In the Beginning - Pt.10

So, Noah and his family, and all of the creatures involved, have left the ark. What is the first thing that you would have done? Start building a house, or at least erecting a tent - just in case it rained!!!! Perhaps you would have thought that gathering wood for a fire would be a priority. Maybe you would have encouraged the land animals to get as far away as possible - you wouldn't really want the larger ones to be wandering around too close to where you were! But what did Noah do? The record states it simply: "... Noah built an altar to YHWH, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar." (Gen 8:20).

This is a new order that God has brought out of the chaos of the Flood. But it was more than just a new beginning; it was a new peace after hostility - the hostility that had grown between the holy Creator, and His disobedient and sinful creation. Noah's sacrificial offering was not merely a "Thank You" to Almighty God for His safe-keeping. It was an understanding that sin had been the cause of God's judgement, and that Noah and his family were still sinners. Noah knew that sin would remain as a barrier between God and humanity. So we are informed that "... when YHWH smelled the pleasing odour, YHWH said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." (Gen 8:21-22).

God accepted Noah's sacrifice with pleasure, not because of any virtue in Noah, or in the clean animals and birds, but because of the coming Peace-maker that they represented. Peter reminds us that we, who are in Christ Jesus "... were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake." (I Peter 1:18-20). God then declared peace in two ways:

1. by a covenant.

Part of that covenant is in His promise at the end of chapter 8. However, in chapter 9, we have more spelled out: "Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, « Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. » God said to Noah, « This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. »" (Gen 9:8-17).

YHWH guarantees that the world is under His protection. Note the repetition of the words "never again". Note how long the covenant is to last - "for all future generations". Note how wide is the scope of the covenant - "between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh;". Then as a reminder of that covenant, He gives us the rainbow - a picture, it has been suggested, of the laying aside of His war-bow.

But we must note, also,

2. His commands.

"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, « Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it. »" (Gen 9:1-7).

YHWH restores mankind's mandate to look after the planet, but He recognises that it is no longer the "very good" world that He had created. It is now a sinful world of fear and bloodshed. In order to recreate order in a tangle of disordered relationships, He stresses the supremacy of human life, and the sanctity of all life. People may now use animals for food, but this is not to lead to inhumane, or murderous, violence. As I read the daily newspapers; as I watch the news programmes on television; I realise how far humanity has travelled from those simple commands. 

Of course, under the New Covenant in the Lord Jesus, each of us may enter into a relationship with our Creator that is personal - "God has no grand-children" to use the title of one of the books on my shelves. The salvation that is offered is offered to individuals, and each of us must make our own decision as to whether we accept it, or reject it. For those who accept it, it is greater by far than being saved from drowning, by entering a wooden ark. It is being saved from sin - its penalty, its power and, ultimately, its presence - and the assurance that when we fall (and we do!) "...  if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (I John 1:7-10).*

May all who read these words be among those who can say with Paul: "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing." (II Tim.4:8).

In the Beginning - Pt.8

The purpose of the flood was not simply to destroy sinful man - it was to destroy sinful man, but to destroy sinful man, and all of the land animals, and the birds, and the earth itself! (Gen.6:7, 13). Only a global flood would achieve that! 

The purpose of the Ark was not to save a few animals and birds, so that Noah could start a farm afterwards. (7:1-3). If the flood was local, the Ark was unnecessary. 

Consider, too, the volume of the Ark. Forget the pictures of the Ark in most (secular!) children's books. They are as different from the reality as day is from night. Check the dimensions! In modern terms it was 450' x 75' x 45' - giving a volumetric capacity of more than 1.5 million cubic feet! That is a lot of space!

How many animals and birds were on the Ark? Well, we must take careful note of the text. « Then YHWH said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth. » (vs.1-3). « ... every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort. » (v. 14).

Now, I neither wish to, nor am I properly qualified to, go into even a brief lecture on zoological terminology (and you may be relieved to know that!), but a "kind" is a very large grouping. It is a "genus", not a species. For example, there are many species and breeds of dog. But the "kind" or "genus", is "canine". That is why one breed of canine is able to mate with another breed (size permitting!); but felines (cats) will not breed with canines!

