Hitchin Christian Centre

Q: Tony - so, the flood. Would you really ask us to believe that Noah gathered in two of each of the 1,250,000 species of animals (i.e 2.5m animals) onto a single wooden ark? Even if he could fit them all in (which seems unlikely), how would he have rescued species that did not exist where he lived (e.g. polar bears)? I find this account lacks credibility if you read it literally, so would you therefore agree that parts of the Bible such as this can be interpreted figuratively? If so, then how do we know which stories are literal and which are figurative?

A: Hi, thanks for the question - far to big a question to answer fully here - however, here's my response.

The Bible text doesn't indicate whether the flood went right through the globe, or just covered the the then known world. Certainly the middle eastern basin, later called Mesopotamia, the huge plain through which the Tigris and the Euphrates flow, is the scene of all the early stories of Genesis, and was definitely an area affected by flood - an event of course God promised He would never repeat again!

With regard to the animals - the same could apply, i.e. the animals associated with the flood area. The problem with all this is trying to understand and work out the mind of God - how and why He choses to do certain things. Even the cleverest mind would find this impossible and so, like a lot things today, requires faith. The Bible focus is not so much the material side of this story, but on the moral side. After many years of warning mankind to change or else experience the consequences - judgement came in the form of the flood. The principle of reaping what we sow is a universal one, which makes the message of a loving God sending His Son to take His judgement for all mankind such a tremendous one - providing forgiveness for our past and a hope for our future.

This is a response to a question posted on our "Ask the pastor" page. To submit your own question, go here.

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