What about the story of Noah's Ark - is it literal or symbolic?
The Noah's Ark story blends historical event with profound symbolism. God initiated a flood judgment due to pervasive evil, establishing Noah's family as a new beginning. Noah's obedience in building the ark laid the foundation of faith, while the forty days of rain symbolized purification and separation from Satan. The narrative underscores God's justice and mercy, His commitment to restoration through righteous individuals, and the central role of family in His providence.
The story of Noah's Ark profoundly shapes our understanding of divine justice, human responsibility, and God's unwavering commitment to restoration. Discerning whether this narrative is purely literal, entirely symbolic, or a blend of both is crucial for grasping its foundational theological lessons and applying them to our lives today.
The Biblical Foundation
The Noah's Ark narrative, detailed in Genesis chapters 6 through 9, recounts God's decision to destroy a corrupt humanity with a deluge, saving Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal in an ark. Genesis 6:5 states, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." God's heart was "deeply troubled" (Genesis 6:6), leading Him to declare, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created" (Genesis 6:7). However, Noah "found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8), being described as a "righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God" (Genesis 6:9).
This account emphasizes a universal judgment, with Genesis 7:19-20 describing an inundation so vast that "the waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet." The purpose of this biblical account is not to provide a scientific record of global geology but to convey the history of God's providence. The flood was a real, historical judgment upon the corrupt civilization of that era. Its "universality" refers to its impact on the entirety of the human lineage God was working with at the time. Therefore, the narrative's literal and symbolic dimensions work together to reveal its profound theological truth.
Divine Principle's Clarification
The Divine Principle explains the profound theological and spiritual depth of the Noahic flood narrative, clarifying its historicity and purpose within God's providence. God saw that human sin was never-ending and that the thoughts of their hearts were always evil, lamenting that He had created humankind. God planned the flood judgment to begin anew with Noah's family, placing them in the same position as Adam's family. Noah's family needed to establish conditions of indemnity to lay the foundation for the Messiah to complete the Providence of Restoration. Noah, the second ancestor of humankind, was a righteous man who walked with God and followed His instructions absolutely. He became the first father of faith, establishing the foundation of faith by building the ark (Genesis 6:22). And the Lord said unto Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation" (Genesis 7:1).
The ark itself was the conditional object for the foundation of faith, symbolizing the new creation and the three stages of growth through its three-story structure. The eight family members—Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives—represented both Adam's family and all humankind. The animals represented all things in the universe. The forty days of rain were to indemnify the four position foundation that Satan had claimed in each of the ten generations from Adam to Noah. The number forty thus signifies separation from Satan to establish the foundation of faith. This providential number appears repeatedly in the Bible, such as the 400 years from Noah to Abraham, 40 years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33), and Jesus' 40 days of fasting (Matthew 4:2).
Understanding the Deeper Meaning
The Noah's Ark story powerfully conveys several core theological truths. First, it underscores God's absolute justice in the face of rampant evil. "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth" (Genesis 6:5). This judgment is not capricious but a response to humanity's turning away from their original purpose, especially due to the adultery and murder that rooted in the first ancestral family's fall. Second, it demonstrates God's unwavering mercy and love by providing a path to salvation for the righteous. Noah's faith and obedience made him worthy of being saved: "Noah did everything just as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22). This highlights the crucial role of individual responsibility and alignment with God's will in the providence of salvation. God always seeks to work through individuals who fulfill their responsibility.
Third, the narrative introduces the concept of re-creation and a new covenant. After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood, with the rainbow as its sign (Genesis 9:12-16). And God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth" (Genesis 9:12-13). This signifies God's commitment to continuously work for the establishment of His ideal, even after severe judgments or failures. The "two of every kind" (Genesis 6:19) symbolically represents the preservation of all creation, which longs for restoration alongside humanity. The Messiah's mission is to free humankind from the sins of adultery and murder and to recover the beloved community in which all can live as one family under God.
Living the Principle
The lessons from Noah's Ark are highly practical for our lives today: 1. Embody Righteousness and Obedience: Strive to be blameless in our generation, walking faithfully with God and responding with absolute obedience to His instructions, even amidst ridicule. 2. Build Foundations of Faith: Understand that fulfilling God's will requires establishing clear conditions of indemnity and a foundation of faith, even when it demands great effort and patience. 3. Recognize Providential Numbers: Learn from the significance of numbers like forty, understanding them as periods for separation from evil, purification, and establishing new foundations. 4. Foster God-Centered Families: Uphold the family as the fundamental unit for restoring God's ideal, creating godly families that serve as models of love and unity under God.
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.