PONDER: NOAH

I read the story of Noah outloud the other day both for my own devotions and so Judah could hear it as he played. SEVERAL thoughts and questions occured to me as I read. The one that sticks out most concerns Noah's sons. Shem, Ham, and Japheth as well as their wives were also allowed on the ark. Now, we know that Noah was considered the only righteous man on earth -- which is why God chose to save him to continue humankind post-flood. I'd never thought about the spiritual status of his sons before now. Would God have allowed them on the ark if they were just like everyone else, corrupt beyond all measure? I'm not so sure He would have. Why destroy the earth because of the rampant evil and save 3 evil men to repopulate the earth? Perhaps Noah raised his sons according to God's ways, and they followed in their father's righteous footsteps. Does this mean their wives were also righteous? Noah's wife was also allowed on the ark. Does that mean she too was righteous like Noah? OR did God extend extra grace to Noah's family because of his righteous standing in God's eyes? Of course, Noah couldn't have repopulated the earth by himself. And I'm pretty sure he and his wife alone couldn't have considering Noah was 600+ at the time of the flood.

So. Were Noah's children righteous? Or were they shown grace because of Noah's character and the need for them to repopulate the earth?

*We do know that after the flood, Ham brought upon himself a curse from Noah because he basically acted like an immature teenage boy -- telling his brothers their father was naked in his tent instead of doing something about it like Shem and Japheth. But does that mean Ham was not righteous overall? We all slip up. Or was this really Ham's character? (Genesis 9)

Another interesting thought...if the world was SO evil and corrupt that God destroyed all living things save for just a few, what must it have been like??? We look at the world around us and are positively disgusted at the raging sin. And we don't even know EVERYTHING that happens under the sun as God does. We just know what happens around us and what gets reported in the media. Was Noah's day really more evil than ours? Or is it the same and God is just holding out a little longer before He brings in the new heaven and earth?

Just some thoughts to ponder.

The Davinci Code

Yes. We watched it last night. Matt read the book awhile ago, so we both already knew the storyline. I think now I understand why there was so much controversy surrounding the book/movie. For those unfamiliar with it, here's the gist...

Christ had a wife -- Mary Magdelene -- who appears next to him in Davinci's famous Lord's Supper painting. When Christ was crucified, Mary fled to France while pregnant with their child. To protect "royal bloodline" of Christ, the child and every descendant after were kept secret and protected from Opus Dei by a group, the Priory of Scion (sp??). On the other side is the group Opus Dei (Catholic/Christian) who are seeking to kill all descendants so it can never be outed that Christ was a farse and thus their religion is saved. Through a series of murders and solved mysteries involving Davinci's work, the two main characters find out that the woman Sophie is the last living descendant of Christ...and she doesn't even really believe in God.

And why are lots of people all huffy about this movie? Because it blasphemes Christ, claiming He is not God in flesh but just a mere man who had a wife and child and happened to do miracles too. God forbid they should make a movie like this, they say! Shame on them. Shame on who?

The unbelievers who wrote the story and made the movie? Why should we expect anything different from them? They are doing exactly what is in them to do...that which is contrary to the Truth. I agree it is an apalling storyline -- because it defames my Savior and spreads lies about Who He truly is. But I won't let it get me in a tizzy that this movie actually made it to the big screen and the book became a best-seller. I know the Truth, and it has set me free. And once the creators meet the Creator whether in this life or next, they too will know the Truth -- and when they meet Christ will determine whether or not they are free eternally.