And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month–on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. – Genesis 7:10-12 (NIV)
This reprise of the flood account adds one important detail, water emerging from “the great deep”. This description is reminiscent of the creation account description of the origin of water on earth, at least some of it is described as originating from the “springs of the deep”. I had always assumed that Noah’s flood was due to the rain, but this description suggests there were other sources of the deluge.
The same conundrum applies as in the post from yesterday. The seven days also seems to echo the creation account, almost as if this account is an “undoing” of creation or perhaps more correctly a “do over” of creation. I think this is encouraging in a sense because since Christ came to earth God grants us unlimited “do overs” . We can always look toward the rainbow and the promise. We are assured a place on the Ark no matter what sort of passenger we might be.
Prayer: May I remember that God is a God of second chances and we can choose to be a new creation in Christ every day.
Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. – Genesis 7:4-7 (NIV)
A constant rain for 40 days and 40 nights. That is a lot of rain. This passage is problematic for me if it is interpreted in a strict literal sense. It is not possible to flood all the earth, there is not enough water. Could God have miraculously done this—sure but why use a natural physical force such as flood and rain? Why not just “unmake” humans?
This passage, and others in the bible describing events that are not possible from strictly scientific perspective, create a philosophical conundrum for scientists who are Christian, and great “straw men” for non-Christians who would like to ignore everything else in the bible. As a scientist who has experienced the spiritual reality of God’s love and forgiveness and believes in God, Jesus, and the authenticity of the bible I am left with at least four possibilities: 1) the account is meant to be hyperbolic, allegorical, or poetic and not a scientific description of the events; 2) the event occurred as described but was miraculously (supernaturally) accomplished by God; 3) the passage was not captured accurately or was somehow misinterpreted during translation; and 4) the flood being described occurred but was only a regional event that affected the “world” known to the author at the time.
Of these possible explanations I favor a combination of #1 and #4. The region that is being described is populated by the rivers described in the previous passages as originating from the garden of Eden. It is not too much of a stretch to think that these four rivers could have caused flooding in a very large part of this region, essentially flooding the “world” as it was known at the time. Large floods have been recorded in the geologic record originating from monsoonal rains, glacial dams breaking, volcanic eruptions, and landslide dam failures. Perhaps the flood was created by a combination or one of these mechanisms. It is of course possible that God acted in a supernatural way to create the flood. This would seem to me to demote God into a magician attempting to impress an audience rather than a loving father caring for his children.
Most of the supernatural miracles in the bible are related to healing or provision of food, both expressions of God’s caring for his people and his relationship with them. The very age of Noah when this event occurs, 600 years, is supernatural from our perspective today. Perhaps creation was operating in a different mode then — although Noah’s age is part of the relationship between God and Noah. Has creation been on a downward spiral of decay ever since the time of Noah’s flood? Did cancer and other diseases exist in the time of Noah? Certainly we have plenty of examples of humans not caring for each other very well — WWI, WWII, the holocaust.
Prayer: God give me eyes to see the miraculous today, even if it does not “make sense”. Help me to engage in discussions of hard passages such as this with both Christians and non-Christians so that we can better understand your love and care for us.
So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. – Genesis 6:13-17 (NIV)
Much has happened since the last verse, man has fallen into sin and changed his relationship with God forever, he was evicted from the Garden, and his “easy” life in the garden was traded for toil and hard work. It appears that man slid into great sin and God finally decided that he had enough and decided to rid the world of man, everyone except Noah and his family.
As I read the story of Noah I can’t help but think of a comedy routine by Bill Cosby where he recounts the conversation between Noah and God. A sceptical Noah is finally convinced that God is not pulling his leg as the rain begins which will bring the promised flood. God sounds pretty resolute when he says he will use water to destroy all life. It is a bit ironic and sad that the very water that brought forth all life was the instrument God uses to cleanse his creation of the sinful ways of man. This is the first time water is described in the bible as a punishment that I recall.
Prayer: Lord as we still struggle with the same sinful ways and desires that were displeasing to you in Noah’s time may we daily recommit ourselves to seeking your wisdom and leadership in our lives.
