Sermon Notes for March 5th

March 5th, 2006
“A Sign of the Covenant”
Genesis 9:8-17

1. This past year we were once again made aware of the immense and sometimes terrible force of nature and the power of water to not only sustain life but also to wreck tremendous destruction.

The Tsunami in SE Asia and then the Hurricane Katrina which
Hit the gulf coast in America were natural disasters of literally – should I use the word? – Biblical proportions. In a matter of no time – huge amounts of ocean water devastated homes, schools, buildings and killed large numbers of people. Even whole cities or parts of cities were laid to waste!

And in the face of such calamities – many people were hard pressed to make sense out of life itself – which seemed out of control and unbelievably precarious. We can hardly imagine!

Some people, of course, tried to reconcile these events by saying that it was God who caused them – as a punishment for sins of various kinds. However, this didn’t go over very well with most people both because it seemed as though they seemed to compound the problem by laying the blame on very specific groups in our society – and also because they really didn’t do justice to who God is and how God operates within history and within nature.

2. So, this morning, we come to consider what was apparently one of the world’s greatest natural disasters – at least within the memory of humankind – the great Flood - which is spoken about in the book of Genesis and concerns Noah and his Ark. Which is one of the most powerful and memorable stories in Hebrew Scripture and one which almost everyone in our society knows about to some degree. (Just think, for a moment, about all the many jokes, humorous stories and cartoons which are based on the Noah story.




Well, nowadays, the story of the Great Flood continues to raise considerable controversy – particularly because of the whole debate about Creationism and Evolution (or modern science). In fact, hardly a day goes by, lately, that I don’t read a letter to the editor in the Pioneer where one side or the other is bashing their opponent over this whole issue. While I find it interesting at times, I really wonder whether all this is necessary.

But, for the sake of the argument, let me give you some background on how our interpretation of the Bible can confuse (or possibly clarify) what the Noah story is all about.

3. To start with, it is well known that about 300 cultures around the world have stories of some kind of a massive flood which seems to have occurred way, way, back in ancient stories or myths (or in what is sometimes called pre-history). Of course, in Judeo-Christian countries, the most widely known account is in the story of Noah's Flood, as it is recorded in the Bible (Genesis, chapters 6 to 8.)

Now, the story of the worldwide flood of Noah has fueled conflicts between geologists and Christians since the early 19th century - long before Darwin was born.

On the one hand - Christians who interpret the Bible literally generally still believe that the book of Genesis was written by Moses under the inspiration of God. This was for most people the conventional view of the Bible which existed up to the time of modern science. In this view, the original Hebrew text of Genesis was preserved from all error. Which means that the worldwide flood happened just as Moses recorded it: all humans and animals were exterminated, (except for those who made it to safety on the ark which included 2 or 7 animals of each "kind," and Noah, his wife, and family). Therefore, considering the percentage of the human race who were killed, it can be argued that the universal flood was the largest genocide in human history, involving the extermination of all almost every man, woman, youth, child, infant and newborn.

The reality of this worldwide flood forms a vital part of the belief system of some (but not all) Christians – and is particularly espoused by those who call themselves Creation Scientists. And they have based all their theories of astrophysics, geology, paleontology, linguistics, and anthropology entirely upon the creation, flood and Tower of Babel stories in the book of Genesis. In particular, they hold that the universal flood was responsible for the deposit of massive amounts of sediment in successive layers. This, in turn, solidified to produce the layers of rock observed today by geologists. Thereby refuting the scientific idea that it took millions of years for the world to come into being as is taught by modern science.

4. Now the alternative view of many other Christians (who seeks to find a way to make the Bible compatible with modern science) typically regards the Flood stories in the Bible, in Babylon, and hundreds of others as creative stories or myths which may, however, be linked in some way with an actual historical flood. In this version, the legend of a universal, worldwide flood (as in the Genesis account) is a powerful mythical story which has tremendous spiritual significance; even if it did not happen in reality. For instance, it is argued, for a world-wide flood to take place there would no place for sufficient water to come from in order to produce a world-wide flood that covered up even the highest mountains. Secondly, even if it did happen, there is no place to which the flood waters could go after it was over. Furthermore, according to current biblical scholarship it is now widely understood that Genesis was not actually written by Moses but by at least five different author/editors over an interval of many centuries. This has led many to conclude that the universal flood story was likely derived from an earlier Babylonian myth by two of these authors. This is because there are just too many similarities between the two stories. Well, so much for that…



5. So, having laid out these two differing views on the Flood – let us now turn to science itself and some new theories of what happened which do point to the idea that the Babylonian myth may have come from a much earlier legend which was based on dimly retained memories of a major natural disaster in the area of the Black Sea.
What has happened is that recent archeological and geological studies around the region of the Black Sea (to the north of Turkey) have shown that there may have been a great deluge around the 7th century BC - which would have created widespread loss of life and a mass exodus of people in all directions. This idea was recently reported, if fact, in the July 2000 issue of National Geographic. It is entitled the "Black Sea Flood” and it describes a massive flooding of the Black Sea by Mediterranean seawater -- perhaps started by an earthquake.

