Chapter two - Noah

"that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:2,3. American standard version. 

I was taking a stroll behind my house when I suddenly felt a presence beside me. I turned around but saw no one. Yet, the whole place was feeling so heavy, like there was a dark cloud hovering over me. I turned to go back to my house when I heard a voice call my name. 

"Noah!" 

The voice was deep and heavy. It held authority behind it. And kind of sent shivers down my spine. I turned and looked around. I did not see anyone. How strange. I turned to leave when I heard the voice again. This time it felt closer and much deeper. I turned again and saw a man standing there. He was wearing a white robe and his hair was pure white. Everything about him looked pure and holy. Even the way he stood showed that he held a lot of power. He walked towards me and I quickly bowed down to the ground. 

"Noah. You have found favor in the eyes of Jehovah, your God. I have seen your righteousness and how you and your family have served me with faithfulness. But, for the rest, they have decided to fill the earth with violence and wickedness. Their hearts and thoughts are filled with total wickedness. So, I will destroy the world with a great Flood."

"Flood? But, isn't there a way for others who are trying to be good to be saved? I know God will not want to destroy everyone with water." I replied with my face on the ground.

"Of course not. That is the main reason why I am here. I want you to do something for me. Go to the people, and tell them what I have told you about the destruction. But, I also want you to build an ark. A large box that can save all this day who are willing to listen to you. Tell the people what I have told you and build the ark." the holy man said. 

"I will do as you have said. But, how do I build the ark? How big should it be, my lord?" 

The man said, "this is how you should make the ark… "

I went back home thinking of what the man told me. It took over my mind and my entire being. I didn't even notice when my wife began speaking to me. 

"Noah, are you okay? You have been a bit distracted ever since you came in here. Is everything alright?" she asked. 

"Huh, yeah… yes I am okay. Were you saying something?" I asked, feeling a bit confused. 

She looked at me with a concerned look on her face. "I was just saying that lunch is ready. Are you sure you are okay?"

She sat down beside me. 

"Actually, I'm not. You won't believe what happened earlier to me. I think I met God."

"Wait, what?! You spoke to God? Where?" my wife asked me. She looked very interested in what I was about to tell her. So, she sat down beside me. 

"Not God, per say. His angel. But, he was speaking right through him. I could feel God's presence when we spoke. And do you know what he said?"

"No."

"He said he has realised that the people around have all been doing very bad things, indulging themselves in violence. He even said what the people think and feel in their hearts are all filled with violence. So, he has decided to destroy the earth with water. There is going to be a huge flood. And that Flood is going to destroy everyone and everything on its path. The only way one can be saved is if we built an ark." I narrated it to her. 

"An ark? But, come to think of it, how is this Flood going to start?" my wife asked. 

My mind went back to the angel. "It will rain for forty days and forty nights. The whole earth will be covered with water. Anyone who does not go into the ark before the rains start will be destroyed. Tell that to the people and start working on the ark immediately."

"That's what he said? But, it has never rained before. No one has ever seen water fall from the sky. Apart from the dew that falls to grow our crops. Are you sure they will even listen to you?" 

I looked at my wife with confusion. She was right. It has never rained before and so the people will never believe me if I tell them that. But Jehovah himself has said it. And once he says something, he does it. My father, Lamech, had told me about Jehovah and how he said Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the tree he had forbidden them from eating from. When they disobeyed him, they died just like he said. And even punished Cain when he killed Abel. So, if he says he would destroy the earth, that certainly is the truth. 

"I don't know if our people will listen. But, I have to try. I promised to do exactly what had been asked of me. And that is what I am going to do. Please get me the boys. I need to speak to them."

"Okay."

So the children came and I explained everything to them. They decided to join me in the work. I was very excited to start the ark and at the same time very scared of what the people would think and say. Would they try to hurt me like they tried to do to Enoch? Or will they listen to me and come into the ark when the time comes? 

These thoughts kept running through my head. And the only way to find out the outcome was to start the work assigned to me immediately. And that is what I did. 

Me and my sons, Shem, Ham and Jackets went into the woods to get the wood we would use for the ark. We got as many as we could and started the work. The women, my wife and my sons wives prepared food for us during our working hours. I can't believe my sons and I are so blessed with such good wives.

While we began work on the ark, we also took some time to go to the market squares where we knew we would get a lot of people to talk to and tell them what was about to come. 

 Those who listened to us were a bit surprised. Rain? Here? Some of them asked? But soon, they began to laugh. 

"Come on, Noah. Ever since you were born, have you ever heard of rain falling from the sky before?" one of them said. 

"Are you going crazy or something? When have you ever heard of the world being destroyed by water before?" the other said. 

"And who even told you something like that is going to happen?" Another asked. 

"God told me. And I know it's going to happen."

That even worsened the situation because they all began to laugh at me. Some called me crazy and some called me old. Yes, I am old. But not too old to know when something is right and something is wrong. 

I continued to work on the ark and continued telling the people what was on the way coming. Sometimes, they would just laugh at me. Some went as far as to threaten me to stop telling them something I myself was not sure of happening. They continued with their bad ways and did what they wanted. The very thing God wanted to destroy the world for. 

