Noah and the flood...?

Question

From my understanding, Noah and his family were saved from the flood because they were the only "good" people left on earth. According to Jewish/Christian myth, NO ONE is good, so why were Noah and the fam spared? were they the "least" evil? If God really wanted to start again, should'nt he have done away with everything, INCLUDING Noah? One more thing. Animals are not capable of making moral choices, so why were all the animals (not on the Ark) drowned? They can't be evil, so did God kill them for pleasure? Maybe they were just in the way? Why didn't he use his supreme power to whisk them away, anad return them when the flood was over? Nasty fellow, that Yahweh...

Julia D, I guess I should have been clearer. I merely put Christian/Jewish together because both the Old Testament/Torah are used in both religions. Once again, these books are open to "interpretation", and NOT meant to be literal truth.

debbie 2243...last time I checked weather patterns provided water, the sun provided light, and both of these together helped grow food. I don't see anything mystical about any of them.

Answer 1

It is not true that according to "Jewish/Christian myth that NO ONE is good".

That is ONLY according to Christianity. There is really no foundational belief in Christianity that is the same as Judaism. This is just one example.

Judaism believes that ANYONE, of any nation can be a Righteous human being. The Torah is full of examples of people who were just that.

Judaism doesn't believe in the concept of Original Sin, where everyone is born as filthy rags, in sin, and unable to do anything about it except to believe in some virgin human bloody sacrifice for sin.

This is a very twisted Christian interpretation of the text, and Judaism has NEVER had this concept.

Judaism believes that ALL people are born with pure, clean souls, and we say a prayer of thanks to God for that, three times a day. "Thank you God, for the soul you created within me is pure."

Judaism believes that it is what we do AFTER we are born, whether we walk the path of Selfishness, or the path of SelfLESSness, that determines the state of a person's soul.

The more we walk the path of SelfLESSness, as we grow and learn the differences between what we do for the good of our fellow mankind, the earth, and its environment, and God, the more Righteous we become.

The more we walk the path of Selfishness, the more we become tainted and blemished and the further from Righteousness we go.

As far as the animals at the time of the flood, they had become corrupt too. They WERE capable of making moral choices at that time, actually, according to Judaism. They had begun eating human beings and killing each other as well, for no reason, just out of pure pleasure for the violence, not even eating the meat.

So really, you need to learn the original meanings of the stories according to Judaism first, before going around saying what a nasty fellow "that Yahweh" was.

By the way, we don't have any such name for God in Judaism as "Yahweh", nor "Jehovah" for that matter. Once again, these are Christian interpretations of the name YHVH, and was not pronounced like that. Not that this is either here nor there regarding your question, but it does show your lack of knowledge of the original meanings of the texts according to Judaism.

Answer 2

Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Note that it does not say: "some flesh", but "all flesh".
Therefore animals were not exempt from God's judgment.

Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Being 'just and perfect' in God's eyes may not be the same as 'just and perfect' in man's eyes. Hence:

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Eze 18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
Eze 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Answer 3

Noah wasn't just good, he was just, perfect and walked with God...
Gen 6
9....Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Not sure why all the land animals had to die, but on earth man has free will and choices for good or evil have consequences for themselves AND those around them. Innocents sometimes suffer because of the wicked choices of others. This probably included the animals. Man was given dominion over all the animals and man corrupted themselves, resulting in the destructive flood. In any case, God covenanted with both man and animals after the flood.....
Gen 9
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

Answer 4

Sounds like you want to listen to your own rhetoric.....funny with a screen name like yours. You get 1000 points for irony! If you're serious read Genesis, it's the first book in the bible, after the introduction and the table of contents. After reading the account in Genesis, look up the text in a commentary such as Matthew Henry's, or Wycliffes. The real problem is that man wants God to fit into this neat little box rather than accept that God is sovereign.

Answer 5

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Answer 6

The Bible doesn't say that Noah was "good".

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Noah was saved by grace through faith just like God saves people today.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Answer 7

"The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.This is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah had God's approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time. He walked with God" Gen. 6:7-9

Answer 8

I want to know which couple on the Ark had gonorrhoea. It is an entirely human disease that is spread by sexual contact. It cannot be caught from animals or from items touched by an infected person so someone on the Ark had it. They probably had a lot of other diseases too that would otherwise have become extinct without human carriers. Noah's family must have been very unhealthy indeed.

