Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People, mankind was blighted by bloodshed
Speaker 1: and discord. Noah was determined to oppose the culture. Behold,
Speaker 1: I would destroy them with the earth. I would bring
Speaker 1: a flood to wipe this earth clean. I have appointed you, Noah,
Speaker 1: to build an ark. Noah gazed at the Ark, a
Speaker 1: towering mononith against the sky, its shadow stretching over the valley.
Speaker 1: He watched his sons, no longer boys, but men bound
Speaker 1: by duty and the promise of future generations, soar, chop,
Speaker 1: hammer and sand the vessel's final touches.
Speaker 2: This world is sick. These people are plagued by evil.
Speaker 2: I know what they deserve, but I can't bring myself
Speaker 2: to fully accept it. They're all going to die.
Speaker 1: Thousands of creatures, two by two, ran into the Ark,
Speaker 1: their hoons, paws and claws thumping and scratching against the
Speaker 1: ark's floor. Flashes of lightning replaced the sun's light, and
Speaker 1: thunder roared like a predator ready to kill. The voice
Speaker 1: of the Creator spoke through the tempest through the ark.
Speaker 1: Nor underneath the white noise of falling rain and rushing water,
Speaker 1: the screams became audible. Desperate blood curdling screams. Noah ran
Speaker 1: to the door and pounded his fists against it. His
Speaker 1: shouts were surprising to the others.
Speaker 2: What's wrong?
Speaker 1: We made it?
Speaker 2: If you don't weep with this suffering, you'd know better
Speaker 2: than them.
Speaker 1: Outside the skies wept and the earth quivered. God's wrath
Speaker 1: poured forth, but it did not blease him. He sent
Speaker 1: the flood with regret and sorrow. The waters prevailed over
Speaker 1: the earth, and the scene swallowed every creature given the
Speaker 1: breath of life.
Speaker 3: A fresh start doesn't mean we forget the past. It
Speaker 3: means that we learn from it instead of letting it
Speaker 3: hold us back. Shadow my friends from here in the
Speaker 3: Holy Land of Israel, i'm l Extein with the International
Speaker 3: Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and this is the Chosen People,
Speaker 3: join us every day as we explore another dramatic story
Speaker 3: from the Hebrew Bible and discuss some of its themes together.
Speaker 3: If your faith has been kindled by this podcast and
Speaker 3: it has affected your life, we love it. If you
Speaker 3: left her review, we read them and me personally I
Speaker 3: cherish them. As we explore the biblical story of the
Speaker 3: people of Israel, we will discover what it means to
Speaker 3: live a life of purpose and step into the calling
Speaker 3: of God that he really has for each one of us. Today,
Speaker 3: God chose the nation of Israel and Mount Sinai. But
Speaker 3: through their story we will discover one abiding truth that
Speaker 3: we are all chosen for something great. So let's begin.
Speaker 3: Today's tale is about new beginnings, about moving on, about
Speaker 3: starting a new Noah witnessed the tragedy of judgment, but
Speaker 3: now he will experience new birth, the birth of a
Speaker 3: new Earth and a new covenant. Let's not waste any
Speaker 3: more time. Here's episode eight of The Chosen People, Noah
Speaker 3: and the Promise.
Speaker 2: Darkness.
Speaker 1: Noah remained huddled beside the window, the arc rocking to
Speaker 1: the tempest outside. Noah was certain it was midday, but
Speaker 1: there was no way of confirming it. The sun's warmth
Speaker 1: hadn't graced their face in weeks. Noah's countenance was gaunt,
Speaker 1: his eyes unfocussed and glazed over with sorrow. His mind
Speaker 1: swirled like the charcoal clouds above. Noah was tired, but
Speaker 1: couldn't close his eyes. Every time he did, he saw
Speaker 1: the faces of the damned floating atop the waters. Emzara
Speaker 1: stepped lightly through the opening of their room. She held
Speaker 1: the wax candle, the tiny flame twitch to and fro,
Speaker 1: casting shadows against the wooden walls of the ark. The
Speaker 1: faint light revealed her concerned face. Her husband had barely
Speaker 1: spoken since the walls shut.
Speaker 4: Have you eaten?
Speaker 1: Noah shook his head, his stomach nootted, not only from guilt,
Speaker 1: but also from the relentless swaying of the boat. Emzara
Speaker 1: knelt beside him, her fingers gently stroking his matted hair.