6. So, if this calamity - or something like it - actually happened – it provides a plausible connection between an actual historical event and the mythical stories which were developed to explain it such as the great Babylonian flood myth in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Many modern scholars today believe that The Epic (which dates back to the third millennium BCE) appears to be a main source of the flood stories in Genesis. This is also based on what is called in biblical scholarship the Documentary Hypothesis, which shows that there were originally two Creation stories written in Hebrew by two unknown authors, called "J" and "P." (Yahweh and the Priestly writer) These were later interleaved together into a single Genesis account by a redactor (editor) called "R."

Now, if you wonder where the J and P idea comes from – you only have to look at the sixth chapter of Genesis and you will see that there are actually two accounts of the beginning of the Noah story (one after the other) – just as there are two accounts of the Creation of the World in Chapters 1 – 3. While similar in theme – they are not the same in content and are stylistically different – indicating a different author wrote each. The passage we read this morning (Genesis 9:8-17), for instance, is from the Jahwist or J writer.

Now, what are we to think about this seeming reliance of the Biblical writers on a previous story which they did orginally not write? Well, some have simply argued that the Biblical story was written first (which means that the Babylonians must have copied it later on from the Hebrews). But, whatever the case, there are clearly about 20 points of similarity between the Bible story and the flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. 5 However, what we need to keep in mind is that, however you look at it, the biggest difference is that the Hebrew version is written from a monotheistic point of view – whereas the Babylonian one is predominantly polytheistic – and this is the most important point of all (regardless of who wrote which story first).

7. Well, whatever the case, the Flood story makes for exciting and interesting discussion. But, as I have said before, it all really comes down to how you interpret the Bible - factually and literally – on the one hand – or metaphorically and mythically – on the other. Is Flood story an actual fact – or is it poetic story which, while not literal, contains a great truth? Unfortunately, not everyone agrees…or, maybe, ever will.

For instance, even today, many people believe that Mount Ararat (in Turkey) is the place where Noah's Ark landed – even though the Bible does not actually say this. For what it really says in Genesis 8:4 is that the boat came to rest in the Mountains of Ararat – which is a region in which there are hundreds of different mountains. However, since there is also an actual Mount Ararat which is the highest location in the area, many people throughout history have jumped to the unproven conclusion that it was the actual landing place for the Ark. So, for years and years expeditions have continually been sent to Turkey to try find the Ark – but, so far – no luck!

In a way, of course, it’s an exciting adventure. And we all love a great mystery – don’t we? And what if people did actually find Noah’s Ark? That would really be something, wouldn’t it?

It’s kind of like in that great action-thriller move “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones -- who must find the famous lost Ark of the Hebrew Covenant – the actual chest that carried the 10 Commandments - before the Nazis get to it first. Pretty exciting! But, of course, it’s only fiction!

8. Now, as far as I am concerned the truth is that many intelligent people have found various ways to accept the findings of modern science on the one hand and at the same time accept the idea that there are biblical truths which transcend science or exist outside of - or alongside of science - and yet are different because they pertain to the realm of the spirit. And, therefore, just because we are speaking of a different realm - it does not mean that we somehow have to qualify or disqualify the Biblical story of Noah and the Flood on account of scientific evidence – or the lack of it.

For in terms of the biblical world in which they lived the ancient Hebrews … we must understand -- were up against a very big problem which was that - to begin with – there were creation stories all around them everywhere. What is also true is that the actual historical story of the Hebrew people really did not exactly begin with Adam and Eve … but, rather, with Abraham and God’s promise – or covenant (which was later reconfirmed by Moses with the covenant on Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments).

