In the beginning the Spirit of God hovered over the deep waters. “And God said, Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky” (Genesis 1:6-7).
We know there are no “waters” above the sky, but the ancient writers of scripture did not share our scientific understanding of the universe. For them, the only one with the power to hold back the deluge of water above the dome of the sky was God. God was gracious by opening windows in the dome, letting rain and snow fall through to nourish the earth. But God could just as easily let go the floodgates and wash away all of creation.
And in Genesis 6-9 that’s exactly what happens. Yet even in the midst of the flood, God separates the waters, this time with the keel of a massive floating wildlife preserve tended by Noah and his family. Later in Scripture we see God separating the Dead Sea and the Jordan river for the people of Israel to cross. In the gospels, Jesus speaks calm over the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee. In New Jerusalem, the dark depths of the perilous ocean have been replaced by a Crystal Sea, smooth and clear as glass.
Throughout the Biblical narrative and many other ancient writings, the sea represents chaos and evil. It is a dark place where sailors feared being lost to the depths, to sea monsters, or simply falling off the edge of the earth. The story of Noah, along with every other instance of God separating, calming, or overcoming the sea, reminds us that God alone has the power to control and contain this kind of chaos and evil.
Ancient kings would extend a bow to their conquered enemies, both promising never to attack them again while at the same time reminding them who holds the final authority. In the same way, God offers his bow to humanity as a sign of his covenant. He will protect and preserve humanity, but his authority remains absolute.
An unmaking of creation was necessary to begin the work of restoration or re-creation. The destructive power of the flood is difficult to reconcile with a God of love, but when we consider this story against the motives and outcomes of other ancient flood narratives, it is by far the most merciful explanation given for this natural disaster which wiped out much of ancient Mesopotamia the way hurricane Katrina did in New Orleans. Other ancient people believed the gods flooded the arbitrarily, angry at the noise humans made. Some believed it was the gods intent that no human should survive, or that any who remained would only do so as slaves to the gods who had destroyed their land.
We know God doesn’t “cause” natural disasters as a punishment today. Given the assumption of divine wrath prevalent in the ancient world, however, the fact that God shows any mercy at all in the Biblical account speaks volumes. What if God’s covenant with Noah is yet another reminder of grace? What if it is the first step among the ancient peoples in realizing that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is different? What if this God is not vengeful like the other gods of their lands? What if this God who would hang up his bow in the sky is the same one who would one day sacrifice his own Son in order to make a way for humanity to come home?
Those who first told the story of Noah may never have understood this truth as we do today, but they certainly caught a glimpse of God’s true nature, God’s grace and love, in the midst of a world where most gods took very little interest in human thriving.
Consider the most tragic events of your life. Where do you see glimpses of grace from the God who loves you through it all?
