Scripture Study for

The flood in Genesis is God’s initial response the fact of human  wickedness, which had filled the entire earth with corruption  (Genesis 6:11–13). Afterward, God recognizes that this has not  solved the problem of the human heart, whose “desires . . . are evil  from youth” (8:21); a new plan will have been put in place. In the  meantime, God establishes a covenant, not just with human beings  but with “every living creature.” This covenant is an expression of  God’s commitment to all that has been created. Even though human  sin has brought corruption to the whole earth, God does not turn  away, but prepares the way for a new plan that will address the  problem of the human heart. 

The author of First Peter refers to the time of Noah from two  perspectives. The identity of the “spirits in prison” to whom Christ  preached possibly refers to the spirits of those whose disobedience  occasioned the flood. The point is that the account of the suffering,  death, and exaltation of Christ should encourage his audience in  their own sufferings (3:13–17). Peter also ties the flood narrative to  baptism, suggesting that Noah and his family were “saved through  water” (although actually they were saved from water). Through  baptism one is renewed through the power of Christ. The “appeal”  might also be translated “pledge of good conscience,” meaning that  for their part humans promise to allow their lives to be renewed and  to be faithful, particularly in a time of suffering. 

In Mark’s account of his temptation, Jesus is in the desert “among  wild beasts,” which represent the “wildness” of the desert as a place  of spiritual struggle, as in the Exodus account. As in that same  account, Jesus is attended by angels, agents of God’s protection.  Jesus relives the experience of Israel, but unlike them he does not  succumb to temptation. His proclamation is simple: The promised  reign of God, in which all will be ordered according to God’s will, is  coming to pass. The human response is twofold: Believe that God’s  promises are being fulfilled and repent of any behaviors or attitudes  that oppose the divine will.