Noah, Abraham, and God

Noah

Genesis 6:9-11:32

Précis: The story of Noah and Flood appear in this parasha. Noah, called by God, builds the Ark and collects the animals. Then it rains for forty days and nights. Noah and his family are saved and they leave the Ark, build an altar, and make sacrifices to God. God sets a rainbow as a promise not to destroy mankind again. Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, and becomes drunk. An odd incident takes place with his sons. The story of the Tower of Babel is included, and the parasha ends with a genealogy of the ancient peoples of the Bible, ending with Abram.

Genesis 6:9 “...Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age.” 

The Torah reading in this parasha is interesting in its portrayal of the human characters and perhaps troubling in its portrayal of God.

First, the text strikes a note of ambivalence: Noah is praised in our parasha as "a righteous man; blameless in his age." Is Noah really righteous, or just better than those in his wicked society? How would he measure up to other people in other societies? Second, the text tells us that Noah "walked with God" (as opposed to Abraham, who "walked before God"). What is the difference between the two characters? 

Noah is silent and does not complain about God’s plan, in stark contrast with Abraham at Sodom, when Abraham engages God in debate about the fate of the city. Here is the major difference between Noah and Abraham, hinted at in the text: Noah walks "with" God, and does not question Him. Abraham walks “before” God, the adverb indicating a degree of independence or even leadership, a difference emphasized by Abraham's argument about the fate of Sodom ("Will not the God of Justice act justly?" Gen 18:24). One human being simply follows orders; the other argues with God. 

While we might wonder at this difference, what are more problematic are the different portrayals of God in the two stories. In the story of the Flood, God simply declares that the earth is wicked and states His intent to destroy the world and start anew with Noah. When humans build a Tower, they are dispersed, again without a chance to atone for whatever sin they have committed.

In the story of Sodom, God engages in an investigative process ("I will go down and see for Myself" (Gen 18:20)), and then debates with Abraham about His plans before making a decision to destroy the city. Clearly, the God of Noah is not the same as the God of Abraham. Is this because Noah and Abraham occupy different levels of ethical awareness, or is it that God has “matured” in His understanding of human nature? If we are endowed with free will, do humans have the ability to “surprise” God (cf., omniscience vs. omnipotence)? What does it say about us, and what does that say about our conception of God? 

Those who believe that the text is best understood as a compilation by a Great Redactor believe that the different portrayals of God in the Flood and Sodom stories is because the tales have different, divergent, and contradictory sources. Those who read the text as a unified whole see a suggestion that there was growth and change in the relationship between human beings and the Creator, and that the nature of the relationship is dynamic.

Does this have relevance to us today? Perhaps. The text is a mirror of our understanding of God and God’s role in human affairs. History seems to indicate that we are really "on our own" and the God has removed Himself from us. In addition to being a sign that He will not destroy the world again, the rainbow could also be a sign of the withdrawal of His Presence from day to day human affairs. 

In a more practical manner, Abraham, who walks “before" God and shows God the “right” way to do things, is a role model for all of us who might help lead others: a human being who demands justice, even from God.