Qešeṯ: God hangs up his Bow

Throughout antiquity, there are many religious myths, epics, and legends of divine battles and great floods.

One of these common in ancient Mesopotamia is the Epic of Gilgamesh.

As a highly reductive summary, the legendary king, Utnapishtim, tells Gilgamesh a story of how Enlil, the supreme god of the region, intended to wipe out humanity with a flood. But the king, forewarned by the god Ea, built a boat that could withstand the storm, ultimately surviving the flood with his wife, family, servants, and animals.

Sound familiar?

But for us as followers of Yeshua, the richness is in the contrast.

The themes of this Mesopotamian epic are wrapped up in: 1) the division of divinity, 2) man outsmarting divinity, and 3) the ill-intent of divinity (shown in Enlil).

So what does the story of Noah reveal to us about the heart of our God?

First, we have a God who is not divided. We can debate God’s definition of justice all day long, but we see Elohim as consistently One.

Second, Elohim does not have ulterior motives, operating in secrecy for our harm. Our God discloses an alternative way of life to those prepared to listen and walk in righteousness.

And thirdly, unlike Enlil, the heart of Elohim is rooted in restoration, not revenge. Elohim shows this when he says, “I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13).

Bow - qešeṯ - is not a word for our modern term, “rainbow.” It’s the bow of an archer - a tool for attacking at a distance.

God’s colorfully-portrayed weapon of the sky is hung up, not at arms, and is pointed upward, away from creation.

Unlike other gods, the delight of Elohim is nearness, not distance; our protection, not our destruction; and a collaborative partnership of life-giving work with us, not the infliction of injury upon us.

—

Enjoying our 60 second reflections? Subscribe here