This picture hung in my daughter’s bedroom in her childhood. I wanted to be obedient and train up my child in the way she should follow. This picture was just one way for me to bring God to her. It shows the conventional image of pairs of animals waiting to embark on the ark built by Noah. Like the story of Jonah, what I knew about Noah and the ark was formed by my early Sunday School lessons.
As usual, I was researching the Bible for information completely unrelated to Noah and landed on Genesis 7:2-3. You may be more learned than I am, but until that moment, I envisioned the animals boarding much as depicted in the picture—that only two of each animal, one male and one female, were taken aboard. As I continued to read and study the story of Noah, I realized my Sunday School knowledge was woefully incomplete. My AHA moment came as I read, truly read, Genesis 7:2-3: in order to experience the fullness of God and to receive His revelations for me, I must read the Bible critically and purposively.
Be alert to God’s awesomeness. I have read Genesis in its entirety, but obviously not with comprehension. What I skimmed over when reading Noah’s story previously is the magnitude of his undertaking as it relates to the animals taken aboard. I had completely missed God’s decree in Genesis 7:2-3:
“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.” (NIV)
My childhood understanding of Noah and the ark blinded me to what the Bible actually said. This recent reading of that scripture removed the blinders; I now saw how limited my perception of Noah’s task was. He did not have merely two of each animal as I originally thought. There are upwards of seven times as many of each animal—14 of every clean animal, 14 of every bird, and 4 of every unclean animal. Why is this revelation important? God’s commission to Noah was greater than I had thought. Realizing this magnifies, for me, the greatness of God. He is the “I AM.” This revelation is important to me just because I am more in awe and wonder of what God can do and what it takes to do God’s will.
Engage my brain when reading the Bible. A year ago, I was on a quest to read the Bible in a year, because I thought it was a task I should do. I did annotate some questions and insights during my reading, but I was primarily reading the Bible as a novel, moving from chapter to chapter. In some cases, like the book of Numbers, I was just trying to get through it[1]. When I read novels, it is to entertain myself. While the Bible does have the elements of a good novel—intrigue, romance, suspense, familial conflict, murder, and mayhem, it is not a novel. It was not written to entertain. The Bible is an instruction manual. It is a guidebook for how to live a life pleasing to God. As such, I cannot read it casually, because I will miss what God wants to reveal to me. Casual reading causes me to skim over words, verses, and nuances. Even more dangerous, reading without engaging my brain creates errors in understanding. I need to read God’s Word with intent and purpose. The greatest commandment instructs me to love [obey, follow, worship] God with all my heart and soul and mind.
Research the Bible for answers. Besides realizing the number of animals Noah had to muster, this recent study of Noah’s story answered questions I had always pondered about Noah and the ark.
- How was Noah able to collect all those animals? Eureka! There it is in Genesis 6:20. God promised Noah that the animals would come to him.
- How was Noah able to sustain the lives all those people and animals? Wow! In Genesis 6:21, God commanded Noah to store up every kind of food for both his family and the animals.
- How long did it take Noah to build the ark? There is no definitive time given, but Genesis 6:14-16 describes the design and blueprint for the ark, including the type of wood to use. I do know that God waited for the ark to be completed before He started the deluge (Genesis 7:1).
In hindsight, there was no reason for me to ever have unanswered questions about Noah’s story. Reading the Bible with intent answered those questions. More importantly, there is no reason for me to have unanswered questions at all as long as I have the ultimate resource—the Bible.
Reflect: I once again encourage you to choose a Sunday School Bible story and reread it as an adult, with purpose. Ask God to reveal His message for you in that story. Like me, you may be surprised by what you learn.
[1] By the way, I did not complete that quest of reading the Bible in a year. And now, as I study the Bible with more intention, I no longer feel the need to do so.
Again, very thought provoking! Read and study the word of God intentionally!
Your writing has captured a reading side of me that has been suppressed for years. Enjoying your insights. You might actually get me to read more.