Noah, the flood and chocolate courgette cake

So after his father’s prediction that Noah will bring relief, it is Noah alone who finds favour in God’s sight. The LORD is sorry that he has made man, but Noah is righteous and walks with God. He alone gets to enter the creation after the flood. Noah is the one to receive a renewed commission to be fruitful and multiply. But this time God is fully aware of the heart of man, which is ‘evil from his youth’.

Even so, fallen humanity still bears the image of God, and so when one kills another, there must be payment in blood (9v4). God makes a covenant with Noah to never cover the earth again with a flood. What a faithful God! In spite of what a mess humanity has already made, and the LORD’s own admission of man’s sinfulness, he is still going to be intimately involved with his creation.

The results of the presence of sin are seen almost immediately, as Noah gets drunk on wine and then curses Ham for seeing him naked. A man sinning with fruit, once again.

The LORD’s involvement with his creation is the focus of the tower of Babel (ch11). This bid for independence and glory in the skies is so different to Abram’s faith in following God’s call on him in the chapter 12. Whilst the builders in Babel say “come,…let us make a name for ourselves”, God says to Abram, “I will bless you and make your name great”, and with that comes a promise of being made a great nation…


This week's recipe - Chocolate Courgette Cake

I made this for Dave Bish my supervisor and Brian our staff-worker when I first came to Exeter. I think they were mildy dismayed to be told what it contained...

Don't be put off - it DOESN'T taste of courgette. Like carrot cake, the courgettes add moisture.

Serves 6-8
115 g butter
2 eggs
125 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
300 g sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
350 g flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
125 ml soured milk (just add a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk!)
200 g semisweet baking chocolate, chopped roughly
2 small courgettes, grated

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and grease a large baking pan.
Cream the butter and sugar together. Once they are creamy, gradually add the eggs, vanilla and oil.
Blend or sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and gradually add to the butter mixture.
Then slowly blend in the soured milk. Add the chocolate pieces and grated courgette.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Enjoy hot from the oven or let cool and devour later.