Really, Noah? Deerflies? Mosquitos? TICKS?
I think you misinterpreted the instructions.
As long as we’re on the subject, I wonder about some other things. What about the manure? Did your crew threaten to mutiny because of all that shoveling? Did you help out or just give orders? Did the dogs chase the cats, and how did you keep the wolves away from the sheep?
Was this all done with just a gate cut, or were decisions based on genetics? And how long was it before Mrs. Noah began speaking to you again after the cussing out you gave her for letting that extra giraffe in? I’m sure she had to run the gate; it’s always been done that way so the boss has someone to blame for misreading hand signals.
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Here’s the other thing. I like to laugh, but would never disrespect someone’s beliefs. Science has proven that the scriptures are right; laughter is good medicine. It’s also been said that if you want to make God laugh, just make plans. I happen to believe that God likes a good joke as much as we do. Jesus was the ultimate storyteller. If you look at the parables, you’ll find hints of humor, so I assume He liked to laugh too.
Jesus wept. Maybe he weeps because many of us insist on seeing a black and white world, when He and his Father took such care to decorate it in living color. When we insist on judgement rather than love. Or when we use the gift of humor to denigrate people who think differently, or make different choices than those we live by.
We were gifted with free will, and God must have known we’d misuse it sometimes. He gave it to us anyway. (Please, no arguments about the male pronouns. We also have free will in that department.)
So, back to the matter of ticks and other pests. Maybe Noah didn’t get it wrong after all. Maybe God chuckles when we choose to gripe about small matters. He knew we would. Maybe he wipes a tear when we ignore the really big stuff, or insist we know exactly what He’s thinking on any given issue. He knew we would do that too.
There’s a lot to wonder about in the Noah story, and we can choose to grin at our wondering or just assume we don’t need all the details to live productively. But I’m hanging onto the bit about Mrs. Noah’s assignment and reactions. Been there, done that.