Speaker 1: She too felt the weight of survival, though her guilt
Speaker 1: it was different. She did not share Noah's anguish, but
Speaker 1: felt relief that they were spared. Her husband's heart, however,
Speaker 1: was tethered to the creator's sorrow. She reached for his hand,
Speaker 1: placing a barley loaf in his palm, and kissed his forehead.
Speaker 4: Eat or else we will have to witness another death.
Speaker 1: Noah tore a small piece of the loaf and rolled
Speaker 1: it in his fingers, toying with the idea of eating.
Speaker 1: The white noise of rain was a constant murmur, muting
Speaker 1: his low pitched voice.
Speaker 2: Do you think I'm ungrateful?
Speaker 1: Hemzaraside, resting her head against his shoulder.
Speaker 4: I remember you telling our boys the stories of old
Speaker 4: by the fire, the story of the garden and the banishment.
Speaker 4: I remember you repeatedly reminding them that the Creator was
Speaker 4: merciful even in his wrath.
Speaker 1: In his wrath, searching for words that might reach him,
Speaker 1: Noah repeated the words heavy and foreign. In the damp,
Speaker 1: wooden tomb he found himself in, he sighed, allowing the
Speaker 1: small piece of bread to pass his lips, chewing slowly
Speaker 1: each bite to struggle against his sorrow. He laid his
Speaker 1: head on Emzara's chest, her humming a soft lullaby against
Speaker 1: the storm. Slowly and sloppily, Noah began to fall asleep.
Speaker 2: Remember me, remember my family and the animals with me.
Speaker 2: Do not.
Speaker 5: Ash, Do not forsake us, sisters.
Speaker 1: Tool As Noah's breathing finally steadied, the rain stopped for
Speaker 1: forty days. The heavens had wept, but finally, mercifully they ceased,
Speaker 1: Emzara felt a weight release from her chest. She thought
Speaker 1: about waking Noah, but chose not to, instead laying his
Speaker 1: head gently on a bed made of woolen hay. The
Speaker 1: ark rocked gently, the low purrs of wild cats and
Speaker 1: braying of horses filling the space where the reins once sang.
Speaker 1: God hadn't forgotten Noah. The Creator remembered him and all
Speaker 1: the beasts within the Ark. The breath of God the Ruach,
Speaker 1: blew mightily over the waters. The winds churned, spreading the seas.
Speaker 6: In each direction.
Speaker 1: The voice of the Creator tamed the dark and chaotic abyss.
Speaker 1: Noah looked out with his sons. The heavens had closed
Speaker 1: and ceased their churney. A rumbling could be felt from below,
Speaker 1: and the fountains of the deep had closed. Shem peered
Speaker 1: out at the horizon, straining to see any sign of land.
Speaker 1: The wind cut at his cheeks, and his eyes began
Speaker 1: to water.
Speaker 6: I don't see anything yet.
Speaker 2: How long will it take for the waters recede?
Speaker 4: Not sure how much longer I can endure the smell.
Speaker 2: Patience, boys, God has not forgotten us. Listen closely. The
Speaker 2: wind of God is moving on our behalf.
Speaker 1: Do you think there's anything on the horizon.
Speaker 2: There's a way to find out.
Speaker 1: Noah captured a raven from within the ark and brought
Speaker 1: it to the others. He petted its feathers and held
Speaker 1: it up to the window.
Speaker 2: Herds gathered twigs, leaves, and other things for the nests.
Speaker 2: If there's any land, this raven will return with something
Speaker 2: for its mate.
Speaker 4: Maybe it will return a fig for me.
Speaker 3: Nothing but still barleyboves.
Speaker 7: Has my stomach and nons.
Speaker 1: Noah released the raven and watched it recede into the horizon.
Speaker 1: The raven carried Noah's anxiety on its wings. He knew
Speaker 1: better than to put all his hope in the raven,
Speaker 1: but curiosity gripped him. Still days passed into weeks, and
Speaker 1: still the raven hadn't returned. Noah's face twitched with irritation.
Speaker 1: I should have known better than to use a raven.
Speaker 1: Noah had a dove in his hands. He gently stroked
Speaker 1: its white feathers with his thumbs. With a sigh and
Speaker 1: a prayer, he released it into the air.
Speaker 2: Why is a dove better than a raven? Ravens are scavengers.
