The Israelite story of the flood, as we have it today, ends with Yahweh bestowing a blessing upon humankind through Noah.
In this blessing, Yahweh grants permission to mankind to consume the flesh of animals, in stark contrast to the state of existence before, during which mankind had been living off a plant-based diet ever since Eden.
But despite what the Israelites have told us... use your mind and your heart;
It is ludicrous to think that a Compassionate-God would condone someone choosing to kill, when they are able to live off of plants, in order to satiate lust for a particular taste.
No one's taste buds is ever worth more than someone else's LIFE.
And as those who are truly in relationship with Yahweh know...
He is a Compassionate-God.
With this in mind, here is a retelling of the blessing and the charge that Yahweh gives to Noah upon leaving the ark in Genesis 9.
A brief commentary follows.
Then Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and said;
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the land!
And as my stewards upon the earth, the fear and terror of you shall be felt throughout all the land by those who would knowingly bring harm to any of the animas of the land, all the fowl of the heavens, and all of the creepers of the ground, and any of the fish of the seas, who are given over to you for protection.
They are all in your hands.
For their protection, they are given over to you.
Many of them nourish themselves with the flesh of each other;
Though for you, knowing good-and-evil and serving as my stewards,
their flesh is forbidden utterly to you. An abomination.
Take note that I will demand of you blood as payment for the killing of any flesh.
For he who spills the blood of life,
by life shall his blood be spilled.
For in the image-of-Elohim was man created; As Elohim cherishes life, so too shall man cherish life; And you, cherishing life, shall be fruitful and multiply and cover the land, and multiply on it, and protect my creations throughout the land.
Commentary
In the traditional version as we have it from the Israelites, it is at this moment when the non-human animal kingdom suddenly has reason to fear and dread mankind.
How tragic.
Why should the vulnerable, to whom Yahweh gifted life, be so cursed so as to be condemned to live in perpetual fear of those who were created in the Image-of-God? Ought not mankind be a force for goodness upon the Earth, to whom the innocent and vulnerable can run to for protection? For companionship? For all things good?
Note that even in the traditional version, while man is told he may eat animals, he is not told that he must. There is room for compassion without transgressing the words of Yahweh as they are presented in this chapter.
But as it turns out, this is not good enough; There are many - far, far too many - who, be it due to laziness, selfishness, narcissism, lust, or other vices, have decided to spurn their god-given ability to empathize with the other, and to show compassion for the vulnerable. And they think they can hide behind such passages as the 9th chapter of Genesis when committing atrocities.
How wrong they are.
In the version above, fear and terror of mankind still spreads; But it is no longer felt by the vulnerable and innocent. Instead, it is felt by those who would prioritize their own wants at the expense of another. In the ideal world, when one would seek to harm one of Yahweh's creations, His beloved Mankind is vigilantly standing by, ready to leap to their defense, just as Kayin confronted Hevel in our earlier retelling of their conflict.
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