Women of the Word, Oct.7

Genesis 6:11- Genesis 10

Here we learn that the story of Noah and the Ark is not necessarily the one we have been taught from childhood. Was it 2 pairs of every animal or 7? ( The thought is that they had to allow for attrition in the sacrifices following the venture.) Was it 40 days and nights or 150 days? Or seven months? We are reminded that this is a book of theology, not history, and that Genesis and Gilgamesh differ in their views. But all reports from that time agree that SOMETHING happened in regards to a big flood. There is nothing in recorded history about a world-wide flood at the time, but we must remember that the Tigris & Euphrates Valley comprised the "world" of that day. Yes, something big happened and it was the fault of mankind. God created us and we messed up. We have choices and choices have consequences.
Which brings us to the hero of our story, Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, "tsadig", a popular word in the Old Testament, meaning "good", the way God meant Creation to work. Note that Noah never spoke. Abraham was also a righteous man, but he had a lot to say.
There are other inconsistencies in these accountings, i.e. a raven first being released from the Ark, when all this time we thought it was a dove which was the second bird sent out. Maybe. And when the rains came "all the fountains of the great deep" also burst forth in addition to the rain, which was news to a lot of us. We are curious, also, as to how the dove came back with an olive leaf which certainly must have come forth in a hurry.
We note, also, that in entering the Ark, Noah and his sons went first, followed by their wives and the animals. When they came out, they came out together and as "families." We attribute this to all that time in there and no television and all.
Once on dry ground, Noah and his sons are put on notice that mankind is now in charge and animals shall hold him "in fear and dread." In interpretation of chapter 9, it is noted that "blood" equals "life."
Happy to have arrived back on land, Noah, "a man of the soil," plants a vineyard and is so satisfied with his wine production that he really ties one on and passes out naked in his tent. Son Ham sees him and was horrified, not at his drunkenness, but at the fact that he's in his altogether. Brothers Shem and Japheth back into the tent so they won't see this fact and cover their father. For whatever reason, Noah curses Canaan, son of Ham, not hapless Ham who has done his best to "cover" for his father. The Canaanites were condemned to be slaves, a passage that was, sadly, used to exemplify inferiority of the black race, and to justify slavery.
In retrospect, the whole point of the story of Noah is that God was not ready to give up on humankind.
Submitted by Deenie Miller