X Marks the Spot

 Read Genesis 8

 

Where are we in this story?

 Noah and family are embarked.  They have practiced man overboard drills and general quarters ad nauseam.  God could have thrown in a couple balcony rooms.  Except for the opening a foot and a half from the top, these people are truly shut in.

They were aboard for a long time.  Imagine being cooped up in the belly of a big ship.  You would be thankful that you were alive, but aching for sunshine and green grass.

Perhaps the darkened quarters keep the animals tranquil.  Perhaps it was like a mass hibernation.  This could have been a time of abeyance and repose for the animals, but people need sunshine and fresh air. With all of those animals onboard, one can only imagine that the ark had taken on an air all of its own

This chapter brings us to the center of the literary structure of the account of Noah.  What structure is that?  It is a chiastic structure.

Chiastic comes from the Greek letter Chi/Kai or X.  The Hebrew people did not call this a Chiastic style or structure or even use Greek letters.  They didn’t even know Greek at this time.  Later, when scholars noted the structure, they gave it this label.

Basically, it’s X marks the spot.  The structure builds to the middle—to the center. Let’s examine what that looks like in the story of Noah.  We start in chapter 6.

We have Noah.

Then there are Shem, Ham, and Japheth—those few who would be saved from destruction.

The ark is to be built.

The flood is announced.

God makes a covenant with Noah.

There is to be food in the ark.

God commands Noah and family to enter the ark.

There are 7 days until the flood is to come.

There are 7 days embarked waiting for the flood.

Noah and family enter the ark.

God shuts the door.

There are 40 days of rain.

The waters increase.

The mountains are covered.

There are 150 days where the waters prevail.

There are 150 days when the waters recede.

The mountain tops are visible.

There are 40 days while the waters continue to recede.

Noah opens a window he made in the ark.

Raven and dove leave the ark.

There are 7 days for the waters to subside.

There are 7 more days for the waters to subside.

God commands Noah to leave the ark.

Food outside the ark.

God made a covenant with all flesh.

No flood in the future.

The ark is ready to exit.

Then we see Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the people who will populate the world.

And we come back to Noah.

The story builds up to the 150 days when the waters are at their peak and then another 150 when they start to abate.  But right in the middle of these two periods is one very important statement.

God remembered Noah.

That does mean that God had forgotten about Noah.  It’s not like he forgot to pick up the kids.  It’s not like me walking to the fellowship hall and forgetting why I came.  I already have coffee.  Why am I here?

This wasn’t an aha moment for God where he smacks his own forehead and says “Noah!  I knew I was supposed to keep up with somebody today.”

God didn’t forget Noah.  He remembered that this was a man who was blameless in an evil world.  He remembered that his favor had been poured out on Noah.  He remembered that this was the man who did everything that God commanded him to do.

He remembered that this was how he would continue humankind after the judgment of the flood.

He remembered a man and his family that were shut in an ark with every living creature of the land and sky that would once again fill the earth.

Why would this read God remembered Noah?

Consider that God was saddened that he had made humankind.  The world had gone from very good to something that God regretted making. Some translations even read that God repented of having made man.  Ouch!

Perhaps the words, God remembered Noah, tell us that God once again had a smile on his face for he had found Noah blameless and had given him his favor.

I won’t add words to the Bible, but I think that God remembered Noah and he smiled.  The thoughts of a creation that was good, even very good, came once again to God.

Sometimes remember means to think back to.  Remember those days.  Remember your childhood.  Remember that groundball with eyes that you hit and drove in the winning run.

Remember the Alamo!

Do you remember the movie A Few Good Men?  There is one scene where the night before the Tom Cruise character—Lt. Caffey is going to take on the Jack Nicholson character—Col. Jessup, he thinks that Demi Moore is flirting with him.

She starts to say something about tomorrow but Tom Cruise interrupts.

He goes into his boastful diatribe about how if you have somehow grown to respect how I do things or something like that—some real build-yourself-up language—the whole this girl is hooked on me thing.

Demi Moore answers, “Remember to wear matching socks.”

Remember is an interesting word.  The word in the original text is זָכַר or zakar (zaw-kar').

Its meanings are generally something other than the opposite of to forget.  They are to be mindful, to bring to remembrance, to bring to mind, to celebrate, to still remember, to call or come to remembrance, to extol, to mention, to preserve, or to take thought. 

God didn’t forget Noah. He remembered Noah like we might remember a first date or first kiss, a homerun in the bottom of the ninth, or a state fair corndog.

When God thought of Noah, he remembered—and rightfully so—the humankind that would bring glory to his name one day.  He remembered making humankind in his own likeness.  He remembered—as only God can remember an event that would be in our future—the reconciliation of all things.

God was sad that he made humankind.  The sinful inclination of every human heart made him regret that he had made us. He judged the world and destroyed all life on land and in the sky by a great flood.  God was sad, but God remembered Noah.

Noah was not forgotten. Noah was God’s bright spot in the middle of a sinful and rebellious creation.

God remembered Noah!

When God remembers us—when he calls to mind the person that we are—will he be joyful or will we make him sad?

He has done everything for us to be right with him.  Will our response to this wonderful gift that we call mercy and grace put a smile on God’s face?

Will our faith be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen?

Will our trust in the Lord prevail over our own understanding?

Will we walk by faith not by sight?

When we come to mind—to God’s mind—will he see the creation that he made very good?  Will he see his own likeness? Will he see one of his children bringing glory to his name? Will he see his love manifest in our time through us?

God remembered Noah, and I think that made him smile.  I think it broke his sadness over making humankind.

Know the story of Noah, but be a person that makes God smile every time he remembers you—every time he thinks of you.

Amen.