This is the story of Noah’s Ark, which is found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. For those who may not be familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark, as well as other Bible stories, like Creation, the Garden of Eden, and so on, I have included another story, a narrative, about a peasant, a fox and a know-it-all:

There was once a peasant who, every day at dusk used to set out a small dish of milk on the low brick wall around his farmyard. Actually, he could scarcely spare it, but this was his daily offering to God. In the morning the dish was always empty.

One day, just as the peasant is setting out the dish, along came Know-It-All and asked what all this means. He is told it is an offering to God which is accepted every night.

This seemed too simple to Know-It-All. “Oh my good man, this is not as it seems!”

“Tonight by moonlight we shall see what really happens.” said the peasant. Seated side by side in a crooked shed, that evening, they peep through the cracks at the dish on the wall.

And yes – within a couple of hours a scrubby fox suddenly whips onto the wall, quickly laps up the milk and disappears.

Then later, God appears to Know-It- All and says:

“Know-It-All, Know-It-All, what have you achieved by doing this? The peasant did a good deed for me. Personally, I do not like milk…..but I could be of some help to that poor miserable fox…"

In the story above, we are offered a perspective of how a loving God brings us alongside in relationship, to act as stewards and caretakers for creation and life. Another story in particular, with which we may be familiar, is about a man who God called upon, to build an Ark to save mankind from a horrible flood that would cover the earth. His name was Noah. And Noah listened to God, and he built an Ark, that would be the salvation for poor, miserable mankind and animals.

The Ark. According to Dr. W.J. Ouweneel, author of The Ark on the Waves, the Ark was shaped much like a box. It was three stories high, measuring 165 feet long, 82 feet wide and 50 feet high. It took an estimated 19,870 tons or 750 truckloads of gopher wood, to build the ark. Thankfully, elephants and horses were possibly available to help with the work.

Quite a massive “boat”, the ark was designed to adequately compartmentalize both animals and humans, with each kind of life, receiving appropriate accommodations. The 16 foot tall giraffes and the six to seven thousand pound elephants’ stalls were built to their size and height. As well, the smaller sleeping lofts for humans and animals of lesser size, adequately met their needs.

Besides getting all the “rooms” in the ark, established for the animals and humans, painting all the rooms with “pitch” or tar was important, to keep the water out.  As well, getting straw put down for the animals’ quarters was also necessary.

When it was all done, we can only imagine that Noah and his family must have looked into the skies wondering when the rains would start. And seven days before the flood, Noah received orders to go aboard with his family.

At the same time, the miracle started to happen, the animals came – without any human having a hand in it, they came – no traps, no nets or anything of the sort. Noah didn’t even have to pair up male and female, they were already paired.

And the people who had laughed while the ark was being built must have been surprised, to see all the animals going into the ark.  But they did not yet, feel the storm brewing.

Embarking on to the ark lasted seven days, and when Noah and all the chosen were inside, “the Lord, shut him in”. And all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain came down for forty days and forty nights.

Noah and the crew were on the ark for about a year. As we might imagine, both animals and people had some adjusting to do while sailing in the ark. The animals probably got restless and rambunctious in their small living quarters, annoying the human passengers.

It has been suggested that, at some point, a sort of hibernating state may have taken place, for the animals. Perhaps that is when Noah and his family came up with a new pastime, and got out their pencils and began to sketch all the magnificent creatures.

And perhaps being with all the animals and watching them, he couldn’t help reciting Psalm 8:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained;
What is man that thou art mindful of him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honor,
Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou has put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen,
yea and the beasts of the field:
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea,
Oh Lord, Our Lord,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

At the end of forty days, we understand that Noah opened the window of the ark and sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

After that, he made three attempts, sending forth a dove: The first one returned with nothing, the second one returned with a green olive leaf in its beak, and the third dove, was not seen again. And we don’t read about a dove alighting again, until the baptism in the Jordan.

It was 13 months before Noah got his animals onto dry land again. It must have been a lively scramble when the animals ran onto the promised land! We can only imagine all that might have been going on in his mind while he was watching them scatter. He had been with the people, and all of these beautiful creatures, for over a year, and perhaps had grown to deeply love each and every one of them. And now, experiencing salvation of God, they were all running free in God’s creation again. 

“Every beast,
every creeping thing,
and every fowl,
and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth,
after their kinds…
went forth out of the ark

And God said to Noah and his sons:
Into your hand are they delivered….”

With thankfulness for the faithfulness of God in our lives, who not only keeps His promises, and reminds us of them, every time we see those beautiful rainbows in the sky. May we be mindful to be good stewards for all of this one, precious life and creation that the Holy has placed in our care.

~PJackson
~Always, we begin again." ~St. Benedict

Bibliography: Noah's Ark by Rien Poortvliet
Copyright 1985 JH Kok BV, Kampen, Netherlands
Published 1986 by Harry Abrams, Inc, New York

The thoughts and intentions in The Conversant Counselor's Blog are those belonging to Paulette Jackcson lpc-mhsp and do not necessarily reflect those of any other professional or individual.