Saturday, February 13, 2016

RIGHT

Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Noah is described as righteous and blameless. “Righteous” describes a person who observes God’s laws and avoids wrongdoing. There is a positive and negative aspect to being righteous, doing what is right and not doing what is not right. 

The author throws in the phrase "Blameless among the people of his time". This is not scripturally endorsed relativism as if Noah was blameless compared to the people of his time. Rather, even though Noah's generation was so "wicked" God decided the best course of action was a massive uncreation event, blameless means Noah could lay his head down at night knowing that he had dealt properly and fairly with those he interacted with. No one could point a finger at him and accuse him of anything that even appeared shady.

We are meant to see a contrast here. The corruption of the Earth and humanity stated earlier in the chapter compared to a righteous and blameless man, Noah. The future Noah saw is described in the first verses of  chapter six. An alternate future, one God desired to create, may have seemed like imaginative calisthenics. The contrast existed between the future that seemed inevitable and the future God wanted for humanity. Noah knew he had a destiny.

The events of Noah's time are intended to show us not so much why God decided to uncreate creation, but rather why God chose to save Noah. It was because of the nature of the relationship he maintained with God and the nature of the relationships he maintained with others, his neighbors. We should also see what is possible when both are in good condition.

Just a meandering thought...

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