Noah releasing the white dove (mosaic)
Originally uploaded by chriscmerritt.

Now, we all know this story. God is displeased with mankind’s corruption, so he saves the only righteous man on earth along with his family and some animals from a worldwide catastrophe. So is there anything else we can learn from this story besides what we were taught in Sunday School as children. Well I don’t know about anybody else, but I learned a great deal these past few days. First of all, it was interesting to compare and contrast the other “flood story” traditions from other cultures and civilizations (there are four other major flood stories authored). Another interesting comparision is that of the deliverance of Noah and his family versus the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Considering Moses as the author of the Flood story, plus the fact that he was under the guidance of God, it’s easy to see how these two stories are intentionaly portrayed to resemble each other. Once again, I am struck with how often and how masterfully the characters and stories of the Bible are intertwined and connected. What is the theme of Adam and Eve? Salvation. What is the theme of Noah and the Flood? Salvation. What is the theme of the Exodus? Salvation. Over and over and over, God is telling us His story. The scriptures are beautifully redundant in communicating the story of salvation, with the pinnacle being found at a cross and an empty tomb. And the amazing thing is, the story isn’t even over! We know the rest of the story of course, but we actually get to live out the rest of this epic. In fact, it’s our resposibility and priviledge to not only tell the story, but to write the rest of it. What an amazing God we have.