Speaker 2: The bird is likely feasting off the carcasses floating atop
Speaker 2: the waters. No, it's too fat to fly back. The
Speaker 2: raven is comfortable with death. It will make it home
Speaker 2: somewhere on the floating carnage and never return. But the
Speaker 2: dove is a clean animal. It won't make its nest
Speaker 2: among death and despair. It will return to us.
Speaker 1: Noah remained at the window for hours, staring earnestly at
Speaker 1: the water. The faint echoes of scream still tortured his mind.
Speaker 1: He wasn't sure he even wanted to go back on
Speaker 1: to dry land. Noah was old and unsure if he
Speaker 1: was capable of a fresh start. Before Noah's mind could
Speaker 1: spiral even further, he heard the faint sound of the
Speaker 1: dove returning. It perched atop his finger. It hadn't found land,
Speaker 1: at least, nothing inhabitable for it to rest its wings.
Speaker 1: Noah petted its feathers and retreated into the ark to
Speaker 1: feed it. Another week passed and it was time again
Speaker 1: for Noah to send the dove out. It flew gracefully
Speaker 1: over the familiar waters, wings shimmering in the light of dawn.
Speaker 1: After hours of waiting, Noah's eyes widened to see the
Speaker 1: dove's return. In its mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf.
Speaker 1: Noah took the leaf and cradled it in his palm.
Speaker 1: He stroked its smooth green surface. His face quivered with relief.
Speaker 1: The waters were receding. They would walk the earth again.
Speaker 1: The dove was sent out again and hadn't returned. Confident
Speaker 1: that the land was near ready, Noah removed the top
Speaker 1: covering of the ark. It had settled on the mountains
Speaker 1: of Ararat. The sun shined brilliantly, revealing a land reborn.
Speaker 1: Noah's family leaned over, beholding the beautiful landscape teeming with
Speaker 1: vibrant colors. They wafted in the crisp air, smelling the
Speaker 1: damp earth mixed with fruit trees. Emsara squeezed her husband's.
Speaker 4: Arm, look Noah our new home.
Speaker 1: Shen Ham and Jaffer ran to the ark's entrance and
Speaker 1: released the ropes, keeping doors shut. The fresh hair blew
Speaker 1: against their cheery faces. The three brothers held their wives,
Speaker 1: giddy to step out of the Ark and into their future. Still,
Speaker 1: Noah wouldn't permit them to.
Speaker 2: Leave the Ark.
Speaker 1: He stood at the threshold, waiting. His eyes were nervous
Speaker 1: and his hands shook. Noah refused to embark on the adventure.
Speaker 1: He pensively stood frozen to the ark. Nearly a year
Speaker 1: after they entered the Ark, the Creator spoke to Noah,
Speaker 1: prompting him to leave. He could hear his voice deep
Speaker 1: within his heart. His voice was like a steady stream.
Speaker 6: Go out from the ark, Noah, Take your wife, your sons,
Speaker 6: their wives, and every living thing that dwells with you.
Speaker 6: Swarm the earth, Noah, feel it be ruthful and multiply.
Speaker 1: Noah took the first step forward. His family waited with
Speaker 1: bated breath as he slowly, steadily, and somberly descended the ramp.
Speaker 1: A patch of grass was at the bottom. Noah placed
Speaker 1: a bare foot on the wet earth. The chill sent
Speaker 1: a shiver up his spine. A sigh of relief followed.
Speaker 1: He turned to his family and gave them a reassuring smile.
Speaker 1: They ran like children and skipped across the meadow. The
Speaker 1: animals followed, scampering, padding, slithering, and galloping.
Speaker 6: The hills were alive.
Speaker 1: The animals didn't look back. They spread across the earth,
Speaker 1: stretching as far as the eye could see. Noah's eyes
Speaker 1: glistened with tears, tears of relief, joy.
Speaker 2: And sadness.
Speaker 1: He ascended a jagged path that led to an overhand
Speaker 1: looking out at the ark. There he made an altar
Speaker 1: of wet stones and sacrificed towards God. The offering burnt
Speaker 1: bright a beacon, signaling a new beginning. The smoke billowed upward,
Speaker 1: mixing with the clouds. The Creator breathed in the offering
Speaker 1: like a leasing aroma. Noah watched the light play off
Speaker 1: the mist. Across the sky. Brilliant lights began to form.
Speaker 1: Everyone watched in awe as the colors arched against the
Speaker 1: blue backdrop. Noah's heart swelled within. He could sense the
Speaker 1: heart of God.
Speaker 6: I will never again curse the ground because of man,
Speaker 6: for I know his heart is corrupt from his youth.