This is very important! It means that Noah did not need to take a breeding pair of Border Collies, and Yorkshire Terriers, and Dachshunds, and King Charles Spaniels, etc., etc. He simply needed to take a pair of canines - and from even just one pair, the genetic information would be available to produce, over time, different breeds. And, of course, he would not have taken mature adults. He didn't want grandparent elephants! What was required was a couple of teenagers who would have many tears of breeding once they were released from the ark! 

However, even if we deal with species - a much wider group, with many more creatures than if Noah only took "kinds", the picture is little different. I shan't bore you with individual figures, but even taking the figures that would have made the situation the most difficult for Noah, there would have been less than 50,000 creatures. Now, when we note that the average size of mammals, especially those that have not yet fully grown, is about the same as an average sheep, we find that all of those creatures could be housed in little more than 35% of the Ark's capacity. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Ark was large enough to take all of the animals that Noah was required to take, as well as sufficient food for both them and the Noahic family.

But what about the building of the Ark? Well, in spite of what some modern reproductions show, it was not necessarily a ship-like construction. The Hebrew word (tebah) is derived from a word that means, simply, a box! In other words, building such a large vessels would not require great shipbuilding, or even carpentry, skills. If it was merely a very large box (and since it was required only to float (7:18), and did not have to be propelled or steered, that is all that was needed!), then there can be no doubt that Noah and his sons would be able for the task - and that is not even allowing for any divine intervention!

So, when all was prepared - and it didn't happen over a weekend! - « Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark, to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.  And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. … … … they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and YHWH shut him in. » (vs.7-10; 16). Now that is security! When the Creator, Himself is taking care of us, we need not fear. 

One final point. Does this not provide a picture of a God Who is cruel? Certainly not! It provides a picture of a God Who is righteous, and Who will punish sin. However, that does not mean that He watched the Flood, unmoved. The previous chapter drew attention to the pain and grief that Almighty God experiences at sin and its destructive effects. This chapter does not make any definitive statement about the deep sadness that He must feel at the death of those He had created, but His written Word reveals it elsewhere. « For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says Adonai YHWH; so turn, and live. » (Ezek.18:32; emphasis added). « The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. » (II Peter 3:9; emphasis added). Indeed, it was because of His love for you and for me that « … He (the Creator) gave His only Son (the Lord Jesus), that whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life. » (John 3:16; emphasis added). In the days when the death penalty was available in the UK, we did not consider the judge who delivered such a verdict on a convicted murderer to be cruel. He was merely acting justly. Surely, then, we may agree with the implied answer to Abraham's question: « Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? » (Gen.18:25)

Have you made that choice? The offer is there - and it is free, because He has already paid the price.

In the Beginning - Pt.7

The record of Genesis 6:5-22 is possibly one of the best-known, and most controversial, passages to be found in the whole of the Tanakh (the "Old Testament"). It is, of course, with the following chapter, the record of the Flood.

Verse 5 gives us the verdict of the Creator on the humanity that He had created, but that had quickly fallen into disobedience, and had been banished from His near presence. « YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. » As someone once put it, « The heart of man's problem is the problem of man's heart. » There was, however, one exception - the man named Noah who, we are told « … found favour in the eyes of YHWH. » (v.8).

What was YHWH to do? He could see that « … the earth was corrupt in [His] sight, and the earth was filled with violence. » (v.11 - and doesn't that sound just like the situation in which we live today?!). So, He shared His divine thoughts with that one « … righteous man … » ( v.9), Noah. « And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch." » (vs.13-14). The means of that destruction was, we later discover, a flood that covered the whole earth, so that the tops of the highest mountains were under 15 cubits (about 22'6", or just under 7 metres) of water! It was an historical, global, catastrophe. 

