Monday 11 August 2008
- Bible Book:
- Genesis
"In the six-hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons, entered the ark." (v.11-13)
Background
Many ancient peoples told and retold the story of a great floodthat wiped out all the earth, save for one family. The best knownoutside of the Bible is probably the Gilgamesh epic fromMesopotamia with the earliest versions going back as far as around2000 BC. Some would point to this account as a way to discount theflood story in Genesis. Others believe it gives evidence (asexternal source) that a massive event involving water didoccur.
The account of Noah, beginning in
Noah was over 500 years old when it all began. Though you may beimpressed with anyone being 500, that's not the most impressivething about this story. At this age Noah found out that God wasgoing to send a flood over all of the earth. God's reasoning wassimple. Humankind's inclinations and thoughts were on evil all thetime so God decided to wipe them out (
But Noah, on the other hand, was righteous and blameless (Genesis6:9) so God goes to Noah and tells him to build an ark.Instructions are given on how to build it and for what purpose. Godis going to wipe out all of humanity.
Noah does as God commands and sets to work. After 100 years of toilall the livestock and food are stowed and Noah, with his three sonsand their families, eventually board the ark.
To Ponder
What does this story tell you about faith andobedience?
What does this account tell you about the powerof God? Spend a moment reflecting on that.
How do you resolve God's loving kindness withwiping out almost all of humanity?
How do we develop the kind of faith that Noah hadin our everyday lives?