The theme for this unit is "God's Incredible Rescue Plan." But at first glance this story seems to be about destruction, not about rescue. It's a dark story, and after reading it and thinking about it, you may be wondering about its appropriateness for young children. Perhaps that's why people tend to make it cute with all the animals going into the ark.

After the fall pictured in Genesis 3, the condition of the world and human behavior take a steep downhill slope. Beginning with the murder of Abel and escalating from there, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (6:5).

But notice God's response. This passage does not paint God as a cold, indifferent, heavenly Judge. Rather, it says that God "regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled." Like a painter whose precious work of art has been defaced or like a parent whose child has gotten into trouble, the Lord refuses to shrug off human sin. God's beautiful creation has been spoiled and made ugly by the very ones created to be its crown.

God has a plan to restore the despoiled creation, but God will not do it alone. Over and over we will see that God determines to work his rescue plan in partnership. In every case God intends to use a willing and obedient human partner to accomplish his saving purpose. And in this dark place of overwhelming wickedness, God finds a human partner: "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord."

God places the destiny of the whole creation on the shoulders of this one faithful man. God instructs Noah to build this gigantic vessel so that when the flood comes he and his family will be saved.

But it's not just human beings God is concerned to save. God instructs Noah to get two of every kind of animal that would not survive the flood on the ark with him. God's love extends to more than just humanity, and God's purposes are much bigger than to save men and women. God loves all the creatures he made. This is just one signal of many in the Bible of God's love for all his creatures, and God's desire that we should love them too.

Undoubtedly you want to tell the children about the reaction of Noah's neighbors to his preposterous boat. It's so familiar you're sure it's in the Bible—but it's not. It's in lots of sermons and Sunday school lessons, but not in the Bible. Because the focus of this story is not so much on Noah's faith or on his spectacular obedience—as important as those were. Instead the focus is on God's loving determination to save the world.

This is a story of despair and hope, of condemnation and grace, of death and life. It's not comic or cute. It shows us a God who is just and loving, firm and faithful, powerful yet committed to working in partnership with us—a God in whom we can trust. The excavation work has begun for the long road of redemption that will finally lead to the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ.