"One thing Brad so often said was, 'Remember who's in charge. God's in charge. God had the First Word, God has the Second Word, God will have the Last Word.' After he died, I kept finding readings and prayers he had written or collected. Often, when I needed strength, I would find one of those beautiful pieces sitting right there by my chair." (Carol Hall)
As is probably evident by the number of my arks collected in the Narthex, Noah and The Ark is my favorite Bible story. I have always found it interesting that what so often is seen as a simple, charming children's story titled, "Noah and His Ark," is in reality a powerful theological tale properly subtitled, "The Great Flood," a story which tells us a great deal about God, about the world and about us humans.
Let's take just a few minutes to dig into its theology and hold up to light a few of the truths buried within it.
First note that the prime actor in the whole story from start to finish is God. Noah, his wife, the kids and animals all have bit parts.
"I have decided to put an end to all flesh."
"I will destroy...I will bring a flood," says God.
Then, like the great stage director He is, God tells Noah every step, every move, from the size of the Ark to the type of pitch with which to seal it. And once Noah and the animals are tucked away inside, it is God who shuts the hatch and seals them inside the Ark.
Notice also that The Ark is not a boat or ship--it is in reality a chest (Tebah) designed by God. It has no rudder, no sail, no navigation aids, no crew. It's just a box which must float completely dependent on the will of God and His elements.
Secondly, this marvelous tale tells us that God is not some remote, impersonal being who watches us from outside creation. God lives within His creation and is personally involved in and with people. It also tells us that there is a moral law which governs His creation. A law which we cannot undermine without endangering the very existence of the world. It tells us the powerful truth that human evil can undermine the very pillars of the world.
This theological tale also tells us something quite important about humans. We are, every one of us, accountable to God for our behavior, both personally and corporately. Evil exists within individuals. It also exists within society as wars, holocaust and rampant social injustice bear witness in our own time.
The sins of Noah's age were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Nineveh and Jerusalem, of Rome, and of twentieth-century injustice, corruption, lawlessness, social unrighteousness. Of all its truths, perhaps this one is the most difficult to live with: God holds individuals accountable for society's sins.
Next on my list is obvious, yet often missed. The story reminds us that Noah and his wife are the Father and Mother of all humanity. Whether we like it or not, we are all their children, we are all brothers and sisters under the skin. We all live in the worldly Ark together:
Jew and Greek
Master and Slave
Man and Woman
Russian and American
Black and White
Finally, this often-harsh tale of truth also tells us some awfully good news. Symbolized by the rainbow, that arc of beauty which follows dark storms and becomes a bridge into lighter, sunny days, God closed his story with a promise--a Covenant to Noah--that He would never again undo or destroy His creation.
Oh, yes, human sinfulness would continue, lawlessness would exist, but it's different now. God has bonded Himself unconditionally with His human creatures, He has reconciled Himself to us and us to Him.
And so there we have it, Noah's Ark, a simply wonderful children's tale with some deep theological truths:
1) God is in charge--He created and He can uncreate.
2) This Universe was created as a moral order. Its law is God's law. Unrepentant sin, evil, lawlessness will not be tolerated.
3) All humans are accountable to God, both personally and corporately, for who we are and what we do.
4) We are all to live this life together in the Ark we call the world as brothers and sisters.
5) Last and most important, no matter how dark the time or terrible the flood in our lives, we all have hope. God cares for and loves us and there will always be the rainbow, uniting heaven and earth, hard times and good times, God and you. Amen.
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