4. Of Several Bible Difficulties in the Noachian Dispensation: (1) The name "Noah" has presented a difficulty to Bible Expounders. Noah's father, Lamech, assigns as a reason for giving him the name Noah—"This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed." (Gen. v:29.) This is usually made to refer to the general curse put upon the land because of the fall of Adam (see Art. "Noah" Smith's Bible Dictionary); but the Book of Moses (P. G. P.), explains that "there came a great famine into the land, and the Lord cursed the earth with a sore curse, and many of the inhabitants thereof died." (Book of Moses, viii:4.) This was doubtless the cause of Lamech naming his son Noah, which signifies "rest," in the hope that there would be a "rest," or relief from the famine which had so long distressed them.
(2). The second difficulty is in respect of the passage "When men began to multiply on the face of the earth; and daughters were born unto them, the sons of God saw the daughters of men and they took them wives of all which they chose." Who were these sons of God? Who were these daughters of men? A variety of interpretations has been given, (a) The "sons of Elohim" (sons of the Gods) were explained to mean sons of princes, or men of high rank, who degraded themselves by contracting marriages with the "daughters of men," i. e. with women of inferior position. (b) A second interpretation, not less ancient, understands by the sons of Elohim (sons of the Gods), angels. And a long list of authorities may be cited for the belief that the angels consorted with women of the earth and begot a race of Giants (see Smith's Bible Dictionary Art. Noah, also Kitto same title.) A third interpretation, however, suggests that the sons of Elohim (the Gods) refers to the family and descendants of Seth, and by "the daughters of men," the women of the family of Cain (Smith's Dictionary, Art. Noah). In the Book of Moses, however, is found a complete explanation of the matter; "And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God." (Book of Moses, ch. viii:13.) This does away with the necessity of believing that angels became the consorts of earthly beings, the daughters of men. Strangely enough the Book of Moses, in the Pearl of Great Price, gives the reverse order of the matter to that related in Genesis. In Genesis it is stated that 'The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; "and they took them wives of all which they chose" (Gen. vi:1-2). In the Book of Moses it is stated that "when these men [the sons of Noah] began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took wives, even as they chose." (Book of Moses, viii:14.) The facts in the case, however, seem to be that there was a willingness on both sides to this amalgamation of races forbidden to each other. The grand daughters of Noah seemed willing to consort with the descendants of Cain, "the sons of men." (Book of Moses viii:14); and later the sons of Cain, having in mind that they too, were descendants of Adam, through Cain could retort—"We are the sons of God; have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men?" The fact is, however, that the other descendants of Adam were forbidden to inter-marry with the seed of Cain—"the sons of men;" (cf. Book of Moses, ch. viii:13-15, 21; with Book of Abraham, ch. i:21-27.) It is gratifying to know that the results of the latest deductions of Biblical scholars favors the views presented in the Book of Moses: "The interpretation, however, which is now most generally received, is that which understands by 'the sons of the Elohim' the family and descendants of Seth, and by 'the daughters of man (Adam),' the women of the family of Cain. So the Clementine Recognitions interpret "the sons of the Elohim." So Ephrem, and the "Christian Adam-Book" of the East: so also Theodoret, Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome, Augustine, and others; and in later times Luther, Melancthon, Calvin, and a whole host of recent commentators. They all suppose that whereas the two lines of descent from Adam—the family of Seth who preserved their faith in God, and the family of Cain who lived only for this world—had hitherto kept distinct, now a mingling of the two races took place which resulted in the thorough corruption of the former, who falling away, plunged into the deepest abyss of wickedness, and that it was this universal corruption which provoked the judgment of the Flood." (Smith's Dictionary, Art. Noah.)
(3) The third difficulty is found in the passage: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them." (Gen. vi:5-7.)
If it "repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and grieved him at his heart"—why then did he make him? For surely God's fore-knowledge was such as to fore-know what man would become in the earth. Then why be sorry that he had created him, since God's foreknowledge must have taught him what kind of a being man would be? The matter is set right in the Book of Moses revealed to Joseph Smith, where it is said: "And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. And the Lord said: I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them; and he hath called upon me; for they have sought his life." (Book of Moses, ch. viii:25-26.)
5. A Covenant of the Lord with Noah: Among the first acts of Noah, who may be regarded as the "second father" of the human race, was one of worship, for he built an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings unto him. Renewed communion in fact with God. And the Lord covenanted with him in that day, that while the earth should remain, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night should not cease. (Gen. viii:20-22.) And in token of this perpetual covenant, "I do set my bow in cloud, said the Lord, and it shall be for the token of the covenant between me and the earth. * * * * And I will remember my covenant which is between me and you (Noah) and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." (Gen. ix:13-15.) Of course it must not be supposed that the Lord at this time created the rain-bow for the sign of his covenant, for since ever there was sunshine and rain and dark clouds, there have been rain-bows and will be. But the Lord pointed to this beautiful phenomenon already existing, and made it the sign of his covenant with man.
6. The Seven Precepts of Noah: "It is an old tradition of the Rabbinical Jews, on which they lay great stress, that at this juncture Noah delivered to his children seven precepts, to be enjoined upon all their descendants. These prohibit, 1, idolatry; 2, irreverence to the Deity; 3. homicide; 4, unchastity; 5, fraud and plundering; the 6th enjoins government and obedience; and the 7th forbids to eat any part of an animal still living. Mr. Selden has largely illustrated these precepts, and regards them as a concise tablet of the Law of Nature. Though we have no positive evidences of their having been formally enjoined by the great patriarch, we can have no great reason for rejecting such an hypothesis." (Biblical Literature, Kitto, 427.)
At least one of these precepts is very emphatically set forth in Genesis, given with the penalty of it; namely, the great law against taking human life and the penalty which every where justifies the law of man; namely, "who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man." (Gen. ix:6.) Unhappily, however, the law in executing this penalty does it in such manner that the blood of condemned murderers is not shed, since in the majority of countries the death penalty is executed by strangulation instead of by the shedding of blood. The phrase, "for in the image of God made he man" is significant, and is fatal to the claims of those theologians who interpret the scriptural saying, that man wras created in the image of God, to mean that man was created in God's "moral image," a most absurd conclusion. As if there could be a moral image. But the phrase here quoted carries this significance: Thou shalt not kill a man, for he stands in the image of God. And thou shalt not mar that image of God, thou shalt not bring death unto it. It is sacred. It must not be marred by mortal hand.
7. The Death of Noah:—It is said that Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years, but the manner of his life and where he spent it is not given. He must have been alive at the confusion of tongues at Babel, but whether or not he was in the valley of the Uphrates at that time may not be learned. There have been those who seek to identify him with the Chinese character Fohi whose tradition was that Fohi's advent among them was preceded by a flood which wholly covered the earth, but all here is conjecture. (See Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, Kitto's Biblical Literature, Art. Noah.)
LESSON XVI.
(Scripture Reading Exercise.)