An understanding of the nature and process of the primordial creation, as discussed in my lesson three, is central to understanding the Genesis account of Noah and the flood.  The flood narrative is in essence a return to that primordial chaos from which a new creation comes forth.  This lesson will take a look at the flood, the sacred space that is brought forth from the flood, and its relevance to modern-day temples and us.  It will conclude with an interpretation of the confusing curse of Canaan and the priesthood.

The Return to Chaos

As God looked upon the earth that he had created, he saw that “the wickedness of man was great … and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil” (Genesis 6:5).  At that point, God decided to “destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life” (Genesis 6:17).  The Hebrew word for breath is ruah, which is also interpreted throughout the Old Testament as “spirit.”  The spirit of God, which in the beginning had moved upon the “face of the deep” — giving birth to the world and life to man — was now being taken away from all creation. 

In the flood narrative, chaos prevailed upon man and the earth as “all the fountains of the great deep (were) broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7:11).  The primordial creation, which resulted in the separating of the waters above the firmament from those under the firmament, was being undone as the elements, the waters above and below, returned to their primordial unity [1] . 

The result was the state in which the “waters prevailed upon the earth; and all the high hills … were covered … And all flesh died …both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing” (Genesis 7:19-21). 

By means of the flood, the earth returned to a state of chaos.  In the beginning, the earth was without form and void, which was characterized by the fact that it was covered in darkness and water. [2]   Now in Genesis chapter 7, the earth was again completely covered by water. [3]

The Ark

The mechanism that gave rise to a new creation (of both man and earth) was set in place when God commanded Noah to, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch” (Genesis 6:14).  The purpose of the ark was to move man from a fallen world to a higher world.  Like Jacob’s ladder [4] that reached from heaven to earth at Beth-el, the temple is the place that allows passage between the two realms.  In the analogy between Noah and Jacob, Beth-el, literally “house of God” in Hebrew, is the parallel with the mount upon which the ark rests.  The ark, like the ladder, allows for ascending and descending.  This section will explore the characteristics of the ark that make it an ideal vehicle for this purpose:

• Pitch: The first thing we learn about the ark is the fact that it was pitched within and without.  The word “pitch” comes from the Hebrew root “kippur,” which means, “to cover,” and generally has the meaning of bringing two things together.  The more common translation of “kippur” is “atone.”  Thus, in a sense, the ark is an “ark of atonement” with a central purpose of bringing or gathering two things together. 

The ark is starkly contrasted in the Genesis narrative with the tower of babel.  “Babel” from the Assyrian “Bab-ilu” has a literal translation of “gate of God.”  According to Genesis 11:4, the people said, “let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”  As stated in these verses, the purpose of the tower is to reach unto heaven.  Like the ark that carries its contents between worlds [5] , the tower was meant to be a gate to a different world.  Of interest is the fact that the tower, like all sacred space, would have kept them from being “scattered” upon the whole earth.  One of the purposes of the temple is the gathering of man to Christ through the power of the at-one-ment [6] . 

Having been authorized and planned by God, the ark has the ability “to gather” just as the tower of Babel would have gathered had it been a true temple, built under the order and authority of God.

• Three Stories:  Genesis 6:16 states that Noah was instructed to build the ark with three stories.  I would suggest that three stories represented the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial realms.  Again, as stated above, the purpose of sacred space is to move the individual from a telestial, fallen realm, to a heavenly abode.  Consistent with the manner of the Jews, the physical reality of the ship demonstrated eternal, spiritual truths.

• Window/Sacrifice: Most ancient temples had windows [7] or holes in the ceilings.  Given that incense and offerings were burnt in the temples, the windows probably had a practical purpose as well as symbolic purpose.  That Noah took with him seven of each clean beast may explain why the ark had a window.  The ark was a place of sacrifice.  After the ark came to a rest on the top of a mountain [8] and they come forth from the ark, “Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”  As the smoke from the offerings rise, the hole in the ceiling allows the smell to ascend to heaven.  Thus, “the Lord smelled a sweet savour” [9] and his anger abated.  As an aside, the Hebrew word for anger, aph, is also interpreted as “nose”.  The lesson of law of sacrifice is that the sweet smell of sacrifice softens the anger of God’s nose.

• Covenants:  Prior to entering into the ark, Jehovah promised Noah “with thee will I establish my covenant.” [10]   After passing through the flood, offering sacrifice, and receiving the terms of the covenant, God spoke unto Noah saying, “behold, I establish my covenant with you.” [11]   The ark is a place of covenant making and apparently the covenant that Noah entered into was that of the Fathers through Enoch (JST Gen. 8:23).

• Dove: After a period of time, Noah sent forth a dove.  “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth” (Genesis 8:11).  The presence of the dove, the foreordained symbol of the Holy Ghost according to Joseph Smith, represents the culmination and conclusion of the creative process.  After immersion in water, the Holy Ghost places a seal on the newly created world.

The Curse of Canaan

Following the story of the flood, the narrative gives an unusual account, which results in the cursing of Canaan.  In order to understand this account, we must attempt to answer the following questions:

1)       What is the “nakedness” of Noah?

2)       What did Ham do?

3)       Why was Canaan Cursed?

Nakedness of Noah:  As Noah came forth from the ark into his new world, he, like Adam entered “his new world clothed with a special garment.” [12]   According to Jewish legend, this was the garment given to Adam in the Garden of Eden and then passed down through the patriarchs until it was “worn by Noah when he sacrificed on an altar.” [13]   It was a garment of power, the garment of the firstborn.  It was by possessing this garment that legitimized Joseph as having the rights of the firstborn among his brothers; and thus, the reason for their jealousy of him and his tunic.

Ham:  According to Genesis 11:21, Noah was uncovered or stripped of this garment as he lay drunk in his tent.  Jewish tradition as preserved in the Book of Jasher, states, “Ham stole those garments from Noah his father.” [14]   Now, if Ham was he who stole the garment, this begs the question as to why Canaan, his son, appears to receive the punishment and not Ham.  From the Biblical narrative, it would appear that the fact that Ham sees his father’s nakedness causes the cursing; however, if that were so, he would have been cursed.  I would suggest that a previous curse caused, or at least was the impetus behind, the need to steal his father’s garment, leaving him naked.

Canaan’s Curse:  From the book of Abraham, we learn that Pharaoh was “the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham” (Abraham 1:26).  This passage clearly implies that because of his lineage, the Pharaoh had been “cursed …as pertaining to the priesthood” (Abraham 1:26).  If Ham’s descendants could not have the priesthood, this would explain why Ham was attempting to steal the garment, which he believed authorized priesthood authority.  It would also explain why Ham was not cursed himself, being a legitimate heir through his lineage of the priesthood; but rather the cursing is placed upon Canaan as a symbol of all those who were Ham’s descendants, who were not rightful heirs due to their matriarchal lineage. 

May we seek to enter into God's latter-day arks by exercising "exceeding faith and good works" (see Alma 13:10), and thereafter keeping our covenants and sacrificing our all to God. By so doing, we are qualified for a fullness of His Holy Order to which we were foreordained, with the end result of gathering us back into His presence.