Where's The Rain?

 The Noah story has always fascinated me. There are so many aspects of this story that are relevant to me, as well to a great many others. 

I'm very curious about those 120 years of preaching. How did he vary a sermon about a doomsday flood that God told him was sure to come for 120 years? 

How did he explain a flood of rain when it had never rained? 

What kind of awesome connection with God did Noah have that even prompted him to believe God’s words in the first place? 

Did it really take Noah and his boys 120 years to build the ark or was a lot of that time spent talking to the people?

I could go on with the questions I have in regard to this epic story, but I would like to focus on the possible thoughts of the people who were watching this insanity unfold.

I can imagine them being very curious at the beginning, even to the point of concern for Noah’s mental well-being. But as time went by, the logic of such a devastating destruction might have seemed totally beyond comprehension. The longer it went on, the more bold they became in their opinion that Noah and his poor deluded family were nothing more than a joke. People might have come from far and near just to see the monstrosity they were building. “Where’s the water to float your boat Noah?”  This may have even turned into a great vacation destination; a superb entertainment as greater crowds gathered. Some of the locals might have even erected booths where trinkets were sold to commemorate their visit.  

As people were born and laid to rest and generations of time slipped by, Noah and his family finally finished the ark. "Now what?" the people asked. Do you suppose that most on-lookers reasoned that if Noah was right, they could just sit back and wait till it was certain?  Some may have thought, I’ll just wait long enough to see the clouds in the sky and feel a few drops of rain before I decide if this is legitimate or not.

What puzzles me most is the lack of response when the beasts of the fields, as well as an array of every species known to man, made their march, all in order, two by two, without man’s manipulation, into the ark. What?!! Come on, that’s got to stir something in the hearts of the observers.  Maybe fear?  Awe?  Wonder?  A deeper curiosity, perhaps?  Were they really going to just wait for the rain before they believed him?  

But Noah and his family entered the ark upon God’s command and the door was shut.  For the onlookers, there must have been a sigh of relief when a day went by with no rain. You can hear the crowd calling out to Noah, “Come on out Noah, the weather is fine!” Others taunting, “It smells lovely out here Noah, probably a lot sweeter than in there!”  Days passed and still no rain.  The crowds were sure to have considered themselves the wiser…

…until the rain came.

One might consider this story and apply it to our own current period in history and yet…. here we are again.

copyright 12/11/2015