I read about Noah’s Ark today. As I read about it, something dawned on me that had never occurred to me before. There are people who want to take the Bible literally and there are tons of reason why the story of Noah’s Ark just can’t be taken literally. It really has to be an allegory. However, there’s one part of the story that just falls short and I didn’t see it until today.
Noah was asked by God to take two of every living creature on the ark: two of all the animals. The problem is that as we have developed technology, we have learned that there are some tiny animals. Some animals are so tiny we can’t see them with the naked eye. The only way a person can see them is with a microscope, which wasn’t invented until long after Biblical times. So, my problem is simply this: How did Noah bring two of every animal onto the ark if he couldn’t see them?
I know God works in mysterious ways, but there are times when these stories just stop making sense. That doesn’t take anything away from the story; it just changes what the story is about. People are so insistent on what kinds of animals and the type of boat that Noah had that they totally forget what the story is about. The story is about faith. God asked Noah to build an ark. Noah does what God asks because of faith. The story is telling us that we should do whatever God asks of us because God has a plan for us. The rest of the story says that God sent a dove with an olive branch to show that the water had receded. This part of the story changes in the different versions of the story, but what the story tells us doesn’t change. The symbol of the dove and the symbol of the olive branch mean peace. The story is telling us that when God is angry, He will not forget us or abandon us, He will not destroy us, and He will give us peace. Who cares what animals were on the ark? Who cares what kind of wood Noah used? I care what the story teaches me about God; that’s what is important. All the rest is fluff.
My faith saved me. May God’s PEACE reside in all of our hearts.
