Rain, Rain, Go Away

Ominous grey clouds hang over the RTB building as I write this. Maybe they’ll spout some April showers, maybe not. They can’t seem to make up their minds about it. Meanwhile, southeast states like Kentucky and Louisiana continue to struggle against the forces of nature as rain pours down and the Mississippi’s muddy waters rise. (My heart is with my cousin Danielle as she and her husband weather those storms.) As daunting as these situations are, imagine riding on board Noah’s ark during the most devastating flood in human history.

The tale of Noah and his floating zoo has always been a favorite with children, but it causes a good deal of disagreement between adults. Did the water actually cover the entire planet? Or did God limit it to the Mesopotamian region where all of humanity dwelled? These questions seem so simple, even natural, but unfortunately they cause bitter rifts between fellow Christians.

A week or two ago, my coworkers in the communications department and I were pondering the implications of a global flood. As I child I accepted the notion of water covering the whole globe by default. Now, as I chatted with my colleagues, we tossed around new (yet biblically consistent) ideas that called my old assumption into question.

If the flood waters topped every speck of land on planet Earth, including Mount Everest, how did Noah, his crew, and his cargo survive at that altitude without modern oxygen tanks?

What about the length of time it would take to dry up that much water? And how long before plants could start growing again? (Which would’ve been a massive problem for the natural food chain.)

Think about all the sea creatures, especially those living at the deepest depths. Wouldn’t all that added pressure from the flood waters crush them and wipe them out?

As I said, these were just some questions that popped into our heads as we thought about the traditionally accepted views on Noah’s flood. What are your questions/opinions on this classic story?

Check out these RTB resources for more Flood info: Facts for Faith article “Noah’s Flood: A Bird’s-Eye View” by Steve Sarigianis and chapters 18 and 19 in The Genesis Question by Hugh Ross.