..or did they? Ian White investigates
We head to Genesis chapters six to nine for our theology toolkit this month, surely one of our favourite stories as children’s workers. What do we do with a story so engrained into our psyche that even the word ‘Noah’ brings pictures of a large boat, and an endless stream of exotic animals calmly queuing up to embark? While adults are currently being asked to wrestle with the latest Darren Aronofsky version, starring Russell Crowe, children are generally asked to colour in the animals, or at least put them in their right place in the IKEA-style wooden ark.
Let us revisit the story, and see what the key elements are:
1. We have a good man of God, with words attached to him such as righteous, blameless and faithful. The words in the Hebrew are better translated ‘just’, ‘complete’ and ‘walked’.
2. We have a corrupted world – meaning it was going to ruin and decay - which was at war with itself, and a people whose lives and activities were corrupt as a result.
3. We have the potential for destruction via a flood that would sweep all of this away.
4. We have the promise of salvation for a small group attached to the good man of God.
5. We also have a promise – more than that, a covenant of God - that obedience to his command to build an ark would save Noah, his family and part of the creation.
6. Then we enter the familiar gathering of animals. While we sing ‘two by two’ in the song, we have the complication that scripture also talks of ‘sevens’ for clean animals and birds, and ‘twos’ for the unclean.
7. The rain falls for 40 days, and then the waters hold for 150 days while everything outside the ark is wiped out.
8. Life continues in the boat for further months until the waters pull back in the tenth month. Even then there are another 40 days, plus a further two weeks before finally a dove comes back with the first sign of life from outside the boat – an olive leaf.
9. Arriving back on dry land some months later, Noah offers a sacrifice to God. This brings to fruition a promise made by God to himself not to curse humanity, backed by a renewed covenant to all generations.
10. The rainbow is the final visual sign in this amazing story, which takes over three and a half chapters of scripture.
This is a lot of material, and even reducing it in this form highlights ten stages in the plot. There are a variety of theological themes surrounding the nature of goodness and corruption (decay / ruin), issues of destruction and salvation, God’s covenant and human obedience, blessing and cursing, and questions surrounding the signs of real life. Good biblical scholars and even amateur theologians among us can see there is a lot to explore. So what theological tools can I offer for you to work with?
Firstly, what is the Bible actually saying at this point, so early on in its storyline? Salvation is absolutely key to a Christian understanding of scripture as a whole, and this story is all about salvation.
Secondly, it highlights the difference between good and bad, which provokes this radical response from God. The battle in the world and within people between a just, whole and shalom-based life, and a selfish, ruinous existence is at the heart of this story.
Thirdly, the animals (although an important component) are not the purpose of the story, and can be a distraction. The redeeming of all creation however is, so that salvation is not just framed as ‘saving souls’. What does it mean for all creation to be redeemed?
Finally, the life-long promise of God as a solemn covenant commitment to all humanity end the story. God is committed to all of humanity, whatever they are like, and in whatever direction they go. This is not just about a commitment to the few saved in the boat, but to all people. So what does that mean as we look around our world?
Salvation, the nature of good and evil, the redemption of all creation, and the promise of life to all peoples. These are the great themes of Genesis six to nine, sometimes lost in the drowning waters of the film, or the colouring sheets of friendly animals. These are the theological indicators contained in the Noah narrative.
How are you going to explore these great themes of Noah with your children? It’s over to you to make the story live, to make the story large, and to make the story last long in their hearts and minds. Oh yes, and be careful with all those animals (and I don’t know how they all got in either!).
Ian White is programme leader of the undergraduate part-time BA in Mission and Ministry courses in children’s and youth work at Cliff College cliffcollege.ac.uk, and lecturer on the MA in Mission (children & youth) programme. He also heads up Micah68 micah6-8.org.uk, a ministry across the Middle East working with disadvantaged and disabled people
