Noah's ark—the inside story

Over the centuries since the Bible reported on Noah and the building of his ark, many people have risked life and limb in an effort to find out whether there was a real ark, where it finally landed, and if any trace of the great ship remains. Some have zeroed in on a particular part of Turkey, encouraged by the Bible’s reference to the ship’s settling on “the mountains of Ararat.” That’s still a large—and remote—area, and nothing definitive has been found so far.

Others have continued to draw lessons from the story of the ark, such as this exploration of what living on a ship with hundreds of animals—all needing to be cared for—could teach people about teamwork.

Imagine if the following events had actually taken place...

High in the northeast corner of Turkey, 700 kilometers from the Aras river, an earthquake breaks across the southern slope of Mount Ararat. The earthquake’s upheaval reveals a gigantic boat hull encased in ice. Has the long-lost ark has been found?

In the careful excavation that follows, sealed frozen parchments, written in an ancient tongue, are discovered. The translation brings tremendous excitement: The document's front cover reads “Our family stories, recorded day by day—Noah.”

Week 1, Day 5:

Hour after hour of deluge. It’s beyond belief. Thank God, the ark floats. But there is utter chaos. So much noise. The animals are full of fear. We too—my parents, my brothers Ham and Japheth, their families—are afraid. The future seems so uncertain. Silently, I start a prayer: Dear Lord, Thou art here, right here with us in the middle of this storm. Right here in our boat. Right here by our side. No matter what, Your arms will encircle us all and keep us safe. We will be saved—signed Shem.

Week 10, Day 66:

Outside: dark waters everywhere—higher than the mountain tops. Inside: tension, tight quarters, although the ship is massive. Three decks, with 50 rooms and 300 stalls per deck. Many animals are fighting. The shrieking monkeys, squawking ducks, and honking geese don't like being caged next to each other. The antelopes and wildebeests pace in their stalls, frantic that the lions and panthers are caged only three feet away, snarling, hungry.

But it’s not just the animals. We’ve all been stressed out, short-tempered, angry at each other.

We gather together on the second deck: Father and Mother, my family, the families of Shem and Japheth. Accompanied happily by many of the birds, including the hornbills, cockatoos, and toucans, we sing many songs and hymns.

We comfort and encourage each other. Our spirits rise. After the singing, I close with a prayer: “In God’s kingdom of love, everyone and every being belongs—no matter what.” The animals are calmed . . . us, too—signed Ham.

Week 15, Day 103:

Danger! The boat has been taking on excessive water. We throw ballast stones over the side, but the ark is slowly sinking. Panic sets in. Emergency family meeting on deck to figure out what to do. Noah says: “When we built the boat, we thoroughly tarred and pitched the gopher-wood plank seams. But the leaking persists.”

Then Ham’s wife says, “We did most of the pitching on the outside of our boat, but what about the inside? Maybe we should pitch more from the inside, as God instructed us to do?”

Ham’s wife’s question is inspired. The dangerous leaking is not from the outside; it’s from the inside. All of us immediately take buckets and begin bailing out the water. And we completely re-tar and pitch the inside seams and cracks. The leaking stops. With big smiles and relieved sighs of gratitude, we thank Ham’s wife—signed Japheth.

Week 20, Day 131:

The very grumpy hippos need to be washed and their stalls cleaned. I tell Japheth it’s his job. He's furious. “It’s unfair! How come I have to clean up after the smelly hippos? Why can’t Shem do it? He must be your favorite. He’s always on the top deck, steering the boat and doing easy jobs.”

I put my arms around Japheth’s shoulders and tell him, “Son, I'm proud of all your efforts. Your hard work has blessed our family. And those hippos may be big and smelly, but today they need your tender care.”

Japheth isn’t the only one who’s unhappy. We’re all feeling the strain. Today, we all need Love’s tender care.—signed Noah.

Week 28, Day 203:

All the family members were on the top deck when the raven came back. We were all so hopeful when we sent the bird off, hoping it would return with a sign of land—a sign that the waters were receding at last. But nothing. Nothing. Our hearts were in despair and our spirits low.

Every day for nearly 28 weeks, I have been praying to know that the same merciful God who forewarned us to build the ark is still with us, caring for us, and will indeed bring us safely to dry land.

Now in the depths of despair, I realize we have more work to do as a family. The conflicts and fighting need to be healed. We need to gain a higher peace among ourselves, between every family member. No one can be left out. The solid land must first be found within our hearts and shown in our unselfed love for one another—our forgiveness, acceptance, and tender-heartedness for everyone on the boat—signed Noah.

Week 28, Day 217:

This time, instead of a raven, we sent out a dove. To us, this symbolizes the higher sense of family peace and love we've gained. When the dove returned with an olive branch in its beak, we hugged and shed tears of joy. God has saved us at last—signed the Whole Family.

Just imagine again …

Noah’s family spent more than seven months on the ark. They survived the horrific storm outside the boat and the tremendous tempest going on within. They learned lessons of survival and the great lesson of love and togetherness.

Could those lessons of old be powerful and wonderful lessons for us—in the family, in our work, and in church? Much of what we do, especially in church, may be just like ark work—including frightened passengers and thankless tasks, threatening waves and dangerous leaks, scarce and limited resources to feed all on board, fear and doubt about the future.

So what helps still the fears and calm the tempest? It’s love for each other—and the conviction that God will comfort, support, and guide us through whatever troubles may come.

Like Noah’s family, our church family needs more hugs and kisses. We can resolve to support each other more, even if it means putting up with difficult times. We can work together to re-pitch the inside leaks—to comfort and support each other. We can know that, above and beyond personal differences, we have a sacred, divine mission to share God’s goodness and to save each other and our world community.

With tenderhearted acceptance, forgiveness, and care for one another, we all triumph.

Togetherness triumphs.

The story of Noah:

Science and Health
592:22
581:8-14

King James Bible
Gen. 6:14
Gen. 8:7-11
Gen. 7:7-10