I had originally planned to cover the Nations Scattered and the Tower of Babel this week, as that’s how the outline broke it down. But there’s so much more in between that it looks like we have at least two weeks before we get there. Let’s slow things down a bit. These posts are already long and feeling pretty heavy. I think trying to plan out every detail ahead of time limits the space to let God lead and direct. So, with that in mind, shall we keep digging in together?
“God did not end the flood because man had changed, but because mercy had spoken louder than destruction.”
— John Chrysostom
This week's song is called The Promise Remains. Imagine stepping out of the Ark the first time. Everything you once knew gone and to add to that you have no idea where you actually are. The air is different, the sky a clear blue like never seen before. I had a lot of fun working on this one and is part of the reason the post is late I hope you enjoy. Just below in the drop down I pasted the Scripture for this week. It is based on WEB version. I only removed the numbers and put it into paragraphs.
“Noah’s offering did not change God. It revealed that man could still respond.”— Irenaeus
What I find most interesting about this particular section of Scripture is trying to put myself in their shoes.
Have you ever lived in a house where multiple families exist under a single roof? Just imagine with me for a moment. You are on a boat with a small handful of your immediate family. The boat is rocking but not because of the water but because Ham didn't feed the chicken and Japheth's wife isn't happy with Shem's wife. This animal decided to break out and try to jump off the boat. Ok, maybe that is a bit much I am certain that all humans and animals on that Ark were well behaved, thoughtful and considerate and never got on anyone's toes.
Talk about "Cabin Fever" I can't imagine it was easy by any stretch. Another thing I have noticed so far is there is no major dialogue from Noah's wife, sons or daughters in law. It won't be until Noah is drunk that we hear anything from any of them. Like I picture Noah on the Ark telling his wife and kids, " Aren't you glad you helped me get that wood? I told you so just rampant. Maybe that is why I find scripture so interesting. I sit and actually think how we could manage a similar event today.
I am being serious here. Think about it. No! Stop! Really think for just a moment. If you are male.... How would you respond to God if you were Noah? How would you have responded to Noah if you were his son? For you women I am sure his wife thought he was absolutely crazy until the first rain drop fell. Remember earlier until the flood rain didn't exist. They didn't know what rain was to begin with. Next walk into that boat. What are you doing all day? What does your family look like here? Are you fighting, bickering and causing strife or are you helpful, understanding and kind? You are a male in the prime of your life where you would be building your life with your family. Your father comes telling you God is going to do this. What is your response.
Why does it matter if we can put ourselves in the shoes of Bible Characters? Well. it reveals our character traits, behaviors and natural reactions. We are not called to be reactionary creatures. We are called to ACT not REACT. Scripture has given us the ability to see into most aspects of the human experience. I fully believe we will see the tribulation time and the church has added to scripture via copy paste method of grabbing verses and applying them recklessly to our lives. How did the early church survive? They held tight to truth.
“The ark preserved bodies; obedience preserved the future.”
Augustine of Hippo
How the Early Church Taught This Passage
The early church did not teach this text as:
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a children’s story
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a morality tale
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proof that God “won”
Instead, they taught it as:
1. Judgment completed, not reversed
The flood ends because its purpose is complete—not because humanity improved.
2. Worship before structure
Noah worships before law, covenant, or nation.
This was used to teach that true worship predates institutions.
3. God restrains Himself
This passage was central to early teaching on divine patience.
God chooses limitation in order to preserve life.
What Is Often Misunderstood or Misrepresented Today
Misunderstanding 1: “The flood fixed the problem”
Text says otherwise.
God explicitly acknowledges that the human heart remains inclined toward harm.
The flood restrains, it does not heal.
Misunderstanding 2: “God accepts sacrifice because He needs blood”
Early church teaching rejected this.
They taught:
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God accepts obedient response
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The offering reveals Noah’s posture, not God’s appetite
Misunderstanding 3: “This is a happy ending”
It is not.
It is a sobering continuation.
The story continues because the core problem remains.
How Teaching Shifted in the Last 200 Years (Post-Darby / Seminary Era)
Before (Early Church to Reformation):
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Focus on obedience, restraint, continuity
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God portrayed as actively limiting Himself
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Humanity seen as unchanged but preserved
After Darby & modern systems:
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Shift toward dispensational compartments
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Flood reframed as a closed chapter instead of a pattern
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Emphasis placed on future escape, not present restraint
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Obedience softened into belief-only categories
Result:
This passage became:
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symbolic instead of formative
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historical instead of instructional
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disconnected from daily life
What “dispensational compartments” means (in simple terms)
Dispensationalism is a way of reading the Bible that divides history into separate eras (dispensations) where God supposedly relates to humanity in fundamentally different ways.
Instead of seeing Scripture as one continuous story with patterns, it treats it like a series of sealed rooms.
Think:
“That applied then — this applies now — that belongs to Israel — this belongs to the Church — that was before the Law — this is after grace.”
Each era is handled almost independently.
What this looks like in practice
Under a dispensational framework:
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The flood is placed in a “pre-law dispensation”
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The law is placed in a different compartment
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The church is placed in another
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The end times are treated as a final, separate phase
So instead of asking:
What pattern is God establishing that continues?
The question becomes:
Which category does this belong to — and does it still apply?
How this affects Genesis 8:15–22 specifically
Early Church Reading
The early church read the flood as a pattern:
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Human violence → divine grief
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Judgment → restraint
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Obedience → preservation
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Mercy → continued history
This pattern was seen again in:
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Israel
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Exile
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Christ
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The Church
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Martyrdom
Same God. Same posture. Same tension.
Dispensational Reading (modern shift)
Genesis 8 becomes:
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“That was for that time”
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“God handled things differently back then”
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“This doesn’t tell us how God acts now”
So the flood becomes:
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a closed historical event
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a curiosity
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a children’s story
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or a prophecy puzzle
Instead of a living warning and restraint model.
Why this shift happened (historically)
Before the 1800s:
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Scripture was read cyclically
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Events were understood as echoing forward
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Genesis shaped how later texts were interpreted
After Darby (1800s):
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Scripture was systematized
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Timelines replaced patterns
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Charts replaced narrative flow
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Theology became defensive and predictive
The Bible stopped being a story we live inside
and became a map we analyze from the outside.
The danger of compartmentalizing Scripture
When texts are sealed off into dispensations:
- Warnings lose urgency
- Patterns lose continuity
- God appears inconsistent
- Obedience becomes optional
- Judgment feels distant
- Mercy becomes abstract
Genesis 8 no longer says:
“This is how God restrains violence.”
It says:
“This is how God acted back then.”
That’s a massive shift.
Why This Matters Now
The early church read this text and heard:
Life is allowed to continue, not because humanity deserves it, but because God chooses restraint.
Modern readers often hear:
Everything is fine now.
The text does not say that. No God will not destroy the world with water again. But the earth will be "recreated" in a sense when the NEW HEAVEN and the New EARTH appear.
What did you find the most interesting in this part of Scripture?
What things did God reveal to you this week? Hop in the discussion below
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