The terrible floods in Texas are unfolding in areas where many of our friends live, in Blanco, Wimberly, Austin and Houston. As far as we know, none of our friends have been injured or lost their homes, but things are very confused at present. What’s worse, more rain is coming in a few days. Hopefully this disaster won’t turn into an epic catastrophe.
The Texas Hill Country is known for extreme rainfall events, and when we lived in San Antonio, the city experienced no less than two hundred year storms. So-called hundred year storms. The first one flooded our apartment. When the second one came, we had a house. The water stopped just a block away.
Many times I’ve mentioned one of my favorite bible quotes: “God gave Noah the rainbow sign. No more water, the fire next time.” So, was that wrong? Many Texans might think so at this point. But I think that it’s far more likely that Muslim terrorists will eventually have another great success. Then it will indeed be the fire next time. But let’s hope not!
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Here’s hoping that the
Here’s hoping that the upcoming rains are gentle, then, Anne.
My mother and I watched ‘Noah’ the other day, and I found it a neat touch that Methuselah had gotten his apocalypses mixed up, being surprised that Noah was predicting water, not fire, as his father had told him. 😉
Here in Texas, we have
Here in Texas, we have actually had both fire AND water in the last few years. One recent summer witnessed fires all over the state, including a particularly destructive one in Bastrop County. Brush fires came perilously close to my urban neighborhood here that same year, plus fires in West Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. I remember that my partner and I had to change our vacation plans about 3 times because the places where we planned to hike caught fire. We ended up near Carlsbad and a week after a lovely hike there, that park burned, coming very close to the compound of Carlsbad Caverns.
We are also getting wind (tornadoes) too. I do not know if any of this is ‘God’s will’, but it all is certainly challenging for us, and perhaps we will re-think where and how we live, and come to a better understanding of what is truly important in our lives.
RE: “God gave Noah the
RE: “God gave Noah the rainbow sign. No more water, the fire next time.” – This is not a bible quote. It is only from lyrics to an old spiritual “Mary Don’t You Weep” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Don%27t_You_Weep.
The Torah (Gen 9-14) makes it clear that G-d promised to never destroy the world again with a flood. It is silent in this section on the concept of fire or another elemental disaster:
9″And I, behold I am setting up My covenant with you and with your seed after you.
טוַאֲנִי הִנְנִי מֵקִים אֶת בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְאֶת זַרְעֲכֶם אַחֲרֵיכֶם:
10And with every living creature that is with you, among the fowl, among the cattle, and among all the beasts of the earth with you, of all those who came out of the ark, of all the living creatures of the earth.
יוְאֵת כָּל נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר אִתְּכֶם בָּעוֹף בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ אִתְּכֶם מִכֹּל יֹצְאֵי הַתֵּבָה לְכֹל חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ:
11And I will establish My covenant with you, and never again will all flesh be cut off by the flood waters, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” יאוַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְלֹא יִכָּרֵת כָּל בָּשָׂר עוֹד מִמֵּי הַמַּבּוּל וְלֹא יִהְיֶה עוֹד מַבּוּל לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ:
12And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant, which I am placing between Me and between you, and between every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations.
יבוַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים זֹאת אוֹת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין כָּל נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה אֲשֶׁר אִתְּכֶם לְדֹרֹת עוֹלָם:
13My rainbow I have placed in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Myself and the earth.
יגאֶת קַשְׁתִּי נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן וְהָיְתָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ:
14And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth, that the rainbow will appear in the cloud.
Now as to the current “Fire” we are all experiencing from Climate Change (even more so this week in Texas, Mexico and India with its 1100+ plus deaths) – whether this is G-d’s very slow wrath, nature, or some other cause – I remain open minded.
Anne, my husband and I also
Anne, my husband and I also have friends in Houston, and as far as I know, they are alright as well. I really have been feeling great compassion for those who have been less fortunate due to the flooding.