The Flood - In Genesis 1:31, we read God’s final benediction over the created sphere: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” In Genesis 6:12, we read God’s malediction: “And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on earth.” That piercing look of judgment unleashes a flood that returns the earth to the watery void that we first read of in Genesis 1:1. Creation has been de-created; only one man and his family are rescued. The story of the great flood—too often portrayed with cute animals on our children’s bedroom walls—is a story of God’s judgment against sin. As such, it is bad news for you and me, sinners without claim on God’s mercy. But just as Noah and his family were carried safely through the waters of God’s judgment, safe passage is also promised to those of us who put our faith in Jesus Christ. We are buried with Christ in the waters of baptism but raised with Christ in newness of life. Genesis 6:8--8-17
