Day 3 and 4

I went back into chapter 6 of Genesis to the beginning of Noah's story.

This is one of those Sunday School stories that you come back to and begin to actually realize the whole story and about how crazy it really is.  

http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/profiles/blogs/working-replica-of-noahs-ark

A dutch man built an ark, following the measurements given in the Bible. I went online to try to find the link, and you wouldn't believe the amount of controversy it has created.

Warning** Tangent Follows**

I read comment after comment.  People were arguing for the Bible; against the Bible; some were simply slinging mud at each other with no intent other than to hinder.  It reminded me of all the different posts I've seen online written by supposed Christians who simply make Jesus look bad.  They claim to follow him, and then proceed to say stupid things like, "well judging from your profile, you are living in a life of immorality that is displeasing to God, repent of your evil choices and He will forgive you."

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?!

I totally agree that we are called to speak truth, but the commandment that we are to follow is "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbours as ourselves." That comes first.  Unless you are speaking the truth in love, you might as well be speaking in tongues. (1 Corinthians 13)

Back to the Bible...

Many of the questions regarding the story of Noah are valid in my mind. How did the food last that long? How did Noah manage to build such a huge building without the help of hundreds of men? How was the earth re-populated after the flood? Were some of the aquatic animals wiped out as well with the flood? Or how was that balanced out? Where did all of the water come from?

In my years of being a Christian, and working through these questions, I have come across several somewhat satisfactory answers.  (Example: an explanation for the origin of all the water is that before the flood the atmosphere surrounding the earth was somewhat like a greenhouse.  Oxygen was trapped inside much more by the high water density of the atmosphere, which also led to longer life-span. When the flood came, we read in 7:11 "the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened."  We see how water burst forth from the sky and from the ground) 

 But I can see how it would raise potentially thousands of questions.  Especially for people who doubt the validity of the Bible itself.

My faith has brought me to a point where asking these questions is simply a matter of interest.  I know my identity in Christ and I believe He is who He is proclaimed to be.  Because of that, I believe that the word of God is truth, regardless of what I think.

With this story, I also find it very easy to take the humanity aspect out of this story.  To follow God through probably hundreds of years of being ridiculed; To believe the world was basically going to end and wanting your friends and family to repent and be saved from that; and then hearing their horrified cries as the floods come and you and your family are safely inside the ark.. and they aren't.

I don't think i could even imagine.  This flood is the hugest catastrophe in human history, wiping off all mankind except for one man and his family.  I think about the earthquake in Haiti, and I'm trying to imagine: "What if I knew this was going to happen, and I couldn't do anything to save them?" 

I know it's not really the same, but what a traumatic experience.  It's easy as a reader to look at that and go, "Good, now all of evil mankind is done with.  Well done God, that needed to be done." If I were Noah, I would definitely struggle with that.  It would be so hard to believe that God was fair in his judgment, and yet know that He is a fair and just God.  

I know that I said that this challenge was to read the Bible in 365 days.. however, I am revamping that.  My challenge is now to make sure I intentionally continue to read through the Bible each day, but without the time stamp of a year.  Putting that emphasis on a limit of time is keeping me from fulling ingesting and letting each passage sit heavily in my heart and on my mind.  Each day, I will continue on from where I left off and read as the Spirit leads.

I pray that you will continue to join me on this journey and that it will bless you in your life wherever you may be and however it may speak to you.

Be Blessed!