The only response

Noah built an altar to the LORD; he took one of each kind of ritually clean animal and bird, and burnt them whole as a sacrifice on the altar. The smell of the sacrifice pleased the LORD, and he said to himself, ‘Never again will I put the earth under a curse because of what people do; I know that from the time they are young their thoughts are evil. Never again will I destroy all living beings, as I have done this time.’  (verses 20,21)

Read Genesis 8:6-22

The first thing Noah did when he came out of the ark was worship God. He made an altar and then sacrificed animals on it in gratitude and praise. God was pleased with his actions; and humanity can be very grateful for them as well, since God resolved never to destroy people like that again.

God’s amazing love can be seen in this decision. He makes it while recognising that human beings are not going to change. This decision is echoed in Romans 5: ‘God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!’ (verse 8). And there lies the reason that God could, and did, make his vow never to destroy all living things. He would take his anger out on his Son, not on people.

Noah was rescued from the flood, and he immediately worshipped and praised God. We too have been rescue from ultimate destruction. We too should respond in worship and praise. Noah sacrificed animals. The sacrifice God wants from us is our lives. Lives lived for him by serving those around us, taking his love to people who need him badly.

O Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end. Live in me, so that I may do so. Amen.

by Robert Turnbull, in ‘God’s Promises for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 1999)

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