“A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. – Genesis 2:10-14 (NIV)
This verse has intrigued me as a hydrologist and geomorphologist for many years. It describes a somewhat strange thing — A river which splits into four parts. This is the opposite of what most rivers do. Most rivers have branches or tributaries that join to become larger rivers and have more branches near their headwaters than near their mouths. There are a few places where rivers do split, in particular braided rivers have many channels but they commonly rejoin each other and cannot be considered separate rivers. In Australia they have a form of river referred to as an “anabranching river” which does split into many channels that do not recombine, perhaps this is similar to what is being described here. There is one other way that four rivers could originate from one location and that is a large lake with four outlets, although rare this is possible. The only two rivers which appear to still exist of the original four rivers described are the Tigris and the Euphrates, both of which are located in present day Iraq. When examining this area in Google Earth it certainly looks like the most fertile area in the region and could have been the location where four rivers originated. There is even what appears to be evidence for a lake in the area, based on the fertile land and changes in color. As I read this description it appears to be describing Eden as existing somewhere in present day northeast Syria or northern Iraq (see image below).
Prayer: God grant me the wisdom to see and understand the meaning behind your choice of origin for your people.
“and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground” Genesis 2:5-6 (NIV)
In this parallel account of creation God seems to be speaking in more specific and concrete terms, a bit more like a scientist leaving notes. The description of the earth being without plants is interesting in that there appears to be land and sea but plants are not yet present. It is also important that God mentions no man to work the ground. This is a different focus than the other creation account in which man appears to be important but in a different way.
Verse 6 is interesting from a scientific perspective as there is an ongoing debate in science about the source of water on earth. Some think it came from the heavens in the form of comets, and others think it might have had its origin in the differentiation of earth in it’s early formation (think about the way oil and water separate because they are different densities). The description “streams came up” conjures for me differentiation or at least liberation from an earth-bound state. It could also be describing a natural spring from which groundwater is emerging. I suppose this could also be describing melting of water bound into the earth as a sort of global permafrost melted. Translations differ on whether the water arose from within the earth or was merely a mist (i.e. water vapor). If it is the later it would sound more consistent with the other creation account description of the onset of the hydrologic cycle on earth (Genesis 1:6-7 (NIV)).
Either way these verses appear to be describing the start of a hydrologic cycle (rain was not occurring yet). This cycle operates to this day to provide water to God’s creation and his people. As I look at the clouds in the sky and the rain which recently fell to nourish the plants and animals I remember that it was God’s idea from the beginning. His provision of a necessary commodity for his creation and his people is an important part of his care for his creation.
Prayer: Thank you God for the clouds, the rain, and the springs of water that emerge from the earth. Help me to remember that you are the provider of spiritual “rain” and springs of living water as well.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV)
After creating man in God’s image he gave him “rule” over the fish of the sea. This verse has been interpreted many ways, often by those with a power agenda about who should have power over what is in the earthly realm. My view is that the “rule” that was granted mankind is no different than the “rule” God grants us over our own physical bodies.
We have free will to choose what we do with that “rule”. We can abuse, ignore, or worship our bodies; or we can view them as a sacred vessel created by God to house our soul. Just as all of creation is in a sense the “house” of God’s spirit on earth. We are free to abuse his creation but that is not God’s plan for it.
Prayer: God I give you complete control over my body and I commit to ruling over the parts of creation over which you have given me dominion with grace and love as a servant leader.
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” – Genesis 1:20-22 (NIV)
On the fifth day God brings life into his world. Water has been there from the very beginning, a prerequisite for life and the place where life flourishes. From the smallest bacteria to the largest mammals in the ocean God used the medium of water to bring his creation to life.
The word “teeming” is interesting in the sense that for the entire ecosystem to work it would have to be “teeming” with life. A single species at a time would not have worked. As John Muir once said “everything is hitched together”.
Perhaps we can take solace in this diversity and take a cue for our spiritual and religious lives. The Christian “ecosystem” should be teeming with life, filling all the niches in the spiritual ecosystem so that the Good News of Jesus Christ can be heard in all places and by all people. I think that each one of us has a unique set of experiences and skills which God can use to reach the lost with his message of love and forgiveness. This happens best when we are in community together. If we attempt to “go it alone” we are like a single species introduced, we will not survive.
Prayer: God grant me the wisdom to see what niches you have placed me in to share the Good News. Help make the world a place “teeming” with those who are spiritually curious and seek your face.
