The story of Noah is brutal. The wickedness on earth was so great—every thought of their heart was only evil all the time—that God decided to destroy all living things on the earth.

This illustration was inspired by a sermon titled Noah: A Reboot given by Darrell Brooker, pastor of Redeemer church in Santa Rosa, California on 27 March 2022, covering Genesis chapters 6-7. He points out that Noah's ark is a common decoration in children's nurseries, but it's actually a terrible kid's story. You can listen to the full sermon here; starting around 24:25 is the specific part of the sermon that  inspired this piece.

The juxtaposition of the justice of death that we deserve and the unmerited grace that God gives is apparent in the story of Noah with a tangible division between the water. We belong in the group beneath the water, however God has grace on us and has placed us above the waters. Glory be to God.

A quote from Darrell's sermon: "Now I want you to notice the order of events here: God saw wickedness in the world, He gave grace to Noah, and then as a response to that grace, He empowered Noah to live a righteous life, and then as a righteous man flowing after God—who sees what God has done in his life—God asks him to do something crazy, and he says okay. That's the story of Noah."

Another quote from Darrell's sermon: "These two chapters are not primarily about the nameless multitude who perished in the flood, but about a family who were saved through the ark. And the writer makes it abundantly clear that this is an act of divine grace. God told Noah about the flood, He told him to build the ark, He told him how to do it, and just as the waters begin to rise, we read, 'and the Lord shut him in.' In other words, He is the rescuer, He is the one that puts His hand around him, closes it around him, and saves him from the storms outside, as an act of pure grace. And that's not just what He did for Noah, that's something He does for you and me as well. The work of rescue is accomplished by God and God alone as He comes to persons in peril and says, 'I'm gonna cover you and shut you in and keep you safe, and I will put my mark, a seal, on you that prevents you from being harmed, and I will give you My spirit, and I will ensure by grace alone that  you are kept safe from the storms and disasters around you, and I will guarantee your safety that you will come out the other side of the waters."