Parshah Noach - Genesis 6:9-11:32 God’s Unshakeable Promise
Haftorah - Isaiah 54
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When we look at the story of Noah our attention is naturally drawn to the reason for the flood and the story becomes one of judgment. We see the depths of God’s anger as He wipes out the earth. We see Him grieved that He had made mankind. We have our first lesson on how God feels and we are given a revelation about the heart of God.
We live in a culture that is very much centred on us - our needs, our goals and, especially, our rights. Our culture has become very self orientated and, in fact, very selfish. Religion and faith are often presented to us as the answer to our needs, the place where we will truly find our purpose in life and find what is missing from our lives ... it is, but this message of hope has become separated from the essential truths about God. We are preaching a man centred faith instead of a God centred faith: it’s all about what God can do for you. We forget that this is a message of hope not simply because we are in need but because of who God is – a God of righteousness and justice, One who cannot bear sin.
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7
So, yes, this story is about judgment but it is also one of redemption and in it we see God’s faithfulness and His justice. He sees one man in the midst of this and takes note – so often when we are sad and angry we lose sight of what is good around us, not so God. Even though at this point He regrets creating mankind to share Himself with He can still see Noah, like a small light shining in the darkness.
But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:8-9
Noah whose name means ‘rest’ is given this name prophetically by his father Lamech, who foresaw the trouble that lay ahead, and knew that his son would bring comfort and rest.
He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” Genesis 5:29
We see how Noah does indeed bring comfort not only to his family who are rescued from the flood when God tells him to build an ark, but to God also. We read how it rained for 40 days and nights and the flood was on the earth for 150 days blotting out all that God had made, and then God remembers Noah.
This begs an important question: Does God actually forget or can He forget His creation or even us? In this week’s Haftorah reading (the portion of the Tanach [OT] that is read with the Torah portion) is Isaiah 54 where God explains:
“In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer. “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.” Isaiah 54:8-9
It appears that there are times when God turns away and hides His face from us; it not that He forgets us. God’s own testimony is that He will not forget. So when it says He remembered Noah, the Hebrew here also means to mark. So God took note of Noah waiting in the ark and caused a wind to come that caused the waters to recede. His remembering involved a manifestation of His Presence.
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49:15
Its seems like a contradiction: judgment AND Love: the righteousness of God cannot bear sin and so His justice demands that it be judged but His love for us releases redemption and He makes a way for fellowship and relationship to be restored. As we saw from the story of Noah, God judged mankind for its sinfulness, its turning towards all that was evil, and yet His love provided redemption for Noah and his family.
It might be helpful to point out here that the first thing that Noah does when he sets foot on dry land is to build an altar to God and make a sacrifice which God says is a pleasing aroma to Him. God’s response is amazing.
And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.” Genesis 8:21
Noah’s worship moved the heart of God, His moment of anger had passed and Noah reaches out to God; his offering was an act of love and it’s as if God’s heart melts. No doubt Noah was thankful that he had survived and would have prayed that God would be gracious to him in the future. He has seen the power of God directed in wrath towards His creation. And God hears him and answers with great compassion and understanding. He sees the way of the human heart and acknowledges its frailty, its waywardness, it tendency toward sin and promises He will never let loose such judgment on us again. After the Fall when Adam and Eve sinned after being tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit, God had made a promise:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15
This declaration is God’s promise of ultimate redemption for us and victory over the yetzer hara – the evil inclination of our hearts. Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve the sin nature has been transmitted from parent to child from generation to generation. As King David reflected on his sinful nature he concluded, we are all "shaped in iniquity" (Psalm 51:5). We sin because we are sinners by nature.
Many claim that this verse is not truly a Messianic prophecy but is a text taken out of context by Christians. However, Rabbi David Kimchi (a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator) obviously interpreted it as Messianic because he wrote, "As thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people by the hand of Messiah the son of David, who shall wound the head of Satan, the head, the king and prince of the house of the wicked." There is also an ancient commentary that says “Eve had respect to that Seed which is coming from another place. And who is this? This is the Messiah, the King." (Midrash Rabbah 23)
Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) saw this great promise being fulfilled in the salvation and sanctification of God's people. He alludes to this promise as he reminds us to draw daily strength from the promise of final victory over Satan. We are not on the losing team! For us, there is both present victory over the yetzer hara and the powers of darkness over and the knowledge of the ultimate destruction of Satan.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you. Romans 16:20
Genesis is more than a story. It is the record of God's work on behalf of the redeemed. It is the history of God's redemptive work. But it is also a testimony of His Love for us and of His dealings with us. There is much we can learn.
God reiterates His promise adding:
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
His Word makes it clear to us that God’s love is unshakable that He is committed to His Covenants and to us. He is committed to our redemption and salvation through Messiah Yeshua and that His heart toward us is one of love and compassion. He will respond to us as he did to Noah with compassion and understanding because as we come to Him in worship His heart is moved.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15 -16
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