A better Jesus

A Better Jesus

In Genesis 8:21, the Lord said, “Never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”
Is this confession time for God? Did he repent of having destroyed almost all of his creatures?
Could you blame him? His children caused him so much pain, for every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil, all the time. With words like “every,” “only,” and “all,” God has a watertight case to proceed with the judgment call.
But God found a blameless man to save the human race from their evil. Noah is sometimes referred to as a type of Jesus. He was a father’s first-born son. He was the hope of comfort to all those under the burden of the curse of sin. His father lived a perfect 777 years, and Noah was referred to as a man who walked with God.
So in this savings plan of God, he used Noah to save for himself a remnant of people. But the cost was staggering. The bloated corpses washed up on shore, sending a stench up to heaven. It cost God almost all the creatures he had created. Many died and only a few were saved.
Still, obedient Noah prepared a sacrifice. Then while smelling the pleasing aroma of offerings made to honor and thank him, God in heaven was overcome by waves of mercy. He had a heart-to-heart talk with himself and promised himself and his creatures that this would never happen again.
He must have realized there was only one alternative, but promise he did. God devised a better way to save his people from their sins. In his mercy our punishment went against his son. Yes, his first-born son will come to comfort, to save, and to die. One blameless man died, one time and never again, and washed away the sins of the world.
God’s good news in the Old Testament is his promise never to destroy all his creatures again. This promise leads to God’s good news in the New Testament: Jesus, the Savior of the world.