Adam and His Kin 10-12
I took just a few notes as I read these chapters about the time immediately before, during and immediately after the flood.
The flood was the first rain that had ever fallen on the earth. Until this time, the earth had been watered by a mist that rose from the ground. Now the waters under the earth broke forth and the waters above came down. You can see that the earth was then ravaged from above and below. This was a fact I had missed for many years, until read this book some time ago.
Here are another couple of things I missed. The ark took one hundred years to build! Go ahead and look for yourself: I had to. My mind could not comprehend, living as I do in this age of rapid construction, that it could take that long to do anything. But remember that Noah lived almost 1000 years, so only 10 percent of his life was consumed by building this ark. Considering that everything was done with hand tools, it’s not that amazing a length of time.
Noah and his family spent a year in the ark. We commonly think of the flood as lasting just 40 days and 40 nights, and it’s true that the rain stopped after that time. But it took all those other days for the waters to recede enough for the family and animals to come out. If you’ve ever been through a hurricane or other large water storm, you will understand how this could be. The waters continue to rise long after the rain stops.
There was major environmental change after the flood, as well. I don’t know if the changes were directly related to the cataclysm, or if they were separately ordained, but until this time, the weather had been relatively constant, and from this time forward, the weather would be varied and seasons would be cyclical. This has historical significance, because climate and seasons control agriculture, and agriculture is a major determinant in where people can and cannot live.
See you Monday!
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