“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
Several years ago, my wife and I took a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Lancaster County is widely known as “Amish Country”, but we found something much more memorable.
Right there among the Amish, nestled in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is the Millennium Theatre, a 2,100-seat state-of-the-art facility presenting Christian drama at its best. We’ve never seen anything like it. It was amazing.
The Millennium Theatre produces musical presentations about Bible heroes; and like the Apostle Paul, they, too, are not ashamed of the Gospel. We saw “Noah” and were absolutely amazed by the Hollywood-like use of technology. There we were sitting in the middle of the Ark, surrounded by animals of every species. Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!
But it wasn’t the technology that we will remember most. Sure, technology enhanced the story, but it was the story that we most enjoyed; and while it was sprinkled with some events that the Bible does not record, it very accurately told the story of Noah, one of only a few men that the Bible says was a righteous man. Noah trusted God and spent over a hundred years building an Ark to avoid the death and destruction that a sinful world had brought upon itself.
The play doesn’t cover very much of what happened after the flood, but Scripture records that Noah planted a vineyard and later became drunken from wine he had made. Truth be told, the Bible says that Noah was naked and drunk, both to the embarrassment of his sons.
Tell me, why would the Bible record such a story so late in the life of Noah, especially since God had declared him righteous in His own sight? My wife says that Noah underestimated the process of fermentation in his new world. “Maybe wine wasn’t that strong before the Flood.”
Maybe so, but that’s something we won’t know on this side of Heaven. I believe, however, there’s another reason why Noah got “naked drunk”. For one thing, he was human, not divine. It was an outward and visible sign that Adamic sin was still with us.
But there’s a greater reason why I believe the Bible records this disappointing event in the life of such a righteous man. Noah’s indiscretion is a reminder that even the most righteous of us still need a savior. Indeed, it’s not our works that will get us into Heaven, which is why the Bible says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
What will get us into Heaven? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
If you would like to visit the Millennium Theatre, or its sister facility, Living Waters, you can find out more about them on the Internet. Just direct your browser to www.bibleonstage.com.
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