that should get our attention; multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it. Where have we heard that before?
 
Back at creation right, Genesis 1:22 for the animals and 1:28 for humanity. Not only that, but notice the verse parallels from Genesis 1, creation, to Genesis 8 and 9 recreation...
 
I would encourage you to take some time with the parallel passages.
 
Gen. 8:1 connected to Genesis 1:2, 2:7, Gen. 8:2 connected to Gen. 1:7, Gen. 8:5 connected to Gen. 1:9, Gen. 8:7 connected to Gen. 1:20, Gen. 8:17 connected to Gen. 1:25, Gen. 9:1 connected to Gen. 1:28a, Gen. 9:2 connected to Gen. 1:28b, Gen. 9:3 connected to Gen. 1:30.
 
What we see is that because God handed humanity over to its ruin, the cosmos was ruined, desolate, it had non-order like before creation. But now God is moving from ruin to renewal, from uncreation to recreation, from death to life. Tim Mackie shares it this way, “when God delivers from death, it is also an act of creation.”
 
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes today to sit quietly and ask God this specific question: "Where do you want to recreate something in me?" Write down what comes to mind without filtering or editing it.