Week 6 Story: The Birth of Noah
There was once a man named Lamech. As he was continuing to
grow older, he desired a life filled with family: a wife and a child. For many,
many years this longing was left unfilled. Lamech begin to feel as if he would
never be a father. Then, as if it was fate, Lamech met the woman of his dreams,
and they became married. Lamech and his wife lived a happy and quiet life on a beautiful
farm in the hills. Although his heart was happy, he still felt a longing to
become a father. Lamech’s wife soon became pregnant. One day while working
together on the farm, Lamech’s wife said, “It is time.” Lamech was overcome
with joy. He was finally going welcome his baby boy into the world and become a
father. But, what came next no one expected. The baby did not look or act like
a normal baby. Instead, the baby had characteristics of both a man and angel.
The baby had locks of hair that were white as snow that challenged a grown mans.
His eyes were like beams from the sun; illuminating everywhere he went. And,
when the baby opened his mouth, he praised the Lord God almighty. Lamech was
taken aback by these unusual characteristics. This is not what he was
expecting. This is not what he had waited so long for. Lamech was so distraught
that he fled and sought the advice of his father, Methuselah. Lamech said, “Father,
I do not know what to do. My son is not normal. He is a man child with locks of
hair as white as snow, eyes that are like beams straight from the sun, and he
speaks perfect praises of righteousness to the Lord. Father, what should I do?
What have I done? For this is not my child, but a child of the angles.”
Methuselah, hearing the desperation in his son’s voice, sought the one of great
wisdom for advice, Enoch. Methuselah then described the peculiar situation.
Enoch said, “There will one day be a great flood that covers the ends of the
Earth. The flood will kill everyone and everything in its path. This will act
to cleanse the world of all impurities. But, there will be one who will lead
and ensure the survival of mankind during this punishment. The one who will
live on is named Noah, and he is your grandchild. Your grandchild will lead the
world out of the greatest punishment of all time. Now go and name him Noah. Methuselah
went at once to meet his grandchild. He feared that his grandchild would be persecuted
if people knew who he truly was. Therefore, he was only called Noah by his
grandfather. To others his name was Menahem, the great comforter. Throughout
his life Noah formed a special bond with his grandfather. Methuselah taught
Noah acts of courage and bits of wisdom. For he knew—and only he knew—that his
grandson would one day lead the world out of despair. This is the story of the
birth of Noah.
Gerard Hoet - Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author’s Note: This is a re-creation of the story The Birth of Noah by Louis Ginzberg. The
original version contained more information about Biblical aspects of the
story. Specifically, the original version ties the punishment—the great flood—back
to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis regarding the story of Adam and Eve. Instead
of focusing on this aspect of the story, I chose to focus more on the
relationship between Lamech and his father, Methuselah, and the relationship
between Methuselah and his grandchild, Noah.
Bibliography: The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909). Book 1, Chapter 4, Noah.
Hey there! I really like the way you described the characters and the detail you put into this story. The only thing I have to say is I wish you broke it up into smaller paragraphs because it was a little hard to read when it is all bunched up into one big one. I think if you broke up the story to where every three sentences or so was a new paragraph it would really help it out.
ReplyDeleteHi! I read Noah's story in one of my earlier readings, so I enjoyed seeing what you did with your version of the story. Having it foreshadow what Noah's future would be like that was such a unique way of writing a story. I like how you implemented other biblical characters into it as well. My only critique would also be the same as Hayley's above. The story was great, but there were some times where my eyes would get lost at the part I was reading. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteHi! First off, I have to say that I have really enjoyed reading your story and it was really cool to see how you put your own spin and personality into the original version of the story. I have not read the original version yet, but after reading your rendition, I think I have a pretty good idea as to what the original version is about. I definitely think that foreshadowing Noah's future would be a fun thing to write about in the future! Overall, I really enjoyed reading your story and I look forward to reading more from you as this semester goes on!
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