9. Therefore, the account of the Creation of Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, and Noah and Flood belong not to actual history – but pre-history. Which means that these stories are not actual events in time and space – but primal mythical explanations for the origins of the world. For, in what is believed to be the earlier account of the two creation stories (Genesis 2:4 – the J story), Adam is not a proper name at all. For the truth is that no other person in the Bible is ever named Adam. This is because Adam is not really a man’s name at all. The actual Hebrew word is ad-ham which comes from adhamah – and means dust or ground. And, so, this means that we are all made from dust (as we learned last week on “Ash” Wednesday). For what the Bible reminds us is that we are literally creatures of the dust of the earth dust. We are all Adams – for we all belong to humankind.

Now, the other thing we don’t often realize is that in for the ancient Hebrews, there was not just one god in the world. Life in those times was more like it was for the Greeks and Romans -- there were many Gods. In fact, why do you suppose the first commandment states that “thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Why? Because there was a tremendous temptation on the part of the Israelites to actually worship other gods – who not only were around – but were actually very real. And they were, after all, everywhere. It is only now, in the modern world, that most of us have come to believe only in the one God (or not). But, back in the Old Testament the question was different. It was rather: To which God will I be faithful? In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say “there are no other gods” – it says only that Yahweh is the true God of Israel.

10. More importantly, what was going on was that Israel was in constant danger of being swallowed up – or wipe out by larger and more powerful nations. This was especially true when they were nearly exterminated by the Babylonians. And we can imagine how tempting it was for them, in the face of seeming defeat, to just give up and believe that the Babylonians were superior and that maybe, also, that their religion was more powerful. As the old saying goes, “history is written by the winners.”

So, in a way, the Scriptures were a powerful weapon with which to fight back against oppression and assimilation. And the stories in the Bible were there for a reason -- which was to remind the Hebrew people of who they were and how their God continued to be faithful in spite of misfortune. It was literally about not losing hope.
Imagine, now, in the midst of all the calamities and wars and the constant temptations of other religious practices which promised a better life or more prestige or greater security (like the Babylonians) how God was kept alive and before the Hebrew people through the writings of scripture.

For, the stories in the Bible reminded the Jewish people that God would be faithful to them above all other people. And it told them that God had made a covenant with them going back to Abraham and Moses and even before that – with Noah.

11. And the covenant was this: That God would not abandon them – ever. For, if ever God had thought about it – God had decided once and for all against it, and so God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
And, so, if the Jews knew one thing – it was this: There was no other God on earth or in heaven like the God of Israel. And that is how they survived the captivity in Babylon – and how they survive even to this day. And now, through Jesus Christ, this same God has also become the God of Christians everywhere in the world today and also, through Muhammad, of the Muslim people, as well. It’s too bad, really, that we can’t all get along better – don’t you think?

12. So, take a moment, and ask yourself, what does the story of Noah and the Flood mean to me – in my life? What does it tell me about God and his purposes for the world and for me, personally?

On the one hand, is God a self-righteous, judgmental, and vengeful God who causes calamities and who would wipe people out in an instance? Does God cause misfortune, illness, and injustice?

Did Jesus Christ come on earth to start wars? And why did He forgive people’s sins, heal the sick, and oppose wrongdoing by those in power?


Or, is God a God of compassion and love – seeking justice and showing mercy – long suffering and patient – who sent us Jesus so that we might all believe and find salvation?

But, “What about sin?” you ask. Well, the Bible defines the primary manifestation of sin as “being separated from God.” So - on this Sunday when we celebrate communion together - ask yourself what are the things that separate me from God? And what is it that separates me from other people?”

Is it fear, disappointment, illness, resentment, envy, or selfishness?
Now, in the next breath, ask yourself, “What can I do to limit the power of these things which separate me from a better relationship with God and my fellow human beings?”

13. Then ask yourself: What are the things that connect me to God?
Is it prayer or silent meditation?
Is it in helping others or in serving the church?
Is it in the friendships and relationships I have with members of my family and/or with close friends?
Is it in reading the Scriptures that I am drawn closer to God?
Is it in worship and in the celebration of Holly Communion?
How, I ask you, during this Lenten Season can you strengthen your relationship with God through Jesus Christ?

14. So, as I conclude, I call upon us all to remember that the rainbow which Noah saw in the sky is a symbol for us of God’s covenant not to abandon the world but to work with it … to work with each of us … and this is our hope … today and always.

For - along with the dove and the olive branch - the rainbow is a universal symbol all throughout the world representing the connection between human beings and the spiritual realm. Just as in the Bible the rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. The Rainbow is then, a reminder God’s eternal presence linking us all together in this life and the next.