Noah

As the gopher wood bandwagon is being built for the movie “Noah,” I thought I might take a few minutes to offer a few observations about this mostly well-known story from the book of Genesis.  The first observation is that the character of Noah has more lines in the movie trailer than he does in the actual Biblical text. 

 

Not that that’s a problem, but it is something to keep in mind.  Of course, Noah in the movie “The Bible” (1966 – and played by John Huston) also had a few more lines, though not as many as are likely in the upcoming movie version.  And there was the John Voigt “Noah’s Ark” movie in 1999 that had Noah’s Ark come under attack by pirates. 

 

Anyway…

Whenever a Biblical story gets adapted into a movie (for good or for ill), inevitably it will garner some discussion from church-goers.  Usually the discussion centers around authenticity, but sometimes it pushes us to deeper theological questions.  Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” was such a movie that prompted theological questions as well as authenticity and how well it depicted the Gospel accounts.

 

With the story of Noah, though, I thought I would point out a few things that probably won’t come up in typical discussions.  So, here we go.

 

Observation #1:  Myths and legends all have plot holes.

To call the story of Noah and the Ark a myth sets people off almost immediately.  However, the story of Noah falls within the first 11 chapters of Genesis, a section sometimes called the pre-history.  These stories all take place long before recorded history and so have to be viewed as mythological and legendary.  This isn’t to devalue them at all, but to recognize that they are stories designed to explain things.  For example, if one were to ask, “Why are there so many languages today?”  the answer that would have been offered around the ancient campfires might well have been the story of the tower of Babel. 

 

For a working definition of myth and legend, I would utilize the ones offered by Christian Hauer and William Young in their book An Introduction to the Bible: 

·         Myth: a story centering on divine action outside the realm of history.

·         Legend:  an account regarded as historical but not verifiable.

When we recognize that the story of Noah falls into these categories, then we can cut ourselves some slack when it comes to plot holes.  For example, the story tells us that all living creatures were destroyed in the flood.

 

Except fish, one would surmise.

 

But if we get hung up on that aspect, we start having to add details to the story that weren’t there.  In movies we recognize the plot holes pretty readily, but so long as they aren’t glaring and completely disrupt the continuity of  the narrative itself, we can move past them.  The same should be true for the story of Noah.  If we get hung up on the size of the ark, the number of animals, or the types of animals (like the paintings that have kangaroos and buffaloes), then we miss the larger point which is the story of divine forbearance and human survival.  Even asking ourselves did it happen can obscure us from the narrative.  Did it happen as recorded?  Well, who knows?[1]  This does lead me to my second observation.

 

Observation #2:  There are two versions of the story of Noah.

Over the many years of Biblical study, scholars have recognized that the books in the Bible have a variety of sources.  One of the more famous hypothetical theories is called the Graff-Wellhausen Hypothesis or, as it is more commonly called, the Four-Source Theory of the Torah. 

 

What this theory postulates is that the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) were compiled over many generations.  As such, they were written in different times and by different authors with different styles of writing.  It is a well documented theory, and I won’t go into the details here, but the basics are that the Torah can be seen as having come from four different sources of material.  In some places it can be seen rather clearly, as in the two accounts of Creation (Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:4).  In others, though, it has been so well constructed that the multiple sources can’t be seen easily at all – especially if we haven’t ever thought to look at the story that way. 

 

I will add that the four sources are given the following abbreviations: J,E,D and P.  And in order of oldest source to youngest, J would be the oldest and P would be the youngest.

 

But the story of Noah in the Bible can be broken into two complete versions of the story – both having their own particular points of interest and both having larger commonality. 

 

So here they are: 

The “J” version (which would be the older account of the two), beginning in Genesis 6:5:

[6:5] The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. [7] So the Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." [8] But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

 

[7:1] Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. [2] Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, [3] and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. [4] For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground." [5] And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

 

 [7] And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. [8] Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, [9] two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. [10] And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

 

[12] And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

 

[16b] And the Lord shut him in.

 

[17b]The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

 

[22] Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. [23] He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.

   

[8:2b] the rain from the heavens was restrained, [3a] and the waters receded from the earth continually.   

 

[6] At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made

    [7] and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. [8] Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. [9] But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. [10] He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. [11] And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. [12] Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

 

[13b] And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

 

[20] Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. [21] And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. [22] While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

       

[9:18] The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) [19] These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

 

The “P” version, which would be the ‘younger’ of the two, which begins in Genesis 6:9:

[6:9] These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. [10] And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

    [11] Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. [12] And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. [13] And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. [14] Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. [15] This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. [16] Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. [17] For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. [18] But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. [19] And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. [20] Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. [21] Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." [22] Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

   

[7:6] Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.

 

[7:11] 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. [13] On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, [14] they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. [15] They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. [16a] And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him.   

[17a] The flood continued forty days on the earth.

[18] The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. [19] And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. [20] The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. [21] And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. [24] And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

 

[8:1] But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. [2] The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed,

 

[3b] At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, [4] and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. [5] And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

   

[13a] In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth.

 

[14] In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. [15] Then God said to Noah, [16] "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. [17] Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." [18] So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife

and his sons' wives with him. [19] Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

[9:1] And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. [2] The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. [3] Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. [4] But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. [5] And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

    [6]  " Whoever sheds the blood of man,

        by man shall his blood be shed,

    for God made man in his own image.

    [7] And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it."

    [8] Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, [9] "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, [10] and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. [11] I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." [12] And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: [13] I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. [14] When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, [15] I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. [16] When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." [17] God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

The differences between the two have to do with the fact that a dove is sent out in one, a raven in the other, and (most importantly) that one has the rainbow covenant and the other does not.  But, if you read them out loud, what you will come to discover rather quickly is that they are both complete stories. 

Observation #3:  There isn’t anything different at the end, just a lot less people.

This one takes a minute, and it isn’t an original thought on my part.  I heard it on a Biblical studies podcast about three years ago.  But here is the idea.

Before the flood, things have gotten so bad that God feels it necessary to exterminate the populace of the world via a flood.  Then the events of Noah and the Ark take place.  Yet after the story of Noah’s ark, we read the following:

^20 Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; ^21 and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. ^22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. ^23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. ^24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, ^25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan;
a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” ^26 He also said,
“Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem;
and let Canaan be his slave. ^27 God enlarge Japheth,
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
and let Canaan be his slave.” ^28 After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty years. ^29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.   (Genesis 9:20-29)

And while this particular passage doesn’t get into detail, one only has to read a few chapters to see that the problems of the world, which the flood was supposed to eradicate, continue on.  Granted, they have to start small again apparently, but they do keep going through the same person who was chosen to save the species!

In some respects, then, what we encounter at the end of the Noah story is the same world we encountered at the beginning.  Perhaps not as bad, but not better.

So as we see the gopher wood bandwagon being built, perhaps a closer study of the Noah story is warranted.  Perhaps the purpose of the story will begin to be drawn out.  And maybe the purpose is the promise of God’s presence with humanity.  Or perhaps the story of Noah is to explain that humanity is just flawed, and that even if we wiped all but one family out, it wouldn’t bring about anything different in the end.  And perhaps, if that is the case, then what we have to do is learn to be better than we were.

Well, fellow wanderers, I will leave you with those thoughts.  Ponder away!

 

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[1] I realize that this question brings us to the question of the nature of the Bible itself.  Is it the infallible, inerrant, or inspired Word of God, a human construction, a collection of literature from a particular branch of the human family or something else altogether?  I won’t try to address that now.  Those questions can be as unhelpful as they can be revealing.  I would say that your individual answer will shed light on how you read the Bible and, thereby, the Noah story.