Firefox Nebula as taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9-10
I guess the water from the previous verse should be envisioned as being a layer surrounding the globe so it is not until this verse that the dry land areas appear. This makes sense from a physical perspective as when the water is transferred to the atmosphere by evaporation some would be lost to the part surrounding the globe allowing the “sea level” to drop exposing more dry land.
From a spiritual perspective, this seems to speak to God’s ability to foresee the needs of his people and arrange the workings of his creation to accommodate the earth’s amazing life and ecosystem and the introduction of his people in the future. This separating the waters into areas of seas and areas of land is also part of the proper working of the hydrologic cycle on earth. Water that falls on land does many things. It waters plants so they can grow and reproduce, removes toxins and waste, shapes our landscape, weathers rocks and minerals, and provides a critical chemical for life as we know it that lives on land. Without the transfer of water to land all life would stop and earth would be a dry desert world more like Mars is today.
Perhaps God’s spirit provides a similarly essential “chemical” or fuel for the proper function of our spirits and is part of the processes and workings of my inner being so that I can be transformed and changed by God’s spirit. Food for thought.
Prayer: God provide for us the water we need, both to meet our physical needs and to meet our spiritual needs in the form of living water from your Son Jesus Christ.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. – Genesis 1:6-7
The intervening chapters of genesis describe the arrival of light in our world, presumably God is referring to the sun. The sun would then begin to melt the frozen deep and water would begin to evaporate and the atmosphere and hydrologic cycle of earth would be started. The expanse in this case would be earth’s atmosphere.
Separating water from water is a very apt description of the hydrologic cycle, Water in rivers is separated from water that infiltrates into the ground. And so the cycle begins. Water under the expanse is the oceans and the water above the expanse is the water in the atmosphere. Why separate them one might ask. Without separation the cycle is not possible there can be no moving from one state to another to drive all of creation.
Perhaps there is an even deeper truth here about why God would separate himself from us, perhaps it is in the moving from one spiritual state to another that all the work of the spiritual realm is accomplished…interesting thought. A “spiritual cycle” if you will in which we move between spiritual realms to participate in the dynamic spiritual reality we call life and death.
Prayer: God make me aware of your presence in all the spiritual realms of my life. Help me to listen and look for ways that I am part of your “spiritual cycle”.
Today I begin a journey blogging my thoughts and reflections on water in the bible. My hope and prayer is that this trip will lead me (and anyone who cares to come along with me) through the bible in a new way. I am embarking on this journey for three reasons: 1) to improve my daily devotional life; 2) to study and reflect on the way God uses water and images surrounding water to communicate with his people; and 3) share my reflections with others, not that I have any unique insights, but I have studied water from a secular perspective for half my life, it is time I looked at it from God’s perspective. This effort is truly the confluence of two seemingly divergent streams in my life, a faith in the living God embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, and a curiosity and passion for science and discovery. Verses are from the NIV at http://www.biblestudytools.com/.
June 22, 2014
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” – Genesis 1:1-2
It is somewhat amazing that in the second verse of the bible God is already using rich water imagery to communicate deep truths to us about His nature and spirit. The image in verse two is that of a formless sphere of water, sort of like a huge droplet of water suspended in the air the size of the earth, surrounded by the heavens. All was darkness so the sun has not begun to light our world or the water that is on it.
From a purely scientific viewpoint this would mean that any water would in fact have to be frozen as there would be no energy source to keep it liquid, unless God was keeping it so by his will. The phrase “The spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” conjures in my mind something like a pervasive mist or fog that glides over a calm lake on a summer morning –so that the boundary between the two is not distinct.
Perhaps this is the way the spirit of God is with all of his creation, not altogether separate in the way we think of it. Just as the water in the fog is forever moving from the water into the air and from the air into the water, perhaps God’s spirit is able to move freely into and out of his creation. I suppose the big difference is that God is able to accomplish this moving between the created and the spiritual and remain distinct, whereas the water moving into the mist and back into the water is indistinguishable. Perhaps in relation to God’s spirit our spirit is but mist, joining and leaving the more solid “lake” of God’s spirit.
Prayer: God help me to appreciate today your presence in all of creation, in the daffodils bursting with colors, in the breath of wind that caresses my face, and in the trees and plants bursting with green. May Your spirit hover over me this day and direct my wanderings. Amen
Walking on Water 