Speaker 6: Neither will I strike down these creatures again. The long
Speaker 6: winter is over, while the earth remains seed, dire and harvest,
Speaker 6: cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall
Speaker 6: not cease.
Speaker 1: Noah gathered his family and relayed everything he could hear
Speaker 1: from the Creator's heart. God spoke to him, within him
Speaker 1: and about him. Each word was a barn to his
Speaker 1: aching heart.
Speaker 6: Be fruitful and multiply fill the earth, as I have
Speaker 6: commanded since the days of old. Once again you have dominion.
Speaker 6: The beasts of the earth will fear you. The birds
Speaker 6: of the air, and the creatures of the deep will
Speaker 6: flee and dread because of you. Into your hands, I
Speaker 6: give them they shall be food for you, as are
Speaker 6: the plants of the earth. I have given you everything.
Speaker 6: Yet even so my eyes are on the lower creatures.
Speaker 6: You shall not deal with them cruelly, nor shall you
Speaker 6: eat flesh with its life blood. Life is precious, and
Speaker 6: for your lives I will require a reckoning. The life
Speaker 6: of all beasts and men will end. And to those
Speaker 6: who take life on their own, shedding the blood of
Speaker 6: their fellow man, I will require a reckoning. Whoever sheds
Speaker 6: the blood of a man by man, shall his blood
Speaker 6: be shed for God made man in his image. Do
Speaker 6: not take life, Multiply it, cultivate it, increase and roam
Speaker 6: the earth. I have washed it clean for you.
Speaker 1: The lights continue to form in the sky, slowly stretching
Speaker 1: across the clouds. Noah and his sons watched in awe,
Speaker 1: taking in the captivating dance of colors bowing over the
Speaker 1: sky red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple lights held
Speaker 1: together by some unseen thread.
Speaker 6: Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring.
Speaker 6: After you, I make a promise to you and to
Speaker 6: all the creatures from the ark, I shall never again
Speaker 6: flood the earth. As a sign of my covenant with you.
Speaker 6: I have set my bow in the clouds. When I
Speaker 6: bring the clouds over the earth and the sun's light
Speaker 6: mingles with the mist of the sky, you shall see
Speaker 6: the bow and remember my covenant. The waters shall never
Speaker 6: destroy the earth. When the bow is in the clouds,
Speaker 6: I will remember the everlasting covenant I have made with
Speaker 6: every living creature.
Speaker 1: Noah's suns glowed with hope for the future, Andmzara and
Speaker 1: the other wives watched from a distance, their eyes glistening
Speaker 1: with gratitude that the earth was safe. Noah's jaw tightened.
Speaker 1: A rush of gratitude for the Creator came upon him,
Speaker 1: but in the back of his mind, whispers of torment
Speaker 1: plagued him. Noah woke in a panic, sweat dripping down
Speaker 1: his chest and back. His entire body trembled, unable to steady.
Speaker 1: Emzara placed a gentle hand on his back. Noah's eyes
Speaker 1: were wild, haunted another nightmare.
Speaker 2: This time it was Shem drowning outside the ark. He
Speaker 2: screamed for me.
Speaker 5: He begged me to let him in, but I Ah,
Speaker 5: I couldn't do anything. Then the corpses of the Nephelin
Speaker 5: rose and dragged him to the bottom of the abyss.
Speaker 4: It was only a dream. Our sun is safe, no doubt,
Speaker 4: cradling his new child in his arms.
Speaker 2: Of course, it was just a dream. But that doesn't
Speaker 2: make it any less real. In Sarah, these images, I
Speaker 2: see it into my mind. I've been branded by these memories.
Speaker 4: You act as though you're the one to have flooded
Speaker 4: the earth. How long will you hold on to this guilt?
Speaker 2: It isn't guilt that torments me. It's knowing that evil
Speaker 2: still exists out there, in here, in each of us.
Speaker 2: We were spared from the flood, but that doesn't mean
Speaker 2: we're innocent.
Speaker 1: Noah stormed out, flustered and quivering. The moonlight bathed the
Speaker 1: landscape in a pale, ethereal glow as he descended the
Speaker 1: hills to the vineyard he had planted. Beside it were
Speaker 1: cisterns hewn from stone and wood, filled with fermented wine.
