J. Phillip Jones

Monday, August 28, 2006

A Ring of Truth

Greetings in Jesus name,

Have you ever heard someone comment that something has "a ring of truth" to it? What do they really mean by that? I think that in large part something that has a ring of truth to it is something that doesn't leave questions hanging in the back of your mind as you hear of read it. It is also something that is rather specific as opposed to something vague and full of ambiguity. When specific details are provided that make sense, something generally has a ring of truth.

Why do I bring this all up. Well, as I was reading in my Bible last night I turned to the story of Noah's Ark. I read the couple of chapters (Gen. 7 and 8) that delt with the actual flood itself. Now, what struck me this time while reading it again was how the flood, often considered the most far-fetched Biblical acount by secular critics, is presented in such a profoundly factual manner.

I beleive the account acount of course as I believe all of the Bible, but if one has read any mythology at all I think one can appreciate what I'm trying to convey. In mythology, like that of the Greeks or the Egyptians etc... you find the very fantastic naratives that deeply reflect a very unrealistic understanding of the Earth, weather, and the heavens. Any basic knowledge of science or even mere observation of nature reveals that these stories are perposterous. They also leave many questions unanswered in the mind of the casual reader. The natures of the super-beings, the "gods", are often conflictory withing the same mythological system and the stories lack of any specific details like maps, specific dates, or actual measurements. This all shows them to be fables rather that history.

But the Bible is different, and the account of Noah is particularly inspiring. In the narative we find a man Noah who did not just "apear" from nowhere. We know his grandfather's name, his father's name, and his geneology going back to Adam. We know he was 600 years old when the flood started and we are even given exact dates for the flood right in the acount. The height of the water is measured and the date of when Noah and his family left the Ark is listed.

Furthermore, Noah is not deified of the recipient of some fantastic power. He is merely an honest man who found grace in the eye's of his creator when everyone else was guilty of continual wickedness. He built a large ship over a period of years and God sent the animals to it. Remember during the recent sunami over in Asia how the animals headed for high ground and almost all were spared from the flood? What we have here are the elements of a true historical acount as oposed to the poorly crafted fables of the pagan mystery religeons.

I suppose that's all just an observation on my part. But I wanted to share it. You see, God's Word, just like His people, has that special quality that make us say: "There's just something different about it."