(God said to Noah) "But I will establish
My covenant with you; you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and
your sons wives with you . And every living thing of all flesh you shall bring
two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male
and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of
every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come
to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is
eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself, and it shall be food for you and
for them.
Thus Noah did according to all God commanded
him, so he did. (Genesis 6:18-22)
In this passage we see the first reference to a covenant in the Bible. After
God tells Noah how to build the ark and how He is going to destroy the earth in
verses 13-17, God then institutes His covenant. For Noah's part after building
the boat, he had to supply the food. This ship through the flood provided safe
passage for Noah, his family, the animals and the food which Noah gathered. In
the big boat all were safe from the storms outside. While the only life that
Noah and his family had ever known, was being destroyed forever.
After the flood, as the water dries up, life again returns to normal on
terra firma. Today some thousands of years later we can look at this passage
and see a type of Christ in the saving structure of a wooden ship. But do we
understand the true sanctuary that this ship really provided, or are we trying
to construct our own sanctuary out of gopher wood of other material our own
choosing?
As we look at creation, do we see a manifestation of this covenant, or do we
see a world to be husbanded by our own genius. Can we really see a garden in
which life, death and dying point toward the majesty of the creator? With the
flood God swept away in remaining vestiges of pristine creation. One most
wonder after the flood had passed, just how different Noah and his family
perceived this new world. Our true only contact with that world today is the
exhaust fumes that vent from our automobiles as we cruise toward a future which
we believe we understand.
As we religious figures interact with this world, we desire to make things
new in a way and with a timing that really is not part of this covenant that
God established with Noah. In short, we either want to bring heaven (and God)
down to earth, or we want to ascend to heaven, both situations on our own
merits, enthusiasms, or wishful thinking, all without suffering the curse of
death. Look at Romans 10:5-13 in that regard. We search for our own glory and
create from our sinful imaginations a theology to justify our perceived
holiness. The last thing we want to do is get involved as the suffering Christ
did. In our context, as the ark through the storm. An ark of safety for dumb
animals and provisions. For the sake of our own Godliness we are above that.
"Thank you Jesus, that I am not like other men, for my doctrines are
superior to others, or my relationship with you is something that others can't
comprehend.
All this escapism perhaps is the reason we have not yet escaped. God
continually brings, not just those sinners, but also those who just aren't as
wise as we are. This, no matter what form it takes is either an attempt again
for us to either establish a millennia (or eternal) kingdom on this earth or to
fly away to that better day. Far too few in the church today (or in ancient
Israel) were willing to work with the stuff that God gave them to work with.
Gopher wood, pitch, food and animals occupied the live of Noah, but thank God
we are privileged to a grander revelation. We still are willing to build an ark
but it must be done with the freedom to exploit my own revelation of God and to
hell with other Christian viewpoints or even more depressing, "God you
don't expect me to clean the stables do you? After all I'm a kings kid! I can
own the whole thing, just give me the money, Lord and I will give you the
glory!"
The church eschatology through most of it's history points to bringing down
God's reign on earth and our important task in helping to further its
influence. The same is true with pre-Christian Israel as well as Nazi Germany.
All these nations as well as virtually every other form a government tends to
point out that God just hasn't suppled enough (money, time, resources, people)
to establish the promised land, so I will get mine and you can get yours
yourself, just like I did. But human suffering continues as we expect
government to fulfill the role that God has provided covenantally to His
people. With that covenant's resources we are supposed to build ships, grow
food, suffer with the suffering, and proclaim the good news of His coming new
covenant in which all things will be forever new. If we truly believed that,
why is it we are trying to amass so much of this perishable, to satisfy our own
gluttony.
As I have tried to write this message, all the giftings that I have become
accustomed to using, seem to have vanished. "I'm stuck with what I got."
But there is vaguely perceived through that depressing concept, that somehow
this is the way God has ordained it. But first he destroyed any vestiges of
Eden in a flood. It is in the recreated commonness of the human condition, of
fallen creation, that God receives glory and not in my desire to understand
glory through human limitations. Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to seek to
better apply my life to the application of all my assets and gifts to the
provisions of the eternal ark, that is Christ. Logs of gopher wood together
with pitch and a design build a ship to stand all the storms of life, to God
alone I must trust in the design of its eternal provision. For if I endeavor to
build for eternity on my own perception of that goal, I will miss all opportunity
to be of any useful purpose in this world.
I can't get over the awesome changes I've seen taking place through the last
few weeks, but Monday was one of the most depressing days I can remember. There
seems to be before me the ability to do some of that mundane ark-like
construction mentioned above. But I perceive the lack of what we call cash flow
to proceed. That is my perception, through which I filter God's purpose for His
glory. But just how that provision will take place is beyond my faith's sight.
In trying to integrate a virtual world community on the internet with real
world applications, it is all to easy to point to our future promise and
thereby loose any practical application to normal common people. We have picked
up a line of notebook computers, that will fly with any made by the big
manufacturers, but unless we are successful at truly integrating technology
with human people, we are just like any other of these new economy models.
Creating a new world for our own personal fortune and glory. As best as I am
able I have tried to understand that limitation, but it is not easy. Just has
it was not easy for Noah to understand the true changes that God had for him
and his family.
The Book of Common Prayer; The Rogation Days; Being
the Three Days before Ascension Day. For the Epistle, Ezekiel 34:25 and
following
I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beast to cease
from the land ; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the
woods (v. 25)
You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your
God," says the Lord God (v. 31)