I remember a conversation with a man named Rob several years ago. He didn't like what the preacher had said about Noah that week. Rob said, "Her basic message seemed to be that we shouldn't believe it, but if we don't believe it then why do we tell it to our children? Do we think it's okay to tell our children lies?" I didn't know how to answer that. I didn't necessarily agree with him, but I didn't know exactly why.
The problem with this story of Noah's ark is that we just don't know how to handle it.
But it isn't just the problem of how to believe it - literal truth, allegorical or metaphorical truth. Even if you see it as a metaphorical statement of truth, the implications of it can be frightening. God uses a horrible flood to punish people and clean up the world. Are we to infer then that every natural disaster is an indication of God's wrath; God's decision to punish a nation for their sins? Some people do seem to think so. But many of us shudder when we hear such judgmental words because it just doesn't sound like the God we know and love. Is God's wrath really so overwhelming? It's a disturbing and difficult question.
We don't know what to think about Noah's character either. Does Noah have any character? What did he say? What did he ever do? Why was he, alone, worth saving? As far as I can tell, he has zero personality. After the flood has passed, does he do anything admirable? He gets drunk and beligerant and disowns his son. Another tragically dysfunctional family. Why was this man worth saving?
