Now that we're back at the start of Genesis again, we get to revisit all the wonderful, captivating, and entertaining stories that the first
Book of the Bible has to offer us. This week, we learn once again about the Flood. And who could ever forget the dramatic and terrifying story of the massive deluge that once consumed the entire earth? Surely we all recall this epic tale of Noah and his family, along with an enormous amount of animals; the only creatures who survived to repopulate the planet. It certainly sticks in your mind... that is, unless you're God.
Surprisingly, we find in chapter 8, verse 1, after water had consumed everything for 40, and then another 150, days: "God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark..." Not only was Noah stuck on this boat with thousands of animals for the better part of a year, but GOD FORGOT HIM!!
How do you lose track of the ark? It's not like there's so much else going on at that time. The Etz Hayim Torah Commentary tries to redeem God, by saying that, "'To remember' in the Bible is not to retain or to recall a mental image. It is to focus on the object of memory that results in action." So it's mainly about taking action, that God was done flooding the place; now it's time to start rebuilding. But I found myself dwelling on that word, 'forget,' and thinking about other instances in the Torah where God, or people, forget and then remember again. God 'takes note' of Sarah, and remembers the promise to Abraham that they would have a child. Jacob is 'forgotten' in prison (though by one of Pharaoh's servants, not God). Genesis ends with Joseph telling his progeny that God will 'take note' of them and bring them up from Egypt. The Book of Exodus begins with the enslavement of the Israelites. Two chapters later, we are finally told that, "God heard their moaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob."
Later on in the Torah, we also see forgetting and remembering used for both positive and negative commandments. 'Remember' the Sabbath Day (Ex. 20:8), yet we are also commanded to BOTH 'Remember' AND 'not to forget' to wipe out the Amalekites for what they did to us during the Exodus. It's almost an entire Biblical theme unto itself, who remembers what and when. But as the Etz Hayim
points out, there is almost always a connection between recalling and DOING something. It's not merely passing reminiscence; it's an alarm bell going off in your head, imploring you to take action. The Noah story teaches us so much about destruction and rebuilding. It's certainly true in our lives, isn't it? How much easier is it to break something down than it is to recreate it? Whether we're talking about physical construction, severing a relationship and trust, or tearing down someone's reputation and good name; they are all so much easier to ruin than repair.
Even God became distracted by all the chaos of the Flood. Perhaps there was a moment, nearly 200 days into all the destruction, when God finally realized it was time to start again. How daunting!
200 days is NOTHING compared to the millenia it would take to build up civilization again. And what if God was worried about once again getting emotionally invested in humanity, only to see them plunge themselves into corruption, evil, and hate once again? No wonder God preferred to keep the rain going and postpone Noah's triumphant return to dry land. It was certainly easier to just let it keep raining... But we all must learn God's lesson. Eventually, the chaos must end. We must all take responsibility, put both feet on the ground, and remember our obligations to ourselves, to others, and to the entire world. Yes, it can be scary. But there's no other alternative; we must do it. Don't forget!
Photos in this blog post:
4. CC image courtesy of garryknight on Flickr.
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