Day 5: It Rained & Poured for 40 Daysies, Daysies!

Curse you, day 3!  With your 4 tiny verses!  Today we cover three whole chapters! (Genesis 7:1-10:5)  I'm reading and blogging at the same time tonight! 
Tonight we start with Noah getting on the ark.  7:2 God says, "Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate and two of every kind of unclean animal."  My friend Stacey commented on the significance of the #7 in the Bible, but she commented on my FB page rather than here.  Stacey-if you're reading can you share with us again on here?  I'm just thinking, this changes that whole song we used to sing in Sunday school Rise & Shine: The animals they came on, they came on in sevensies, sevensies.  Raise your hand if you remember this song!  Anyway, according to my study bible the unclean animals only had to reproduce themselves after the flood.  The other ceremonially clean animals would be used by Noah as burnt offerings. 
So once everyone was on the ark verse 7:16d says, "Then the Lord shut the door."  So again, this makes me think God still walked the earth.  Yes- he has powers and could close the door from above, but I rather like the image of him at the end of Noah's driveway, closing up the door of the ark, patting the side and waving goodbye to Noah and his family!
Here's a new (to me) tidbit:  7:24 The waters flooded the earth for 150 days.  I always thought of it raining and pouring for 40 daysies, daysies.  I guess I never thought about how long it took for all that water to go away.  So they were cooped up on that boat for 190 days!  Wow!  That's a lot.  Of course it beats the alternative...

8:4 "...the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat."  Do you remember that movie that came out in the early 80's?  It was like a documentary for the big screen where they were following evidence of Noah's ark?  And they thought Ararat was what is now Everest? (I think- I don't know, I was a kid when that came out!)  anyway, I digress...
So as I read on I realize, they were on the ark for longer than 90 days!  The boat came to rest on the mountain after 150 days (on the 17th day of the 7th month it came to rest)Then the waters continued to recede until the 1st day of the 10th month. Then after 40 more days, Noah sent out a raven who flew back and forth until the water dried up.  Then he sent out the dove, who came back because it had nowhere to land. Then 7 days later, Noah sent out the dove again...It goes on like this til I have lost track of how many days they were on the ark.  Suffice it to say it is longer than I can imagine being cooped up in the dank, dark with a floating zoo while probably feeling quite afraid!
Here's an interesting tidbit: 9:3 God says, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants, now I give you everything."  Thank you, God!  I could not get through life as a vegetarian!  I mean absolutely no offense to anyone who chooses that lifestyle.  I just happen to be anti-vegetable which would make being a vegetarian very difficult.  And to be vegan would be impossible as I could not get through life without cheese!  OK--but God goes on to say, "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it."  I find the note explaining this too confusing to understand.  Do you think this means we aren't to eat anything alive?  Didn't Ozzy Osbourne eat stuff live during concerts?  I don't know! Again- I was just a kid in the 80's!
Then God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant to never again cut off all life with a flood.  I am always grateful when I see a rainbow.  I wanted to use a picture I took of a double rainbow, but it's not on this computer.  Instead you got the kids from our last church on the ark on our playground. =)
Today's reading ends with 10:5 which seems an odd place to end--in the middle of more begatting.  I wonder why we didn't just end at the end of chapter 9.  Oh, well.  I don't make the schedule.  I'm just following it.  And I thank you for following me! (If any of you are still left!)  Again-- you need not be Christian to respond, but I do ask you to be kind.