restrained."Thishappenswheneveritstopsraining.8:2
Noahsendsadoveouttoseeiftherewasanydryland.Butthedove
returnswithoutfindingany.Then,justsevendayslater,thedovegoes
outagainandreturnswithanoliveleaf.Buthowcouldanolivetree
survivetheflood?Andifanyseedshappenedtosurvive,theycertainly
wouldn'tgerminateandgrowleaveswithinasevendayperiod.8:8-11
Noahkillsthe"cleanbeasts"andburnstheirdeadbodiesforGod.
Accordingto7:8thiswouldhavecausedtheextinctionofall"clean"
animalssinceonlytwoofeachweretakenontotheark."AndtheLord
smelledasweetsavor."AfterthisGod"saidinhisheart"thathe'd
neverdoitagainbecause"man'sheartisevilfromhisyouth."SoGod
killedalllivingthings(6:5)becausehumansareevil,andthen
promisesnottodoitagain(8:21)becausehumansareevil.Themindof
Godisafrighteningthing.8:20-21
Accordingtothisverse,allanimalsfearhumans.Althoughitistrue
thatmanydo,itisalsotruethatsomedonot.Sharksandgrizzly
bears,forexample,aregenerallymuchlessafraidofusthanweareof
them.9:2
"Intoyourhandarethey(theanimals)delivered."Godgavetheanimals
tohumans,andtheycandowhatevertheypleasewiththem.Thisverse
hasbeenusedbybiblebelieverstojustifyallkindsofcrueltyto
anmialsandenvironmentaldestruction.9:2
Allanimalshavehands.9:5
"Beyefruitful,andmultiply."With6billionpeopleonthisplanet,we
needtodisobeyGodonthisone.9:7
Godisrightlyfilledwithremorseforhavingkilledhiscreatures.He
makesadealwiththeanimals,promisingnevertodrownthemallagain.
Heevenputstherainbowintheskysothatwheneverheseesit,itwill
remindhimofhispromisesothathewon'tbetemptedtodoitagain.
(EverytimeGodseestherainbowhesaystohimself:"Oh,yeah....
That'sright.Ipromisednottodrowntheanimalsagain.IguessI'll
havetofindsomethingelsetodo.").9:9-13
Theentiretenthchapteristhefirstofmanyboringgenealogies(see1
Chr.1-9,Mt.1:1-17,Lk.3:23-28forotherexamples)thatwearetoldto
avoidin1Tim.1:4andTit.3:9("Avoidfoolishquestionsand
genealogies.")10:1-32
Godworriesthatpeoplecouldactuallybuildatowerhighenoughto
reachhim(them?)inheaven.11:4
Godisworriedagain.Heremembershowhumansnearlybecamegodsby
findingandeatingfromthetreeoflife(Gen.3:22).Itwasaclose
call,butnowhefacesasimilarthreat.Hebeginstalkingtohimself
againsaying,"Behold,thepeopleisone,andtheyallhaveone
language."Hefearsthat"nownothingwillberestrainedfromthem,
whichtheyhaveimaginedtodo."11:6
Anotherboringgenealogythatwearetoldtoavoidin1Tim.1:4and
Tit.3:9.("Avoidfoolishquestionsandgenealogies.")Alsonotethe