Parasha Noach 5783

Me

I know it is a weird hobby… But Danielle and I love listening to true-crime podcasts and watching true-crime shows. Heck, one of my favorite TV dramas is actually Criminal Minds, which isn’t necessarily true-crime, but most of the scenarios thought up for the show are things that are very much plausible.

A while back we were listening to a particular true-crime show that we really like and they were talking about a killing spree that occured in the neighborhood Danielle grew up in in South Mobile County. And it was a killing spree that occured in her neighborhood when she was a kid and it had happened while she was home. Now, the actual details of the account are pretty different then the way Dani had remembered it all these years, but it was a pretty messed up situation no matter what.

As most stories like this go, it all started with a dude who apparently couldn’t make a good decision to save his life… After a night on an over-the-top bender involving cocaine, LSD, and a lot of alcohol, Jason Oric Williams returned home early in the morning to the trailer park he was staying in, had a phone call with his ex-wife that I can only assume didn’t go all that well—but that is probably also because he was blitzed off of coke, acid, and booze… But, he then grabbed a rifle and working his way up the street he killed four people and injured three others. He then stole a car and ran to MS where he was ultimately caught.

Danielle and her sister were actually home when this all went down, and a neighbor called to make sure they were safe and to tell them to hide and not answer the door for anyone. Due to this, Dani’s memory of the incident was that the guy was walking down the street knocking on doors, and if someone answered he shot them in the face.

Thought that wasn’t actually the situation, this was still one really messed up case… And honestly anytime a life is taken senselessly it is hard to wrap my head around it, no matter the circumstances.

We

We can all think of crazy news stories similar to this that we’ve seen over the years. I mean, for most of us we don’t have to think back too hard to remember the events of September 11, 2001… Over two decades later and we still struggle with the idea of understanding how in the world someone could have had such little regard for human life.

Most of us have seen the crazy stories out of Mobile of random bodies being found all around the city. Or of the gang violence and folks gunned downed near the mall.

Maybe we’ve lost a loved one in a terrible drunk driving accident.

Or heard of a neighborhood break-in that resulted in the senseless death of a neighbor.

Or any number of unexpected situations. No matter what, there is likely not a single person in this room that hasn’t had to face the reality of mentally and emotionally wrestling with the evil inclination of humanity.

God

This week we read Parasha Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32. It begins with the Lord saying that Noah was the only righteous and blameless man among his generation and that all flesh had become corrupt upon the earth. He then instructs Noah to build an ark of gopher wood that he, his wife, and their sons and their wives would board as remnants of mankind along with remnants of all animals. In chapter 7 we see a little further discussion of the remnant of the animals on the earth which would come on board, seven of every clean and two of every unclean animal. Then, in Noah’s 600th year the flood waters begin. The Lord sealed up the ark so that no one else could get on and the waters couldn’t breach the boat, and all flesh on the earth aside from Noah’s family perished in the flood.

In chapter 8 we read Adonai remember’s Noah and the waters of the flood beginning to recede. Then we see Noah, after coming out of the ark, builds an altar and offers sacrifices to Adonai. This is followed by the Lord making covenant with Noah. In chapter 9 the Lord blesses and further lays out the covenant, gives the rainbow as a sign of the covenant and instructs Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply. The remainder of Genesis 9 through Genesis 10 we read of the development of the 70 nations from Noah and his offspring.

In the beginning of chapter 11 we read of the Tower of Babel and the confounding of the languages of mankind. The latter part of chapter 11 is the generations from Noah to Abram. In this we go from the development of the 70 nations to the foundations of the nation of Israel through whom the entire world would be blessed.

Now, we’re going to turn our attention to a very specific part of Parasha Noach in which we learn a pretty powerful principle of faith…

At its core, sin is anything that diminishes the image of G-d in our lives.

(Repeat)

So let’s dive into the text a bit together today.

Genesis 9:1–6 TLV

God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the land. The fear and terror of you will be on every wild animal, and on every flying creature of the sky, with everything that crawls on the ground and with all the fish of the sea—into your hand they are given. Every crawling thing that is alive will be food for you, as are the green plants—I have now given you everything. Only flesh with its life—that is, its blood—you must not eat! Surely your lifeblood will I avenge. From every animal and from every person will I avenge it. From every person’s brother will I avenge that person’s life. The one who sheds human blood, by a human will his blood be shed, for in God’s image He made humanity.

Now, keep in mind, obviously Genesis doesn’t cover all of the history of the human experience from creation to Jacob entering Egypt… But what the Torah does cover here is for a very distinct purpose and brings us to the overarching narrative of the development of the redemption of humanity through Yeshua HaMashiach.

