Noah’s Ark Story: An Amazing Chronicle
The miraculous Noah’s Ark story offers more than a good read. It’s interesting that rain came down in torrents for 40 days and nights. But many people ask, “How big was Noah’s Ark” or “How long did it take Noah to build the Ark?”
People visit the life-size replica, the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky for a hands-on experience. Do you ever think about the interplay between God, Noah and his family, and the animals? Maybe you’ve never thought about how long Noah was on the ark.
The story of Noah in the Bible answers the question, “How long was Noah on the Ark?” It was a long TWELVE AND 1/2 MONTHS from the first drop of rain to when everyone exits the Ark. Stuff happens at the beginning, middle, and end before the passengers start new lives.
The Noah’s Ark Story: 40 and 150 Days
One hundred and ninety days is a long time for people and animals to stay cooped up together, on a floating survival ship. The three decks held pairs of animals and birds for future reproduction and more pairs for food and sacrifices considered clean by Levitical law. The spacious abode probably felt claustrophobic.
Can you imagine the noise, cleanup detail required, and food necessary to sustain the passengers? Did some animals need more exercise than others? Were birds flying non-stop roosting on the rafters? How much noise did the woodpeckers make? Did Noah repurpose bat guano for its rich content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium?
Recorded in Genesis 7:20, the Ark floated 15 cubits or roughly 22 feet above the highest mountain peaks. For example, Mount Everest in the Himalayas reaches 29, 029 feet at its greatest height. At these heights with limited oxygen, the body begins to deteriorate. Yet, no human dies on board the Ark at these extreme heights—substantiating another supernatural miracle of God.
Unrest among the Ranks?
Life gets testy living the same routine day-in and day-out. Noah more than likely assigned his family members specific jobs to complete. Was there quarreling among the ranks when the elephants and hippos needed water? Was there a giant compost pile to recycle animal dung and bird poop that disgusted Shem, Ham, and Japheth? Perhaps all of this happened supernaturally, too.
Who was in charge of milking the cows? Were the bird eggs collected and eaten? Life went on along with questions about where exactly they’d start over. Would there be building materials available to build houses and food to eat?
Without a moment’s delay, God manufactures a steady wind to blow across the water. This dehydration process reduces water levels until the boat rests on the mountains of Ararat in current-day Turkey. Was it by accident the boat rested on that particular mountain? I don’t think so. God had a plan from beginning to end.
The Next 74 Days
The waiting continues for another 2 ½ months as the earth dries. The family is undoubtedly sick of each other, get used to vomiting, and probably long for fried chicken. In the meantime, more mountain peaks are visible.
The Noah’s Ark Story: The Next 40 Days
Another 40 days pass until Noah opens a window and releases a raven. He knows if the bird continues to land on the boat, then water covers everything.
The Next 14 Days
Noah sends out a dove which returns with an olive leaf. Noah waits 7 days and sends out the dove again. It does not return.
The Noah’s Ark Story: The Last 60 Days
Noah celebrates his 601st birthday while on board the Ark and waits 60 days to take a look outside. The earth is dry and God tells Noah to “Leave the boat, all of you. Release all the animals and birds so they can breed and reproduce in great numbers. So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. And all the various kinds of animals and birds came out, pair by pair.”
In celebration, Noah sacrifices the animals and birds set aside for this purpose. God signifies the milestone event by declaring “As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night” (Genesis 8:22).
Noah’s Ark Story: Concluding Thoughts
God is in control from day 1 to day 378+/-. He orchestrates every detail and informs Noah of what to do next. How is Noah’s obedience any different from what Christians should be doing today? Noah marched forward without answers to questions. He faced obstacles relying on an internal compass to guide his way.
You and I are in the dark most of the time just like Noah. We’re often uncertain about where to live, what job to take, and how to deal with everyday issues. Are you facing a health issue or financial crisis? Are you recently divorced or mourning some other loss? God desires to give you everything to live victoriously as He did for Noah. God sees you as blameless when Jesus is your Lord and Savior.
What hasn’t changed is that wickedness still abounds. This time, rather than wipe out everyone but one family, Daniel prophesies the abomination of desolation. Jesus alludes to this great tribulation event in His sermon delivered from the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24.
Christians know how the world ends by reading the book of Daniel and Revelation. Just like Jesus, we don’t know the final hour, but we know it’s coming. The Noah’s Ark story gives us hope for the future when maneuvering through personal storms of loss. Through this account’s message, we are confident we’ll arrive on solid ground with our faith intact even when stepping out onto unknown territory.