Speaker 1: Noah drew some in a bowl. The liquid was a
Speaker 1: deep crimson, perfect to drink. His eyes glazed over with
Speaker 1: desire as he placed the cup to his lips and drank,
Speaker 1: seeking to wash away the sorrow, the hurt, the guilt,
Speaker 1: the fear. The cup was his flood drowning out the
Speaker 1: anguish within him.
Speaker 2: Cup after cup.
Speaker 1: Noah drank away his sorrows, yet it only numbed the pain.
Speaker 1: Wine would never ease what only God could heal. It
Speaker 1: silenced the screams in his head, but gave way to
Speaker 1: different sounds. Drunk and alone, Noah howled at the moon.
Speaker 1: He thrashed his arms and punched his fists in the air.
Speaker 1: He shouted vulgarities, cried and wailed into the empty night.
Speaker 1: His youngest son hand watched from a distance, Disdain etched
Speaker 1: on his face as he witnessed his father's shameful display.
Speaker 1: Righteous Noah, the one who walks with God. The air
Speaker 1: was humid and thick. Noah removed his clothes and skulked
Speaker 1: through the vineyard. Naked. Noah kicked the dirt and thrashed
Speaker 1: at branches, murmuring and burping his way back to his tent.
Speaker 1: He was a sad and shameful sight. But ham bassed
Speaker 1: in his father's shame.
Speaker 4: The fool can barely stand.
Speaker 1: Anne leaped off the stone he was sitting on and
Speaker 1: gingerly followed his father. Noah swayed to and fro barely
Speaker 1: keeping his naked frame upright.
Speaker 2: Ham danced around him.
Speaker 4: Ah, so this is what it means to walk with God.
Speaker 1: Hey father, what.
Speaker 4: Happened to all that honor.
Speaker 2: You preach to me? Well, there's here, Let me help you.
Speaker 1: Am reached out his arms. Noah fell forward and expecting
Speaker 1: to be caught, but instead Hal moved and Noah fell
Speaker 1: face first into the dirt. Noah groaned and turned on
Speaker 1: his back. The world was spinning. He could feel the
Speaker 1: gravel grinding against his back and buttocks. Ham stood above him,
Speaker 1: face beaming with amusement. Noah, unable to speak, began crawling
Speaker 1: back to his tent. The first signs of dawn crept
Speaker 1: over the horizon. Emzara was already gone, attending to her grandchildren.
Speaker 1: As the sun rose, Ham stood outside his father's tent,
Speaker 1: waiting for his brothers. Shem and Jaffith approached, their tools
Speaker 1: clinking softly in the cool morning air, Ham waved them
Speaker 1: down a theatrical air about him. Brethren, I have a
Speaker 1: rare sight for you to behold.
Speaker 2: What is it now? Ham? I present to you the honorable,
Speaker 2: the stoic, and the righteous. Noah, naked and sleeping in
Speaker 2: his own vomit.
Speaker 1: Ham grabbed the opening flap of the tent to reveal
Speaker 1: his naked father, but the brothers stopped him before they
Speaker 1: could catch a glimpse.
Speaker 2: Ham, you've gone too far.
Speaker 3: What after all the preaching and lecturing that man has
Speaker 3: given me, why not revel a little in his hypocrisy?
Speaker 2: Hem, you've disgraced.
Speaker 1: Our father, you too, Shem. Come on, we've all been
Speaker 1: through a living nightmare.
Speaker 4: Why not have a little fun with him?
Speaker 2: What do you mean fun?
Speaker 1: I don't know, Maybe we could. Ham was interrupted by
Speaker 1: a stirring within the tent. Noah exhaled a befuddled and
Speaker 1: dreamy moon.
Speaker 2: Japeth, go get father's clothes from the vineyard, Hem, I
Speaker 2: suggest you leave. Go jump in the stream. Clearly you
Speaker 2: need to cool off.
Speaker 1: Ham snarled and left, kicking the dirt on his way
Speaker 1: back to his tent. Jaffath returned with the garment. The
Speaker 1: two older brothers walked backward into the tent with the
Speaker 1: garment on their shoulders. When they felt his body on
Speaker 1: their heels, they dropped it and covered him. They didn't
Speaker 1: want to shame him as their brother had. They crept
Speaker 1: out of the tent, pensive and afraid of what would
Speaker 1: happen to Ham when their father woke. Noah slept all day,
Speaker 1: drifting in and out of his wine induced stupor. His
Speaker 1: head throbbed, the world around him a fuzzy blur, but
Speaker 1: he remembered Ham's actions. He recalled the mocking laugh, the
Speaker 1: bruise on his jaw, a painful reminder of his son's betrayal.
