It's kind of dark...

 With Lent coming tomorrow, I tend to be compelled to talk about our weary and weak flesh -- human.  Today, I actually went back to the story of Cain and Abel, but then - for some unknown reason - I kept on reading into chapters 4-9 of the book of Genesis.  As magical as we imagine the creation of the world in chapter 1 and 2, and the stories of Adam and Eve in chapter 3, those next few chapters are at least a little bit dark.  Sure, we get to hear about Seth and his lineage, and how each had many other sons and daughters at incredibly old ages by the time they each die.  However, while the lineage ends with some hope, the first four verses of Chapter 6 can seem very contradictory going into verse 5.

There are creatures that are referred to as Nephilim.  A footnote tells us that their presence is supposed to help us to account for prehistoric giants and a lead-in to the Great Flood.  It tells us that these creatures basically had their way with "the daughters of human beings."  What is intriguing is that the sons of the Nephilim and their wives are referred to as "heroes of old and the men of renown." (Gen 6:4de)  Yet, the very next verse - 5 - tells us that the humans had become wicked, and that "every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil" (Gen 6:5b), and even that God regretted ever making human beings and "his heart was grieved."  Hence, the great story of Noah.  But Noah's story doesn't end the darkness, yet it offers hope.

However, while God is good to Noah, and everyone simply thinks of a rainbow to be the sign that God would never destroy all humanity ever again, the language the author of Genesis uses to be coming from the mouth of God is pretty deep.  He once told Adam and Eve to be fertile and multiply, subdue the earth.  Here he tells Noah that all the wild animals, birds, and creatures that crawl would experience "fear and dread."  He gives them as food for Noah and his family.  Yet, keep reading.  Chapter 9:5-6 says that 

"Indeed for your own lifeblood I will demand an accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from a human being, each one for the blood of another, I will demand an accounting for human life.  Anyone who sheds the blood of a human being, by a human being shall that one’s blood be shed; for in the image of God have human beings been made."

Now...

Sure it sounds very dark.  But there is still that main point that God makes "in the image of God have human beings been made."  And God lays out the punishment for anyone who takes the life of another human being BECAUSE of that divine image.  Now do you only think of the rainbow?  This is far heavier than anyone wants to believe.  And I am sure these darker verses are left out of the Lectionary for a reason.  God still doesn't carry out his threat to destroy all living creatures, even when we get to the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Men and women had gone off the deep end thinking God was far off.  They did whatever they pleased to excess.  BIG MISTAKE!

ALL of humanity was lucky to have Abraham, but Sodom and Gomorrah were not spared.  Humanity would eventually begin down a wrong path after God shows His might freeing the Israelites from Egypt.  What happened?  They made an idol to worship.  Bad move.  Are we getting the picture yet?

Fast-forward to the 20th century and the present times.  How many times in the past 125 years has God had EVERY reason to simply wipe us out?  As I said, the evil that "the desires of the human heart are evil from youth."  It makes me wonder.  How does a man become a cult figure after being made fun of in TV for so many years?  How long ago did he come up with this idea of how to lead?  Did he sit in his history class listening to the way another man ruled a nation and say at that time "if I ever lead, that is the way I am going to be.  He thinks like me."  Has anyone noticed that the only person who has ever smiled less than DT and VP combined was AH?  Now that is scary stuff.

God you have every right, and I wouldn't blame you.