Now, of course, there are those who would try to show that this was just a "local flood". I have seen "local floods", and none covered the tops of mountains - or even small hills! Certainly, other Biblical writers have no doubt as to its extent!  Peter, for example, writes of « … the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished." (II Peter 3:6). The issue has been the subject of many academic books and other studies, and is certainly much too big to deal with here, but I will simply state that the evidence for a worldwide flood is more than a little solid, and we shall look at this a little more closely next time, DV.

What, then, are the basic lessons that we may learn from this part of the record of the flood? It shows the reaction of Almighty God to the human sinfulness that had become so prevalent. It shows, first of all, 

1. God's grief

Notice the sharpness of the language in vs.5-7, and 11-13. We know how much sin hurts, and sickens, us - but how much more must it pain our Creator? It's little wonder that He decided to wipe out humanity! Indeed, the amazing thing is that He has not done so again - totally and permanently. Of course, that is partly because He keeps His promises (spoiler: 8:21-22). However, this Flood record also shows

2. God's grace.

In His love, Almighty God rescued the one family that honoured Him and, through them, gave humanity a fresh start. Notice how orderly righteousness is. Sin destroys, but the description of Noah: « Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. … … he did all that God commanded him. » (vs 9,22) provides a model of health and growth. 

God's rescue act - prepared, remember, since before the beginning of time! - is planned to perfection. It is practical and precise in every detail. And it is an advance model of a still greater rescue act, from which each of us may benefit.

Peter writes: « For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him. » (I Peter 3:18-22).

The death, and resurrection, of the Lord Jesus were just as perfectly planned and executed - and, you may recall, they too were no "afterthought"! In Gen.3:15 we read these words, spoken by YHWH to the serpent: « I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. » At Calvary, the Lord Jesus bruised the head of the satan, even although « He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed. » (Is.53:5).

Praise God for His love, and grace, and mercy - and for the wonderful salvation that is the lot of all who trust, wholly, and solely, in the Son. May that be your personal experience. It will be for your good, and to His glory.

Noah, and the Flood: part 2

In the previous post (which, ideally, should be read before this one!) we started to look at the record of the man, Noach - the only righteous man that Almighty God could find on the earth, so soon after the creation. Because of the rebellion, and sinfuness, of the rest of mankind, God decreed that He would cause a great flood to envelope the earth, destroying all land-based life - including all humans except Noach and his immediate family.

"I, Myself, will bring the flood of water over the earth to destroy from under heaven every living thing that breathes; everything on earth will be destroyed. But I will establish my covenant with you; you will come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you." (Gen.6:17; CJB).

God instructed Noach to build a huge box ('tebah' in Hebrew; not a boat!) capable of holding one breeding pair of every animal, and seven pairs of those that were considered to be 'clean'. "From everything living, from each kind of living being, you are to bring two into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they are to be male and female. Of each kind of bird, each kind of livestock, and each kind of animal creeping on the ground, two are to come to you, so that they can be kept alive." "Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean, one couple; also of the birds in the air take seven couples - in order to preserve their species throughout the earth." (6:19-20, 7:2-3; CJB). 

Now a box may not be as difficult to constuct as a boat would have been - but the dimensions of this particular box show that this was no small undertaking! The ark was some 500 feet long; 75 feet wide; and 45 feet high! (Precise measurements depend on the interpretation of the 'cubit' which was between 18" and 20", but this was no toy from the "Early Learning Centre"!). Sceptics scoff, and say that even such a vessel could not hold, along with the food necessary for their survival, approximately 1 million species of insect; 25,000 species of bird; 2,500 species of amphibians; 6,000 species of reptile; and several thousand species of mammals; together with cultures of tens of thousands of micro-organisms that can be identified without the aid of a microscope! What such people fail to realise is that the Biblical record doesn't refer to "species", but to "kinds" or "families" from which the various species descended - each according to its "kind"! So, for example, there may well have been just one pair if "felines" from which all of the 'cat' family descended - not by "evolution", but by adaptaton!