Speaker 1: Emerging from his tent, Noah wrapped his garment tightly around
Speaker 1: his body and hobbled to the fire, where his wife
Speaker 1: and son sat. Jaffath and Shem's sons were also by
Speaker 1: the fire. While Ham's son Canaan was on his father's lap.
Speaker 1: Shem and Jeffeth.
Speaker 6: Looked up at him.
Speaker 1: Empathy etched on their faces, but not Ham. A mocking
Speaker 1: smile played on his lips. As Noah stood over the fire,
Speaker 1: the dancing flames illuminating his scowl, his voice, coarse and gravelly,
Speaker 1: broke the tense silence.
Speaker 2: Cursed be Canaan.
Speaker 1: His tone was sharp and impassive. Ham's expression shifted from
Speaker 1: confusion to rage. He covered his son's ears and raised
Speaker 1: his voice. What did you just say to my son?
Speaker 2: Cursed be Cadin for what his father is done.
Speaker 6: He will be a servant to his brothers.
Speaker 1: Ham stood his chest puffed out in defiance. What do
Speaker 1: you think you're doing?
Speaker 2: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. Canaan will
Speaker 2: be his servant. Shut up, old man, They God in large,
Speaker 2: jayfithful son. He will dwell in the tents of shame,
Speaker 2: but Canaan will be a slave to them all.
Speaker 1: Shut up.
Speaker 2: First, three your descendence, sam.
Speaker 1: And lungs to strike his father, Shall and Jack have
Speaker 1: got to him first. Ham's screams echoed down the hills.
Speaker 1: The children scurry to their mothers, and Amsara rose to Noah's.
Speaker 2: Side, leave here gladly.
Speaker 1: Thus continued the cycle of blessings and curses, faith and failure.
Speaker 1: The never ending pattern of sin and struggle didn't cease
Speaker 1: with the flood. Men's sins stretched alongside Noah's descendants, but
Speaker 1: God's promises remained. His faithfulness wouldn't waver even in the
Speaker 1: face of human imperfection. The name Noah means rest His
Speaker 1: name was a foreshadowing, a glimmer of hope that peace
Speaker 1: with God would one day be restored.
Speaker 3: That's a pretty odd ending, isn't it. The first moments
Speaker 3: out of the arc are euphoric for Noah and his
Speaker 3: family accompanied by a rainbow, a promise and a new
Speaker 3: lease on life, but it ends with shame and a curse.
Speaker 3: We ended the story of Noah asking many of the
Speaker 3: same questions we had when we began. Are human beings
Speaker 3: doomed to repeat their mistakes? How will humanity press on?
Speaker 3: And the worst of all, will evil win? The Bible
Speaker 3: tells us in Genesis eight twenty one. Never again will
Speaker 3: I curse the ground because of humans, even though every
Speaker 3: inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And
Speaker 3: never again will I destroy all living creatures as I
Speaker 3: have done, even though the human heart persists in its evil.
Speaker 3: God has promised to endure with us. Noah wasn't a
Speaker 3: perfect man. Yes, he made mistakes, and his sons would
Speaker 3: make even more. But God has determined to abide with
Speaker 3: his chosen people with patients, slowly guiding each individual and
Speaker 3: each generation to their potential. Be encouraged by this, My friends,
Speaker 3: I know I am because God knows you aren't perfect.
Speaker 3: He doesn't expect you to be perfect. He's eager to
Speaker 3: forgive and guide you towards new beginnings. Let's explore some
Speaker 3: key events and moments in this story. The first verse
Speaker 3: of Genesis eight reads like this, But God remembered Noah
Speaker 3: and all the wild animals and the livestock that were
Speaker 3: with him in the ark, and he sent a wind
Speaker 3: over the earth, and the waters receded. Russia Shanna, the
Speaker 3: Jewish New Year, is a time for solemn prayer. But interestingly,
Speaker 3: the Russia Shana prayer service invokes Noah and this very verse.
Speaker 3: Think about it. On Russia Shana, the Jewish New Year
Speaker 3: during the high holidays, this is what we say to God.
Speaker 3: You lovingly remembered Noah, and you recalled him with words
Speaker 3: of salvation when you brought the waters of the flood.
