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Lamech hoped that Noah [which means comfort or rest] would bring to the human race the comfort that was so terribly needed. (Genesis 5.29). He knew about the curse which God had placed upon humanity due to the sins of Adam and Eve; he also knew that there was hope for relief (comfort) from that curse (see Genesis 3.15 where the Seed of woman was promised to triumph over the serpent). While Noah was not the promised seed, there are events involving him that are worthy of our attention.

If a person’s character is a good predictor of how one will react under certain circumstances, we can know something about Noah and how he felt about the condition of the world around him. As was noted in yesterday’s installment, the entire creation was swallowed up in sin, apparently pursuing it with all their energy and ingenuity (see Genesis 6.5). We do know that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2.5) and that he did not approve of the human conduct that surrounded him. Concerning a somewhat similar situation many years later, Peter speaks of “…righteous Lot who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.” (2 Peter 2.7). Again is it only reasonable to believe that Noah was similarly vexed by the way sin was openly flaunted by fellow humans during his day. Again it was said that Lot “tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their [citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah] lawless deeds.” (2 Peter 2.8). Drawing a comparison again, it would only make sense that Noah reacted in much the same way to the debauchery that was commonplace among his neighbors and extended family. Noah, probably more than we can imagine, longed for rest and comfort from the oppressive weight of sin which his environment pressed upon him.

God did not destroy the world by the flood simply to grant Noah the rest that he needed, but that could have been a factor. Another factor could have been the unspeakable and horrid fate that awaited the young innocents of the day. They had no ability to choose their environs and were seemingly destined to grow up with wicked and depraved adults managing their lives. Believe it or not, there is a fate worse than death; we may not like to think such conditions exist, but they did and they still do! Before we judge God as being unrighteous or uncaring, we would do well to admit that we do not have all the facts. God did; we don’t. The God of all comfort may have wished to relieve human suffering to an equal or greater extent than He wished to eliminate the evil from Noah’s generation.

Fast forward a year and ten days (not forty nights and forty days as some think) and the flood has ended. Noah emerges from the ark onto a dry but tremendously changed earth. The landscape is without sight of human habitation. Nothing about that earth (unless God had personally made such provisions) could have appeared very inviting. Yet, Noah’s first act upon exiting the ark was to offer sacrifices to the God of all comfort who had delivered him from the evil world in which he had lived. What fate awaited Noah? What assurance did he have of God’s continued protection and care? The past was certainly an indicator, but God did not stop there.

God made a covenant with Noah and every living creature! His commitment was clear: “Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9.11). Further, “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9.13). Talk about comfort; God provided it! There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there is the promise of protection that the God of all comfort has extended to all living creatures for all time!

Questions:

1. From what did Noah need rest (comfort)?

2. Discuss the possibility that God was actually moved by compassion upon the innocents when he destroyed the inhabitants of the earth by the flood.

3. Why would Noah have felt compelled to offer sacrifice to God upon leaving the ark? (It might be interesting to note God’s reaction to that sacrifice; see Genesis 8.20-22)

4. What is the current significance of the rainbow according to Genesis 9.13?

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

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