9 Climate Change and Eschatology
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I shall now review the theological and historical background of the Noah narrative.
Theological Background
According to the biblical flood narrative, God saw that the earth “was filled with
violence” and that “all flesh had corrupted their way on earth” which caused God to
decide “to make an end of all flesh” (Gen 6:12–13). “Behold, I will destroy them with
the earth”, He said (verse 13). But because He also saw that “Noah was a righteous
man, blameless in his generation”, He spared Noah the fate of the destruction and
ordered him to build the ark so that he, his family, and “two of every sort” of animal
would go into the ark and survive the flood (verse 19). Through the flood, God
“blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals
and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.” (Gen 7:23 ESV) After
Noah survived the flood, he built an altar to the Lord, and when the Lord smelled
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.” (Gen 8, 21–22 ESV) And God made a covenant between him and the earth.
The rainbow in the sky was to be the sign of this covenant. “This is the sign of the
covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth” (Gen
9:17 ESV).
It is to be noted that God actually made two covenants with Noah. The first one
was before the flood: “I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall come
into the ark …” (Gen 6: 17–19 ESV). This was a covenant that promised salvation
from disaster. The second covenant was concluded after the rescue: “I establish my
covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the
flood …” (Gen 9:11 ESV). The first covenant was of a salvific nature and limited
to a select group (Noah and his family and the animals inside the ark). The second
covenant was of a preventive nature and a promise given to the whole world.
The theme of the covenant pervades the whole Bible. According to the biblical
narrative, God made a covenant with Noah, later with Abraham, then with the people
whom Moses and Joshua led from Egypt into the promised land. In the New Testament
the “old covenant” is replaced by a new one (Hebr 8:13), according to which God “will
put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds” (Hebr 10,16 NIV).
In the Old Testament, the covenant (Hebrew berit) is often connected with the word
shalom which not only means peace but also implies wholeness, wholesomeness and
complete harmony (von Rad Bd 1, 1978, p. 144).
If Scripture is taken at face value, the covenants widen from Noah to the whole
world, but then are narrowed down to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (alias Israel) and
their offspring, the people of Israel. Abraham is promised that his many descendants
will inherit a vast land (from the Nile to the Euphrates). However, when the Bible
163
I shall now review the theological and historical background of the Noah narrative.
Theological Background
According to the biblical flood narrative, God saw that the earth “was filled with
violence” and that “all flesh had corrupted their way on earth” which caused God to
decide “to make an end of all flesh” (Gen 6:12–13). “Behold, I will destroy them with
the earth”, He said (verse 13). But because He also saw that “Noah was a righteous
man, blameless in his generation”, He spared Noah the fate of the destruction and
ordered him to build the ark so that he, his family, and “two of every sort” of animal
would go into the ark and survive the flood (verse 19). Through the flood, God
“blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals
and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth.
Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.” (Gen 7:23 ESV) After
Noah survived the flood, he built an altar to the Lord, and when the Lord smelled
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.” (Gen 8, 21–22 ESV) And God made a covenant between him and the earth.
The rainbow in the sky was to be the sign of this covenant. “This is the sign of the
covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth” (Gen
9:17 ESV).
It is to be noted that God actually made two covenants with Noah. The first one
was before the flood: “I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall come
into the ark …” (Gen 6: 17–19 ESV). This was a covenant that promised salvation
from disaster. The second covenant was concluded after the rescue: “I establish my
covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the
flood …” (Gen 9:11 ESV). The first covenant was of a salvific nature and limited
to a select group (Noah and his family and the animals inside the ark). The second
covenant was of a preventive nature and a promise given to the whole world.
The theme of the covenant pervades the whole Bible. According to the biblical
narrative, God made a covenant with Noah, later with Abraham, then with the people
whom Moses and Joshua led from Egypt into the promised land. In the New Testament
the “old covenant” is replaced by a new one (Hebr 8:13), according to which God “will
put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds” (Hebr 10,16 NIV).
In the Old Testament, the covenant (Hebrew berit) is often connected with the word
shalom which not only means peace but also implies wholeness, wholesomeness and
complete harmony (von Rad Bd 1, 1978, p. 144).
If Scripture is taken at face value, the covenants widen from Noah to the whole
world, but then are narrowed down to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (alias Israel) and
their offspring, the people of Israel. Abraham is promised that his many descendants
will inherit a vast land (from the Nile to the Euphrates). However, when the Bible