Speaker 3: And let's think about it. Isn't that what we all
Speaker 3: pray every day, that all of the raging waters of
Speaker 3: the world, the war, the poverty, the illness, the pain,
Speaker 3: that they should recede. Yes, indeed, with Noah there was destruction,
Speaker 3: vast destruction. But in the end, the waters receded and
Speaker 3: Noah was left to create a covenant with God for
Speaker 3: all of humanity. As we think about Noah, this is
Speaker 3: what we all pray for. Now, let's talk about the
Speaker 3: wind in this verse, the wind that God sent over
Speaker 3: the earth. This is the very same wind hovering over
Speaker 3: the waters in Genesis one. Do you remember that, As
Speaker 3: it says in Hebrew verruach mirachrefes al ne hamaim and
Speaker 3: the spirit or the wind of God, the rua was
Speaker 3: present when the earth was covered in untained dark waters.
Speaker 3: What we have here, my friends, is a callback, a
Speaker 3: callback to Genesis one, when the world was dark and
Speaker 3: when chaos reigned now here, God's breath and wind the
Speaker 3: rua blew again. Just as God tamed the chaotic seas
Speaker 3: and Genesis wan to fashion the earth, he taged the
Speaker 3: chaotic mess of Genesis eight to create a fresh start,
Speaker 3: a new beginning, new creation in a way. And we
Speaker 3: have to believe He can do this for us. He
Speaker 3: can do this for you, just like he did it
Speaker 3: for them. He can make you new and he can
Speaker 3: give you a fresh start. That's what this Bible verse
Speaker 3: is teaching us. Now, let's go to the vineyard and
Speaker 3: talk about Noah's shit. God gives Noah and his family
Speaker 3: a commission uru uruvou, it says in Hebrew, be fruitful
Speaker 3: and multiply. Does that sound familiar? It was the call
Speaker 3: given to Adam and Eve be fruitful, multiply. That same
Speaker 3: commission echoes in our ears today reminding us of our purpose.
Speaker 3: But what happened to Adam and Eve shortly after that call, Well,
Speaker 3: they partook of a forbidden fruit, leading to their nakedness
Speaker 3: and their shame. Noah ate of a different vine, leading
Speaker 3: to his nakedness and shame. Noah was much like Adam,
Speaker 3: given a similar commission, and he failed similarly. But hope
Speaker 3: doesn't hinge on the faith of one imperfect man. It
Speaker 3: hinges on God, perfect God. Remember, Israel was not God's
Speaker 3: people because they were perfect. We see that over and
Speaker 3: over again in the scriptures, imperfect beings. But despite that,
Speaker 3: God chose them. When God's wrath came, when the winds
Speaker 3: and rains of judgment fell, God established a new covenant.
Speaker 3: Along with the promise to never flood the earth again,
Speaker 3: a rainbow in the sky appeared. The emergence from the ark,
Speaker 3: the promise, and the rainbow. They all have significant meanings
Speaker 3: for Christians and Jews alike. To speak on the rich
Speaker 3: symbolism is our friend, Bishop Paullineer.
Speaker 7: I realize that this is a portion of scripture that's
Speaker 7: filled with miraculous hand of our God. I'm in awe
Speaker 7: of him, but I'm also anguished by some of what
Speaker 7: you and I read in this story as well. For
Speaker 7: three hundred days Noah was on that boat till finally
Speaker 7: they landed, and finally they.
Speaker 2: They left the ship.
Speaker 7: The ark first thing did was to build an altar,
Speaker 7: and that a strange thing that some of those animals
Speaker 7: who had been preserved and protected, just like Noah and
Speaker 7: his family. The first thing that happens when they reach
Speaker 7: salvation is they are sacrificed and surrendered unto the Lord.
Speaker 7: And then this Noah did what we begin finding in
Speaker 7: the Book of Genesis. With Adam and Eve. There was
Speaker 7: a garden, and they messed up, and they touched something
Speaker 7: in the wrong way, and it created havoc eventually for
Speaker 7: three sons. And here we are Noah, who had been
Speaker 7: in that boat for three hundred days, now dug himself,
Speaker 7: planted a garden and had a vineyard, and drunk from it.
Speaker 7: And the Bible says he, too, like Adam, had become naked.
Speaker 7: And what's so tragic. The Bible says his own son
Speaker 7: came and discovered his nakedness, and when he saw it,
Speaker 7: he marked his father's vulnerability, this sin of uncovering. Have
Speaker 7: you ever known someone who loved to go around finding
Speaker 7: people in their failures, just to uncover and to ridicule
Speaker 7: in Mark and to expose. I do know the other
Speaker 7: brothers did come, the other sons, and they covered their
Speaker 7: father in his nakedness. I want to pray in this
Speaker 7: tragic though triumphal moment. I want us to pray now.
