OK, in this part of Genesis 6, we are introduced
to Noah and god reveals his excellent plan to rid the Earth of evil people.
Genesis 6
The Flood
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
My Commentaries:
Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Noah…. Blameless. So, for the first 500 years of his life, Noah was blameless. Wooeee. And Jesus only lasted 30 years. I mean, even if you screw up a bit later on, being blameless for 500 years is no small accomplishment. OK, enough of that.
OK, Earth violent. God sad. Poor god. Ah, but an idea strikes him. The obvious idea. He’s going to reveal himself to the world and make sure that the wicked are punished, while helping them become less wicked… Or, he’ll just destroy the whole world down to every man, woman, child and every non-aquatic animal except for Noah and 2 kinds of every animal which god has ordered him to put on one hell of a big ark that he has ordered Noah to build in a very boring and specific way.
Except, it really isn’t that big an ark. I mean, 450 feet long… 75 feet wide… 45 feet high…finish within 18 inches of the top. That’s not enough room for all the animals and Noah.
Or is it in cubits. Wait a minute. This is funny. This is out of my 1996 Henry Holt translation. “the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits and the height of it thirty cubits. A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward”
So, if we look at the measurement in feet, it seems that one cubit is eighteen inches. A foot and a half. Well, I wonder where that measurement came from. Seems kind of idiotically arbitrary, seeing as the result is an ark way too small to hold everything that they say it should.
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"
Douglas Adams
"That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange aeons even death may die."
H. P. Lovecraft
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I'm always reminded of the Irish Rovers song The Unicorn.
Obviously the people that wrote this had a smaller world view than modern man. Far less knowledge of the variety of life on this planet. The story Illustrates the destructive power of God, and his mercy on the just.
Anyone viewing it as literal truth is fighting an uphill battle. On th other hand there is a certainty of localy huge floods throughout history, and Asteroid impacts could have caused floods world wide. Flood stories are not uncommon in many older traditional histories.
A fact is always better than an ideal
You forget that this is aimed at the many people who do view the bible as literal truth. This particular passage, though, is about the morality of the flood. That is what I am trying to illustrate.
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"
Douglas Adams
"That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange aeons even death may die."
H. P. Lovecraft
And because of people like you the rest of the world has to suffer because of ignorance. And yes you to will be destroyed because of your wickedness, no different then in Noah’s days .for God will not permit the wicked to prevail. What do you think of that? This is a real world that we live in, and its not a movie were evil can win prevail. Reality my brother. The real world. God has power over it to destroy. Even as he has in pass history. And ageing he will destroy this world, for do you not know that we are living in the last days. Watch and see then you tell me if God is not real. Then ye aught to have great fear for your SOUL.
Is this you doing to me what have done to you? Oh, well.
"And because of people like you the rest of the world has to suffer because of ignorance." No, you're ignorant- nany nany noo noo!
"And yes you to will be destroyed because of your wickedness, no different then in Noah’s days ." See, chillbill. This is what I'm talking about. Well, When I'm destroyed, I'll let you know.
"for God will not permit the wicked to prevail." I wonder why Bush was reelected then...
"What do you think of that?" (a) I'm not wicked. (b) you are living in a fantasy world.
"This is a real world that we live in, and its not a movie were evil can win prevail. Reality my brother. The real world." How amusing. I can say something so similar to you. This is the real world. No tyrant hanging over our heads judging who is worthy and who is not.
"God has power over it to destroy." Oh, then I'm sure that you could prove that?
"Even as he has in pass history." The world is still here. It wouldn't be if it was destroyed in the past.
"And ageing he will destroy this world, for do you not know that we are living in the last days. " Neither do you. You just assume that we are because that jives with your beliefs.
"Watch and see then you tell me if God is not real. Then ye aught to have great fear for your SOUL." I'm watching and I see nothing. I am not afraid.
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"
Douglas Adams
"That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange aeons even death may die."
H. P. Lovecraft