By Ryne Brewer
Scripture Reading: Genesis 9:1-29, Genesis 10:1-32, Isaiah 54:9-10, Romans 8:31-39
I have a few big fears that live rent-free in my head. One of those fears is being submerged by water. When I go into the ocean, I’m extra aware of the rip current, so much so that sometimes I won’t go much past my knees (I’m 6’5”). I think some of this fear stems from my swimming lessons as a child. I recall a lack of trust in the instructors teaching me how to swim. They promised to catch me, but I feared they wouldn’t follow through. Fear produces anxiety, and anxiety often forms when we sense we are out of control.
As I was reading through today’s scriptures, I couldn’t shake the fear of being submerged in water. I can imagine Noah and his family experiencing a similar type of fear after enduring the flood. Noah listened to God, and his actions hinged on the very words of God. Every plank he hammered was by faith; each animal he secured on the ark was by faith. It was by faith that he closed the door of the ark to wait for the rain to end. God told him it would rain, that rain would turn into a flood, and that flood would cover the earth. I can only imagine that swirling inside that ark was a lot of fear, anxiety, and unrest.
What’s ironic about Noah’s story is the meaning of his name. In Hebrew, Noah means “rest.” This plays a significant role in understanding the promise God made to Noah in Genesis 9:15. Up until the flood, the world was in unrest. Here, Noah was singled out by God to live by faith and practice rest in the midst of unrest. Noah lived out his name, not by trusting in himself, but by resting in the words of comfort, assurance, and certainty from the God of the floodwaters.
As a child, when I thought about jumping into that pool, I was paralyzed with fear. Instead of wading out into the water, staying distant and cold, the instructor swam close, looked me in the eye, and lifted his hands saying, “Take my hands, listen to my voice, see my face. I won’t let you go under again.” There’s nothing more soothing to the fearful unrest of the human heart than hearing words of assurance from those who know what they are doing. How much more can our hearts find rest amidst our own sin, fear, and unrest knowing that in Jesus, God offers us a better promise than the one given to Noah in Genesis 9?
God’s sign to Noah that peace would reign, compassion would be felt, and love would never end was a bow (Isaiah 54:9–10). That bow foreshadowed the sign of the cross and the empty tomb, where the true Sabbath rest for a world of unrest can be found.
Written by Ryne Brewer
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