Answer 9

No! The Bible says that Noah "found grace" in the eyes of God.

Grace is God's Love and Mercy, set in motion. You and I as well as the animal kingdom is here today, because of the "grace" of God. This grace Noah found, after, God had already determind to destroy mankind and the animal kingdom.

Which is a picture of the writings of the Apostle Paul who wrote; For by grace are you saved through faith, and not of yourself; It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man (mankind) should boast.

The Grace Of God

Did you know we are living in a period of time the concept of the New Testament is known as the "Dispensation" of Grace?

The Dispensation of Grace is, God's Gift to the world, Gift Wrapped, in Jesus Christ sacrifice on the cross, for sin. Where as, God's Grace is Signed, Sealed, Delivered. It is Confirmed and Established, by the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (the evidence of which is) the "Crowning Proof" that God's Grace has come, and Salvation has been given.

Because, God's Love and Grace, Walked through the Gates of Hell, Faced and Defeated Death, Ascended from that "Borrowed" Tomb (notice it was a borrowed tomb) while the stone was still sealing the entrance, and the Roman guards stood watch outside "Just and Exactly" to the letter, as he had said he would!

Brother Peter tells us of this Grace and Salvation, in 1 Peter 10-12, where we read; Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto "us" (me and you) they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Now, according to the Spiritual Inspirational writtings of the New Testament Church, there are 7 Dispensations in the Life of Humanity. They cover the Past, the Present and the Future.

Before we continue lets make note that Seven in the Bible is God's number. It signifies one of three - (1) Completeness, (2) Perfection) and (3) Plenitude.

The Dispensations are listed as follows - (1) Genesis 1:28 - The Dispensation of Innocency, (2) Genesis 3:23 - The Dispensation of Conscious, (3) Genesis 8:20 - The Dispensation of Human Government, (4) Genesis 12:1 - The Dispensation of Promise, (5) Genesis 19:8 - The Dispensation of Law, (6) John 1:17 - The Dispensation of Grace and (7) Ephesians 1:10 - The Dispensation of Kingdom Reign.

Now, Dispensations 1-5 are Past, The 6th Dispensation, the Dispensation of Grace (6 = God's number for man) is the Present, and Dispensation 7 is the Future - Christ Millennium Reign, as KING of Kings and LORD Of Lords.

Now, the Dispensation of Grace, is an event so powerful that it divided time (B.C "Jesus" A.D.) Notice the words of Michael Card song -The Final Word "When the Father's Wisdom wanted to communicate His Love. He spoke it in one Final Perfect "Word." He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son. His "Final Word" was Jesus, he needed no other one. He spoke flesh and blood so he could bleed and make a way Divine."

Oh how powerful those words are! He goes on to say "Eternity" Stepped Into Time (B.C. The Word A.D) In John 1:1-3 we read; In the beginning was "the Word" and "the Word" was with God, and "the Word" was God. The "same" was in the beginning with God. All things were made "by" him; and "without" him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14 says; And "the Word" was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The original Greek word, used here for Word is logos, pronounced as log'os and means the "Divine Expression." Hebrew 1:3 says concerning Jesus "Who being the brightness of his (God's) glory, and the express image of his (God's) person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Now, Dispensations 1-5 is a time wherein the Holiness and Judgmental hand of God was seen and felt throughout the Old Testament. There was no second guessing as to whether it was God's "doing" or "allowing" something to happen! Israel and the Nations around knew exactly, that it was God's Righteous and Holy Powers. And on numerous occasions, the announcements were made by His Holy Prophets, before hand!

But today, we are no longer under the Law, but under Grace. The Dispensation of Grace." It is a time of God's Grace, His Mercy, His Patience, His Endurance and His "Long" Suffering, for mankind. Which, by the way, is continuing for well over 2,000 years now.

Answer 10

sir be very careful in cursing God. The angels are watching you and reporting what you do to God. Please bow your head and ask God to forgive you. He is doing a good job of keeping us alive. He supplies water and food and light and heat and cool and many things we need to survive.