A neglected aspect of the story of Noah is his birth. When Noah was born, his father “called his name Noah (rest), saying ‘this one will console us over our work and the pain of our hands from the ground which Yahweh cursed.’ ” (Gen 5:29) This clear allusion back to the curse of Genesis 3 expresses and exasperated hope for fulfillment to the promise of Genesis 3:15–that God would send the seed of the woman to finally crush the serpent’s head and reverse the curse. Lamech expressed hope that Noah, whose name means rest, would finally bring about rest from the curse God put on the ground. Now while in the story of Noah and the ark we do not see Noah become this savior, and in fact at the end of chapter 9 of Genesis we see him disqualified form being this savior, the idea of God’s rest must somehow be connected with Noah. This is for a couple reasons: his name, and his salvation by God. But then, why does the author of Hebrews ignore the story of Noah in writing his exhortation to enter God’s rest in Hebrews 4?
Tag: Gospel
Cain and Abel: Humanity Can’t Save Itself from Sin
The Sunday School story of Cain and Abel has historically been put to many uses. As children, some of us probably heard it presented as a moral tale to discourage us from fighting with our siblings. In the biblical counseling world, the falling of Cain’s countenance (Gen 4:5–7) is used as a proof that emotions and conditions within the inner man can affect the outer man. Cain’s declaration that his punishment is too much for him has been used to encourage people to be wise and endure the consequences of their sin. But these and similar usages of Genesis 4 miss the main point being presented in the chapter: that redemption cannot come from man. People are unable to save themselves from sin and the curse. Continue reading “Cain and Abel: Humanity Can’t Save Itself from Sin”
Reflections on a Shooting on Campus
On Wednesday, June 1, 2016, around 10 AM, an engineering student killed his professor, seemingly over a matter of grades, in one of the engineering buildings at UCLA. He then killed himself. Before police could confirm this story, the entire UCLA campus was placed under lockdown in response to the potentially active shooter situation. Having recently graduated and started work, I was not affected by these events, but many of my closest friends were. After hearing about the events during my lunch break (before the details were confirmed), I found myself thinking three main things during the rest of the day that I wanted to share with you. Continue reading “Reflections on a Shooting on Campus”
Citizens & Sons 