For years I and my family continued with the work assigned to us. We continued to warn them of what was to come. But they did not listen to us. Little by little we finished with the ark. We had help though, but they still decided not to believe us even though they helped in constructing the ark. 

Finally we were done with the ark. Just like the way God had asked us to construct it. So, I began by sending the animals inside the ark. Some went in sevens while some went in twos. Next, we sent the food we would eat and the ones the animals would eat into the ark. 

Then, we went round the town and told them what was to come one last time. Some saw the work we had done and even came to inspect it, but none decided to stay in the ark with us. Even our in-laws thought we were crazy. They also decided to stay back and not join us. 

I was saddened by their decisions but I respected them. Finally, I and my family, the eight of us, went into the ark. We waited and waited. Then, there was a loud bang! The door had closed shut. God had closed and locked the door himself. While we were waiting, I heard some of the people talking. 

"How can Noah be so stupid to believe that such a thing can happen?" 

"I can't believe he actually went into the ark. Does he really think it will rain like he has been saying?"

"Leave that loser. He doesn't know what he is missing out here."

They all began to laugh loudly. But soon, the laughter died down. It was quiet. Way too quiet. Then, I heard something drop. Another followed. Then another. Soon, I could hear noise. Like something being poured out of a bucket. That was when I started to hear screaming. 

"Father, what could be happening out there?" Ham asked. 

"I can't really tell, my son."

"Has it started to rain? What's happening?" Shem asked. 

"I have no idea. Maybe I should check from the window."

I went and stood by the small opening at the second storey of the ark and looked outside. Water was pouring out of the sky and everyone was running to find somewhere to hide. Then, I heard banging on the door. 

"Noah. Please, open up. We are sorry we did not listen to you. Please, open the door."

"Noah, please help us. We are going to die out here."

"Noah, help us."

Shem looked at me, as if he wanted to ask me what we should do. I only shrugged lightly. The women looked worried, so I had to calm them down. 

"Listen, everything is going to be okay. Why don't you take them inside? We will see what we can do to help them," I told my wife who nodded and helped her daughter in laws inside.

Then, my sons and I tried to see if we could find a way to help those out there. 

"Should we see if we can open the door?" Japheth asked. 

"Yeah. But I doubt that would work."

So, we tried opening the door, but we could not. It did not even bulge. The banging outside was beginning to get frantic and desperate. 

I was worried for those outside but there was nothing else we could do so we just gave up. Why didn't they listen to me when we came to them all those years? Why did they decide to be stubborn? 

Soon, the frantic banging stopped. And the whole place was suddenly quiet. I could hear them screaming. But, they seemed far from the ark. After a few more minutes, there was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was water crashing into each other. 

We made some fire and sat down around it because the room was beginning to get cold. We sat there and began to sing when the ark began to move. The ladies ran into our arms. They were terrified. The animals even looked terrified. I did my best to keep everyone calm. Before we knew what was happening, we were moving. Where we were going, we had no idea. But we knew at least that, we had been vindicated. 

It rained continuously for forty days and nights. The whole place was now covered in water. We could not see any lands, no tall mountains, no tall trees. Nothing. Just water. It was everywhere. I sighed. Everyone was indeed dead. Except me, and my family. 

We stayed in the ark for the next one year. I wanted to see if the water had subsided. So, I sent a Raven out the window. It left and came back the very same day. I knew then, that the water had not subsided. Some days later, I sent out a dove. It came back the same day but had an olive leaf in its beak. I knew then that the trees were showing up, which meant, the water was subsiding. 

Some days after, I sent out the dove again. But this time around, it did not come back. That was when I realised that the water had subsided. We waited in the ark till God himself opened the door. We stepped out of the ark, finally being able to breathe some fresh air. The whole place was dry and there were trees everywhere. We looked around and realised we had landed on a mountain. All the animals came out with us and some ran into the bushes. While the domesticated ones stayed with us. 

"This is a new world for all of us. I can't believe we are alive. Thanks be to Jehovah, God." Japheth said. 

"You are right son. It's God who saved us. And we have to thank him. You know what, why don't we make an offering to him? We can take one of the young sheep here and use that as an offering of appreciation to God. 

"Yes, father. That's a very good idea." Ham agreed. 

"It really is." Shem added. 

So, the ladies began to sing and dance around. Soon, we all joined in and began to sing and dance as well. Then, we made the sacrifice of appreciation to God. Then, we saw something in the skies. 

"Look dad. Do you see that?" Shem said and we all looked up. 

"I see it. It's so beautiful. What could it be?"

Then, we heard a voice. 

"This is a promise I make to you. What you see in the sky is a rainbow. And this will be a covenant between you and I. I am not going to destroy the world with water anymore. Anytime you see the rainbow out in the sky, let it remind you of the covenant between us. Go, be fruitful and multiply. I will be with you for the rest of your days."

I raised my hands up towards the sky. "Thank you so much for everything."