The story of the flood is brought to a conclusion in today’s text. God has been true to his word: he punished sinful humanity and, saved Noah (an upright man) and his household.
REFLECTION
• Have you ever embarked on a long journey without stops? How was the feeling when you finally arrived at the destination? Our answer to this question will help us to understand the offering which Noah made to God when he finally came out of the ark with his household and the animals. God does a lot for us day after day. He watches over us while we sleep; he guards us from evil in our going and coming; he makes us pass our exam; he provides our food and air for breathing. Like Noah, do we show gratitude to God for what he does for us, or do we see ourselves as deserving of such blessings?
• The author presents the sacrifice of Noah as pleasing to God and, God promised not to curse the earth again since he knew human beings and their inclination to sin. It is not as if God changed his mind because Noah’s offering pleased him. Rather, the author wishes to show that God knows us through and through. Do we see ourselves as holy and others sinful? Jesus has forever delivered us from slavery to sin, but we still have the inclination to sin. We cannot hide from God. We must therefore surrender ourselves to him so that he will guide in his ways (Ps 139:1, 23-24)
• In the midst of all the consequences of human sin, God still sustains the world he created. “Day and night will never cease” is to make us aware that God is still in control of the world. We can apply this to ourselves also in another sense. Thus, no matter what we’re going through, we must always remember that our Father has got the whole world in his hand, and he will make all things beautiful in his own time.
May the Lord bless and keep all of us, Amen.
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