Noah, a time of darkness

Noah: A Journal of Praise

The movie Noah will be released tomorrow, March 28th, in the United States. We know little about the film apart from a few trailers and some early reviews. But, one thing we do know is what the Bible says about Noah. There is a Sunday School version of Noah’s life. However, this version often does not represent what God recorded in the Bible. The life and times of Noah were dark.

If you think things are bad in the world today, things were worse, much worse in Noah’s time. Evil in men’s hearts was unrestrained. The animals had no natural fear of man and they along with all the earth were wicked. The wickedness became so great that the book of Genesis tells us that God was grieved that he had made man and animals. The earth had become corrupt. The story of Noah needs to reshape our idea of what is evil is like.

God did bring the flood and with it the destruction of life. You know the story of the ark and the rescue of Noah’s family and the animals with him.  Of Noah’s 950 years, one year and ten days were spent on the ark. For a short time after he left the ark, things were bright, better.

However, even the beauty of the rainbow spoke of dark times ahead. When the Lord made his covenant with Noah, he knew the heart of man would remain wicked (see Genesis 8:21) The rainbow anticipated the coming of Christ. God gives mankind his covenantal promise that he will not again wipe life from the earth, even though the human heart of darkness would remain.

The rainbow was a beautiful reminder that God would patiently wait for the coming of Christ to pour out his wrath and to provide redemption for his people. How fitting it is that we often see rainbows after violent storms.  Even in darkness there is hope!

But for Noah and his offspring, darkness would continue to plague him. Noah would become drunk. His own son would defile him. The immediate legacy of men would be to defy God and attempt to build a great tower as monument to themselves. The next light would come many years later. God would call a man named Abram to be a blessing to the nations.

Regardless of what the movie Noah will be like, the biblical record is clear. God’s message will not change. The story of Noah represents what happens to man when he rejects the rule of God. Darkness and evil is the result. God’s redemption in Christ remains our only hope.

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