So, as we saw in Parasha Bereshit when Cain killed Abel Genesis 4:8-12

Genesis 4:8–12 TLV

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then Adonai said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” “I don’t know,” he said. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. So now, cursed are you from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. As often as you work the ground, it will not yield its crops to you again. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

The Lord takes the murder of another human being very seriously… Cain kills Abel out of jealousy of his offering. The Lord approaches Cain and says, “the blood of your brother is crying out to me from the ground.”

And then in Parasha Noach we read again:

Genesis 9:4–6 TLV

Only flesh with its life—that is, its blood—you must not eat! Surely your lifeblood will I avenge. From every animal and from every person will I avenge it. From every person’s brother will I avenge that person’s life. The one who sheds human blood, by a human will his blood be shed, for in God’s image He made humanity.

To this regard The Mechilta says—

How were the Ten Commandments given? Five on one tablet and five on a second tablet. This means that “Do not murder” corresponds to “I am the Lord your God.” The Torah is telling us that one who sheds blood, it is as if he has reduced the image of the King.

To what is this analogous? To a king of flesh and blood who entered a country and put up portraits of himself, made statues of himself, and minted coins with his image. After a while the people of the country overturned his portraits, broke his statues and invalidated his coins, thereby reducing the image of the king. So too, one who sheds blood reduces the image of the King, as it is written (Genesis 9:6): “One who spills a man’s blood . . . for in the image of God He made man.”

The Lord tells Noah that murder is not only wrong but that Adonai will avenge the blood of those murdered. Why? Because, as the Mechilta describes it, each and every human being who has every lived and breathed the Breath of Life was created in the image and likeness of HaShem. When one takes the life of another human being it is in essence a means of snuffing out a bit of the image of God from among us.

In fact, I would take this a bit deeper and point out that murder is just a single aspect of the overall effects of sin. As we saw with Parasha Bereshit, sin entered humanity and the slippery slope just continued to get worse and worse. First it was Adam and Chavah eating the fruit… But that introduction of sin into mankind gave way to murder… That gave way to so much more depravity. Ultimately setting us up for where humanity finds ourselves in Parasha Noach in which we have spiraled the toilet bowl so rapidly that God says in Genesis 6:5-12

Genesis 6:5–12 TLV

Then Adonai saw that the wickedness of humankind was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil all the time. So Adonai regretted that He made humankind on the earth, and His heart was deeply pained. So Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the ground, from humankind to livestock, crawling things and the flying creatures of the sky, because I regret that I made them.” But Noah found favor in Adonai’s eyes. These are the genealogies of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He was blameless among his generation. Noah continually walked with God. Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was ruined before God, and the earth was filled with violence. God saw the earth, and behold it was ruined because all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

As I said a few moments ago, the core of what we see in Parasha Noach is the harsh reality of sin and the evil inclination. Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, sin damages the image and likeness of God in our own life. The reality of what we see in Genesis 9 in the covenant being made with Noah is that murder, which is one of the Big 10 found in Exodus 20 in case you forgot, is really just a symptom of a much larger problem.

At its core, sin is anything that diminishes the image of G-d in our lives.

This, I believe, is what we see in Yeshua’s discourse in the Sermon on the Mount as we see in Matthew 5:21-24

Matthew 5:21–24 TLV

“You have heard it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever commits murder shall be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be subject to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be subject to fiery Gehenna. “Therefore if you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Murder is an outward express of an inward reality… But, Yeshua hones in on this premise just a little farther in Matthew 5:27-30

Matthew 5:27–30 TLV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that everyone who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away! It is better for you that one part of your body should be destroyed, than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you that one part of your body should be destroyed, than that your whole body go into Gehenna.

Both murder and adultery are addressed in the Torah, but so are hatred, anger, and lust… Yeshua isn’t saying anything new here… But what He is saying is that sin goes much deeper… Sin is an outward sign of an inward problem. Yeshua tells us that if we allow Him to handle the internal then the external can never be a problem. For each external sin there is an internal temptation.

Jeremiah 31:30–32 TLV

“Behold, days are coming” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them.” it is a declaration of Adonai. “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “I will put My Torah within them. Yes, I will write it on their heart. I will be their God and they will be My people.

This New Covenant is only found in the Salvation provided in Yeshua HaMashiach. In this New Covenant we are washed clean of our sins, we are redeemed and restored. And beyond this the in-dwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh in our hearts is the etching of the Torah upon our hearts. It is through the Word Made Flesh residing in us and our submission to Him that we can experience the transformation of the heart that allows for our avoidance of the external sins.

The enemy wants nothing more than to diminish the image and likeness of God in His creation. When we give in to sin we allow this very reality to occur. He wants sin to run rampant in our hearts, he wants sin to be the very cause of our death before we can ever find redemption and salvation. And even more so, when we become disciples of Yeshua we become a very important threat to the kingdom of the enemy. The world around us who do not know Messiah Yeshua are already fallen and broken, they are generally comfortable walking in sin and contrary to the heart of God. But, as talmidim of Yeshua, if we sin it is a tremendous victory chalked up in the enemy’s court. He loves nothing more than to try and turn the redeemed into the fallen.

