By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

“God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their evil deeds.’ ” — Genesis 6:13

Typhoon Frank

Our country is currently experiencing the devastating effects of Typhoon Frank. It sank not only MV Princess of the Stars, a ship owned by Sulpicio Lines, killing hundreds of its passengers, but worst of all it had also sunk even more the sinking ship of our state. It is deeply frustrating to realize that as Typhoon Frank visited our country, President GMA together with her enormous entourage also insisted to visit the “land of the brave and the free”.

The visit of Typhoon Frank seemed to be an attempt of Mother Nature to prevent President GMA to leave our country once again and spend millions while our people are suffering from food crisis. But apparently nothing could prevent GMA from pursuing what she wants, not even the coming of a typhoon. No wonder Typhoon Frank had to change its course and unleashed its destructive fury right in the land of the Arroyo’s, even just to remind the powers-that-be that there is that power beyond our selves.

Theological interpretation

It is interesting to note that in the Bible natural calamities are interpreted not scientifically, but theologically. They carry messages of judgement from the God who created the heavens and the earth. For instance, the Great Flood during the time of Noah that destroyed the known world, except Noah and his family and those other creatures that were brought inside Noah’s Ark (Gen. 6-10), was actually a result or consequence of human wickedness. “God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their evil deeds’ “ (Gen. 6:13).

God our Creator uses nature to reveal God’s will and purpose for humanity. But before God uses the fury of nature, God uses first God’s faithful servants, like Noah or the Prophets to proclaim God’s message to the people and to the powers-that-be. It is when God’s servants are not listened to that God uses nature to deliver God’s message of judgement. It was when the people did not listen to Noah that the Great Deluge came. It was when the Pharaoh of Egypt did not listen to Moses and Aaron that the plagues visited Egypt (Ex. 7-12). Jesus said to the Pharisees who were trying to silence his disciples, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting” (Lk. 19:40).

It must be emphasized that modern-day prophets, like church workers and media men and women, have been proclaiming God’s messages of judgement and warning to the powers-that-be concerning the social evils of our time. But instead of being listened to, they are being killed in cold blood. Thus, God has to use nature to speak to us. But are we listening?

Rainbow as sign of promise

In the story of Noah, the rainbow was designated as a sign of God’s everlasting covenant with Noah and his descendants. God promised that never again a flood will destroy the earth (Gen. 9). But then how come that if and when the rainbow appears in the sky, this would show the opposite instead; that floods are now coming again to destroy the earth?

This is happening precisely because we have not learned our lesson. Apparently, the evils of Noah’s time that led to the flood continue to prevail even today. The evils of Noah’s time are the evils of injustice. And so, if and when the powers-that-be do not listen to the cries of the victims of injustices in our land, and will not do anything to serve the cause of justice and human rights, surely more devastating typhoons will come and visit us. #