The fact is that there may only have been about 16,000 creatures aboard; the median size would have been no more than that of a large rat (only young would have been rescued!), and no more than 12% larger than a modern sheep! Considering that, even using the 'short' cubit, there would have been some 1.5 million cubic feet of space, there was definitely no overcrowding in the ark!

Of course, the ark had to be water-tight, and so Noach is commanded to seal it, on both the inside and the outside, with pitch (tar), thus ensuring its 'floatability'. Of course, it also has to withstand 40 days and 40 nights of continuous rain, together with the tossing caused by gigantic waves. Even after the rain stops, another 150 days would pass before the waters had receded. So, adequate provisions are taken aboard: "Also take from all the kinds of food that are eaten, and collect it for yourself; it is to be food for you and for them." (6:21; C.J.B.).

Finally, the ark "... came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." (8:4; C.J.B.). No single 'mountain' is named! It is a bit like saying that something happened "in the Grampian Mountains" (in Scotland!). That covers a wide area! However, when the waters appeared to be receding, Noach checked by sending out one of the ravens. It could not find anywhere to rest, so "... flew back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth." (8:7; C.J.B.). After another week, he sends out a dove - but the end result was the same. Then, later, he sent the dove out again and, this time, it returned with a freshly-plucked olive leaf, and Noach knew that the waters had dried up sufficiently to allow vegetation to grow again. He waits a further week and sends the dove out again. This time it does not return, and he realises that it is safe to leave the shelter of the ark.

Then in a scene, reminiscent of the Creation, "God said to Noach, 'Go out from the ark, you, your wife, your sons and your son’s wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing you have with you - birds, livestock and every animal that creeps on the earth - so that they can swarm on the earth, be fruitful and multiply on the earth.'" (8:15-17; C.J.B.).  "God blessed Noach and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will be upon every wild animal, every bird in the air, every creature populating the ground, and all the fish in the sea; they have been handed over to you. Every moving thing that lives will be food for you; just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything - only flesh with its life, which is its blood, you are not to eat. I will certainly demand an accounting for the blood of your lives: I will demand it from every animal and from every human being. I will demand from every human being an accounting for the life of his fellow human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his own blood be shed; for God made human beings in his image. And you people, be fruitful, multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply on it." (9:1-7; C.J.B.).

So, humans are now permitted to eat meat - but not the blood of the animal; and the death penalty, for the murder of another human being, is instituted. This passage is a reminder that, when we look at others, we must view them as having been created in the image and likeness of Almighty God. It is this that marks us out from the animal kingdom.

Okay, that's all for now. Part 3 will be published, D.V., in a couple of days' time.

Mything the boat!

No - the title is not intended to indicate that my keyboard has developed a lisp! I've taken it from an article I read, some time ago, that described the insidious manner in which some modern scholars pass off many of the Biblical records as unreliable legends, rather than accepting them as true historical accounts!

With a display of humour, the writer pointed out that, when it comes to the record of Noah, the worldwide flood, and the ark, such an unwarranted approach to the written Word of God is "mything the boat"! To be accurate, the word "myth" is being used, in these situations, in its modern, 'popular', sense of "untrue"; when it is originally a very precise word that means "a usually traditional story of apparently historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon."

Those modern (and some are not so modern!) critics of the Word are not concerned about the accuracy of certain passages, considering them to be of little significance. They discount them by referring to them as "myths" - using the word in its original definition. However, those who read their books, or listen to them speak, assume that these learnèd people are accepting that much of the Bible is false!

This, of course, discredits the Lord Jesus Himself, as He clearly accepted the Old Testament (the Tanakh) as a reliable document of people, places, and events! For example, He believed that Moses really lived (Matt.19:8; Mk.12:26; Lk.20:37, 24:44; Jn.3:14; inter al). He believed that Sodom and Gomorrah really existed (Mt.10:15). He believed that Jonah was actually swallowed by a great fish - the Bible nowhere states that it was a whale! (Mt.12:40-41; Lk.11:32; inter al). He believed that Noah built an ark that floated on the flood that covered the whole earth (Mt.24:38; Lk.17:26; inter al).