But our Haftarah parasha for Noach gives us tremendous hope as we see the promises of Adonai spoken of Israel in the midst of a prophetic book specifically calling Israel out on all our many sins and failures.

Isaiah 54:4–8 TLV

Fear not, for you will not be ashamed. Nor cringe, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will remember the reproach of your widowhood no more. For your Maker is your husband —Adonai-Tzva’ot is His Name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called God of all the earth. “For Adonai has called you back like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of one’s youth that is rejected,” says your God. “For a brief moment I deserted you, but I will regather you with great compassion. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says Adonai your Redeemer.

And we see the cry of Paul’s heart with regard to our fallen nature and the power of our true redemption in Messiah Yeshua in Romans 5:12-18

Romans 5:12–18 TLV

So then, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, in the same way death spread to all men because all sinned. For up until the Torah, sin was in the world; but sin does not count as sin when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in a manner similar to the violation of Adam, who is a pattern of the One to come. But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if many died because of the transgression of one man, how much more did the grace of God overflow to many through the gift of one Man—Yeshua the Messiah. Moreover, the gift is not like what happened through the one who sinned. For on the one hand, the judgment from one violation resulted in condemnation; but on the other hand, the gracious gift following many transgressions resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s transgression, death reigned through the one, how much more shall those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Messiah Yeshua. So then, through the transgression of one, condemnation came to all men; likewise, through the righteousness of one came righteousness of life to all men.

Sin came into the world because of the fall to temptation by one man, and through the sacrifice of One Man, Yeshua HaMashiach, righteousness of life is made available to all. Through the Sacrifice of Yeshua we are able to be restored to the image and likeness in which we were first created. We are able to experience a reversal of the efforts of the enemy to destroy us and the image in which we were created.

When one commits murder, one is taking the life of an individual created in the image of God. As such to commit murder is to snuff out the image of God within His creation. But, murder is but a single symptom of the greater reality of sin and evil inclination…

We see definition after definition of sin all throughout the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah, whether we talk of the covenantal commandments given to Noah, the Aseret HaDibrot given to Israel at Sinai, the continuation of the mitzvot of HaShem found throughout the Torah, or so much more.

But for me, the definition of sin is so much more simple… My core definition of sin is this...

At its core, sin is anything that diminishes the image of G-d in our lives.

As I discussed early, we so often see all the terrible things that happens in this fallen world and we find ourselves with the constantly lingering question of “Why?” And the truth is that the answer is as simple as the enemy wants to destroy the image of God in His creation. But Messiah has offered His life to restore and renew His creation in covenant relationship with our Creator.

You

(Call Worship team back and unmute)

So, what issues are there in your life that you look back at and are stuck with the question of “Why?”

You may be thinking, “why do you constantly find yourself hurting those closest to you?”

Or, “Why do you find yourself lustfully staring at every attractive man or woman that walks by?”

Or, “Why do you find yourself so easily loosing your cool and blowing up at your family, friends, or coworkers?”

Or, maybe you find yourself thinking something like, “Why do you always struggle so much in your walk with the Lord, why is your life always falling apart around you, why aren’t you unable to live up to the Word of God?”

We

And this is exactly what the enemy wants us to think… He wants us focused on our failures and our sins rather than on the redemption and restoration available to us in Messiah. He wants us focused on the losses of the world around us and not on the victory available to us in Messiah.

Genesis 9:6 TLV

The one who sheds human blood, by a human will his blood be shed, for in God’s image He made humanity.

To be walking in sin is to be walking in death… The curse of sin is eternal death, eternal separation from our Heavenly Father. At its core, our sin (no matter what it may be) is the shedding of human blood, it is the shedding of our own blood… But in Messiah we can find redemption and salvation. In Messiah we can experience the reality of Paul’s promise found in Romans 8:1-4

Romans 8:1–4 TLV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what was impossible for the Torah—since it was weakened on account of the flesh—God has done. Sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as a sin offering, He condemned sin in the flesh— so that the requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Ruach.

Today is the day to walk in the truth of Salvation and restoration in Messiah Yeshua. Today is the day to humbly submit our hearts and lives fully to the Lord. Today is the day that we allow Yeshua full reign in our hearts so that He can break the chains of the enemy which hold us back from living in our full Kingdom potential. Today is the day that we walk in the truth of the New Covenant, in the truth of our own redemption, in the truth of our recreation in the image and likeness of Creator.

In a moment we’re going to spend some time in worship, I want to encourage each of us to invite the Ruach HaKodesh to search out our hearts and our lives and to remove anything that diminishes the image of God in our lives.

(Pray and then ask everyone to stand and join in worship.)