There is an interesting occurrence in the scripture that depletes the human race to almost nil: the Flood. This event reduces man to apparently eight souls. Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. We must once again look beyond the obvious and search the scriptures carefully to see what is actually happening, and what is being said about the event.
The Jew was considered “a living soul”. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life and Adam became a “living soul”. All other men were heathens, not worthy of the respect of even sharing a meal with the Jew; obviously not good enough to be a “help meet” to Adam, and the scripture refers to them as “all those in whose nostrils was the breath of the ‘spirit’ of life. (Gen. 7:22)
This may seem trivial, but it is the finite details that are so vital and cannot be overlooked in understanding the truth of what is really happening. It is precisely this kind of oversight that has lead to the preposterous idea that all races of man were derived from Adam and Eve.
In Gen. 7:1, God tells Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark:” Verse 23 says, “Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark.” That would be his household, which he was instructed to bring on board. As in the day of the great exodus from Egypt, and as on the night of the last plague (the plague of death), those who left Egypt and followed Moses, and those who were covered by the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the houses in Egypt were saved alive. The ‘households’ of the Israelites were saved alive whether they were of the Israelite nation or not, as long as they were walking through the Red Sea following Moses, or as long as they were inside the houses with the door posts covered with the blood of the lamb.
Noah entered the ark with his wife, his sons and their wives, and his household of servants and/or slaves. Unlikely? Consider that not only is this likely, but there is every indication that not only was Noah’s household of servants included, but 7 of every male and 7 of every female was saved as well. God ordered that 7 of every clean male and 7 of every clean female species be brought onto the ark. That is 7 male and 7 female dogs, cats, elephants, oxen, mules, bears, -- Orientals, Caucasians, Indians, Eskimos, Negroes, etc. Gen. 7:15 says, “And they went in unto Noah in the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.” God had commanded Noah to take in “male and female of ALL flesh”. Verse 16 says, “And they went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in.”
One must also consider the amount of work it would take to maintain all the animals that were taken into the ark. It is a feat that staggers the imagination if divided among 8 people. It can be reasonably assumed that all that were on board ate during those 40 days they were afloat. Further, just to keep order, the animals would have had to have been separated, probably caged in some manner, and fed regularly; seven of every clean male and female animal and two of every unclean male and female animal. All this done by only eight people (?) who must feed and clean up after themselves as well!
Our next reference concerning Noah and mankind is found after 40 days when they are on dry land. God tells Noah that he is giving him EVERY moving thing that lives for food. (Gen. 9:3-4) Then God says, “The flesh with the life thereof, which is in the blood thereof, shall you not eat. And surely your blood, the blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it: at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.”
It appears that God is saying that cannibalism is a forbidden entity to Noah, man, and beast; for God will require the blood of their lives. Let’s slowly walk through the distinction God makes in his discussion with Noah and his sons, because it is easily glanced over as is the creation story.
“Surely the blood of your lives will I require.”
Here God addresses Noah and his sons specifically and directly.
“At the hand of every beast will I require;” God includes the animal kingdom, and
“At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother;” here God brings in the third entity, mankind in general, whom he has also saved. “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Again He tells us that we are made in God’s image, not Adam’s). There is no change of context in God’s discourse with Noah, no change in subject, no division of thought. Further, this is the only place in the Bible that makes reference to God’s discouragement of cannibalism.
Ex. 21:28 establishes the rules concerning an ox that might gore someone to death. The life of the ox is required under the Law, and if the owner knew the ox was prone to goring, the life of the owner is required, also. In India, it is still a part of their society to hunt down and kill tigers that are known to be man-eaters. In Scandinavia and Russia they hunt wolves that are known to have ravished humans.
Although man may reject God’s divine laws, we are still subject to them. As of old, His law remains supreme, and science still bows to the insights of intelligence and knowledge as set forth in the scriptures. He has given us unlimited knowledge combined with sensible laws and ways to find his truths if we but look. Now, as then, God’s divine laws still stand.