The Lord Jesus didn't "myth the boat" - and neither should we! One of the gravest consequences of minimising the historical accuracy of Biblical events is the risk of eliminating, in the process, the reality of God's redemptive work! If jesus did not literally die on the cross, and literally rise from the dead, then His Person and work are stripped of all meaning and significance. As Paul wrote to the disciples in Corinth: "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,  that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, ... if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (I Cor.15:3-4; 14-20. emphases added)

Beware of those who would turn the truth of God's Word into fables! Whether it involves Noah, or the Lord Jesus, if you accept their teachings, you are "'mything' the boat"!

If you would like to look at some of these issues further, you will find a fund of information at https://answersingenesis.org   Well worth a look!

Give me patience - and give it to me NOW!

Life has been unusually busy these past days - and a dodgy wi-fi connection at the camp-site hasn't helped when trying to catch up with e-mails, news items and, of course, this blog!

We (my wife and I!) had been advised by the Notaire who is dealing with the purchase of our new home in the Dordogne, that the final contract would be signed this morning.  Yesterday, we were to meet with the recently deceased owner's widow, and the Immobilier, to read the utility meters, and ensure that all was as in order regarding the property itself.  We had even arranged to spend a couple of days with friends who are much closer to the house, to save us two consecutive 110 mile (c.170 km) round journeys, each direction taking about 1 3/4 hours.

Yesterday morning, I received a 'phone-call from the Notaire. The widow was feeling unwell, and so the meter reading etc. had been cancelled.  No-one knew what would happen to day.  I can now reveal that she was unable to attend the final signing of the contract, and so we are back at the static, waiting to hear from the Notaire tomorrow.  As if that was not enough, I was also informed that the funds for the purchase have not yet arrived in the Notaire's bank account.  I contacted the bank.  The manager informed me that he is still awaiting confirmation from my Currency Exchange (to confirm that I am not seeking to 'launder' ill-gotten gains!!), and is unable to release the funds until this is received.  As I had received a copy of the e-mail that they had sent him I was surprised to learn that he had not done so - but have just realised that the bank was happy enough to accept a large deposit - without any additional information!!!

So, from a human perspective, we are disappointed, frustrated, angry.  However, as disciples of Jesus, we believe that Father God is in full control.  In my latest book, I have provided an appendix on the Fruit of God the Holy Spirit.  That Fruit is Love - agape love - and it is demonstrated by eight other characteristics.  One of these is patience.

Patience is a character trait that God desires to produce in each one of His born-again children (see Galatians 5:22-23). However, the only way to really learn what it means to be patient is to experience it firsthand. Patience is an oh-so-gradually unveiled gift.

Noah lived in a time when lawlessness and sin were the rule, not the exception. Imagine his reaction when God told him about His plan to destroy humanity! Picture Noah's reaction when God told him to build a boat, giving him specific dimensions and directions! Imagine having to wait 120 years to see it happen! I wonder if Noah ever said to himself, "Okay Lord, things are getting worse instead of better. Aren't you going to execute your plan? After all, it's already been fifteen years!" Thankfully, Noah had learned the lesson of patience.  He trusted God's timing, and was spared from the flood as a result.

Our response when something doesn't happen on schedule indicates how well we have learned to be patient. Maybe God has something better just around the corner (our being led to this particular house is a case in point - but the story is too long for a blog-post!). He will let you know when He is ready - or perhaps when you're ready. 

If you are a praying person, please join with us, and many others, in praying for a speedy conclusion to this matter - and one that will be honouring to God.  I'll let everyone know when the matter is concluded!

I Learned Everything From Noah's Ark

This has been circulating for many years, but it's still a really great list showing how Noah's Ark teaches us a lot in our daily lives.

1.   Don't miss the boat.
2.   Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3.   Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4.   Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5.   Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6.   Build your future on high ground.
7.   For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8.   Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9.   When you're stressed, float a while.
10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.