For 40 Days – Day 4: The Clean Slate Initiative: Conclusions

Key Episode Scripture: Genesis chapters 6-9

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelt the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:20-22 ESVUK)

In the previous three entries, we’ve looked at the episode of the flood found in Genesis, considering the 40 days mentioned. We considered the context, followed by the content, and previously explored some concepts. Quite a lot could be concluded about such a pivotal and monumental episode in humanity’s history. I offer four, especially for what we take away from it about God, humanity, and the mission.

God Cares about Creation

God is presented as one who acts based on what He sees and how He feels about it, saying a lot about Him and creation. Creation is something He viewed as very good. Creation operates that way with those who bear His image reflecting it in their treatment of creation. When those image bearers only reflect a shattered portrait of that, it has environmental consequences. The corrupt and polluted nature of the earth is about man’s inhumanity to man, let alone their mistreatment of creation. There is a line of commentary on the depravity of humanity from this point throughout Scripture. By the time Paul outlines to address the problem in the book of Romans, it’s clear that humanity has no leg to stand on in a bid to pass themselves off as good.

There may be agendas that look to hop on to God, who cares about creation, and use that to advance an approach that magnifies the environment or the climate. What’s evident in these approaches is the misuse of God and sidelining Him to justify acts that once again centre on the ability of man who messes things up to fix things up, even if fixing things only produces different kinds of messes. God caring about creation should point us to God to help us be responsible for the creation, and that responsibility must reflect the high value He places on life.

God has a Plan

The mission is part of God’s plan, a plan that links in with God’s eternal purpose. That purpose is about God’s intention in creating in the first place. That intention is to have those who reflect Him on earth ruling as He rules in heaven to dominate and subdue in a manner that cultivates and nurtures to reflect the wondrous glory of the Creator.

That plan is not thwarted by the corruption and pollution of the earth. That plan is not resisted by man’s heart, which is always evil. That plan continues in the way God provides a way for humanity to be rescued. That plan continues in the way God redeems the entire earth.

This episode reveals that God’s plan will see a time when He will make all things new. We see that pattern repeated in how men and women of God are renewed after encounters with Him. We see how even His covenant with His people will see them restored. There may be seasons where things look submerged, but this is part of the purification process. God has a plan, and in that plan, He provides smaller plans to work towards that greater one. Noah got detailed instructions for the ark and the timing to go in and out. This is something to be assured about – in every season, those in Christ operate according to God’s plan that fulfils His eternal purpose.

God’s Plan works through Obedient and Flawed Humanity.

The last point is linked to something humbling and encouraging. In covenant, God chooses to work out His plan through flawed humanity. It’s not an excuse to entertain the flaws. It is the assurance that a relationship with God may see terms such as “blameless” and “righteous” given, but it won’t reveal flawless. There is one who working out our flaws. There is one who is preparing a spotless Bride for Himself. He’s preparing that Bride – an ongoing activity in a covenant relationship between the perfect one and His creation.

Noah highlights the benefits of walking in fellowship with God and helps us see that God’s plan works through the obedient. Our walk with the Lord in Jesus Christ is still based on that principle of obedience. The grace of God extended to us propels us to be obedient to God. This is not primarily out of duty or a sense of obligation. It’s primarily from the relationship nurtured in walking with the Lord. It reflects what would later be referred to as abiding in Christ. Fellowship with God and abiding in Christ can be synonymous with relational dependence. This indicates how covenantal relations work – the agreement sees the self-sufficient one stoop to engage with a weaker one who has nothing to offer but is provided for.

God’s Plan will Prevail.

God – the ruler and creator of the universe – holds time in His hands. He operates in time but is not confined to it. He knows the end from the beginning. Thus, the plans put into effect by God will prosper. Nothing He sends will return to Him without completing the purpose for which it is sent. That’s something to rejoice in from our perspective, even if we are not granted that perspective of seeing everything from the beginning to the end. We don’t know where or when the plan will be consummated, and everything will become new. We don’t know all the episodes between the beginning and the end. What we can be assured by is knowing the One who knows.

Not only do we know Him, but we are also assured that He doesn’t start anything without seeing it to completion. We can operate with assurance if we acknowledge that eternal purpose and see all things working to that end.

The 40-day aspect highlights that the prevailing plan often calls for seasons of purification, including individual and corporate purification. God’s people were often instructed to do this before going on a mission for God. It’s not something that has halted because of Christ, even as John writes that those who have that hope in Christ purify themselves as He is pure. That is part of God’s prevailing purpose.

These conclusions establish what’s gathered from exploring the context, content, and concepts. We could finish at that point and have much to ponder … but there’s more.

Next, in the final chapter of this episode, we’ll outline some of its consequences. This is to check how we should live in light of what we’ve learned.

For His Name’s Sake

C. L. J. Dryden

Shalom