Speaker 7: I want to pray for your family. I want to
Speaker 7: pray that God so Oh reveals himself to you in
Speaker 7: the most glorious, powerful way that as you walk in Him,
Speaker 7: your own family most believes in your intimacy, believes in
Speaker 7: your walk with God, and no matter the storms that come,
Speaker 7: you are arked. If you're will, you are kept, you
Speaker 7: are safe. For Christians in the New Testament, we studied
Speaker 7: this and we think of Jesus. Who is that boat,
Speaker 7: who is that ship? Who is that savior? If you
Speaker 7: will that when the storms of life come, Christians believe
Speaker 7: it is Jesus who saves and keeps and restores and revives.
Speaker 7: While I'm praying for all of us who are listening now,
Speaker 7: jew and Christian, and I'm believing that the one God
Speaker 7: of Heaven as we've talked so much about this God
Speaker 7: of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Sarah and Rebecca
Speaker 7: and Leah and Rachel, that God would reach into your
Speaker 7: life and assure you that He's gotten you, that you
Speaker 7: belong to him and you are as sure as the
Speaker 7: promises of Heaven.
Speaker 3: Before we leave Noah and continue our journey through Genesis,
Speaker 3: I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts
Speaker 3: on rainbows. If you follow me on social media, you've
Speaker 3: no doubt seen that I love rainbows. I often post
Speaker 3: pictures of rainbows in the sky here in Israel, and
Speaker 3: their beauty has amazed me ever since I was a
Speaker 3: little girl. I always feel like it's God speaking to us,
Speaker 3: kind of like he used it to speak to Noah.
Speaker 3: Jewish tradition has a couple of teachings on the rainbow
Speaker 3: at the end of Noah's story that I would like
Speaker 3: to leave you with. First, let's call back to something
Speaker 3: that I said earlier, that the rainbow is a warrior's bow.
Speaker 3: Many have suggested that the rainbow is a backwards bow.
Speaker 3: The shape of the rainbow and the sky is the
Speaker 3: shape of a war warrior's bow directed away from Earth.
Speaker 3: So Yes, whenever a rainbow appears, we remember God's promise
Speaker 3: that he will never again seek to destroy the earth.
Speaker 3: But I'd like to suggest a bold addition to the
Speaker 3: symbol of the rainbow as a warrior's bow. Yes, the
Speaker 3: arrows of the bow are no longer directed to the earth,
Speaker 3: as seen by the shape of the rainbow, but they
Speaker 3: are directed back to Heaven. Maybe the rainbow isn't just
Speaker 3: a reminder to us human beings here on earth. We
Speaker 3: take the bow an arrow and basically send that arrow
Speaker 3: back up to Heaven to God, a reminder of how
Speaker 3: much he loves us and how much compassion he has
Speaker 3: on his children. The nineteenth century Rabbi Samson refile Her
Speaker 3: suggests yet another beautiful interpretation of the rainbow. The rainbow
Speaker 3: is made up of all the colors on the spectrum
Speaker 3: as plain white light is filtered through the prism of
Speaker 3: the rain and he says that this full spectrum of
Speaker 3: colors represents all of humanity and all of the vast
Speaker 3: differences among the people. And that is the new covenant
Speaker 3: that God makes that he is connected to every single
Speaker 3: person in this world. Every single human is created in
Speaker 3: God's image, that he will not destroy this new world,
Speaker 3: but will treat it with his greatest compassion. That God
Speaker 3: loves each of us being unique and through that uniqueness
Speaker 3: connecting to Him, and so following the flood of Noah
Speaker 3: God's creation, his greatest creation, human beings received a fresh start.
Speaker 3: But a fresh start doesn't mean that we forget the past.
Speaker 3: It means that we learn from it instead of letting
Speaker 3: it hold us back. I encourage you to step out
Speaker 3: of your arc your teva today, to learn from your
Speaker 3: past and live out your purpose with boldness, with connection
Speaker 3: to God. To take those hard lessons from your past
Speaker 3: and let it pave a way of faithfulness for your
Speaker 3: future as you venture forth boldly and faithfully. I leave
Speaker 3: you with the biblical blessing from numbers six.
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Exstein
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Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan cob, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore.
Speaker 1: Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin,
Speaker 1: Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
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