We know he built an altar, offered sacrifices (Genesis 8:20), and, well, planted a vineyard (Genesis 9:20-21). But what about teaching? Did he just let humanity wander off to rebuild on its own, or did he try to instill some hard-won wisdom?
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered scripture by some and a valuable historical source by others, gives us a glimpse into that post-diluvian world. Jubilees 7 tells us that in the twenty-eighth jubilee (a period of 49 years, based on the Sabbatical cycle), Noah started teaching his grandchildren. He didn't just offer suggestions; he “enjoined upon his sons’ sons the ordinances and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew.”
Imagine being in that audience. What would you want to know? How to build an ark? Probably not. Noah, having witnessed the utter destruction of the world, focused on something far more fundamental: righteousness.
He “exhorted his sons to observe righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their Creator, and honor father and mother, and love their neighbor, and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity." Pretty straightforward. Core values for any society hoping to thrive.
But then comes the kicker. Jubilees doesn’t just list these commandments; it tells us why they are so critical. Why did the flood happen? According to this text, "owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth.” What three things?
First, "owing to the fornication wherein the Watchers against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness."
The Book of Jubilees is referencing the story of the Watchers, or Irin (עירין) in Aramaic. These were angelic beings who, according to some traditions (found more fully elaborated in texts like 1 Enoch), descended to Earth and intermingled with humans, producing offspring of giants, the Nephilim. Their transgression wasn't just about breaking a celestial rule; it "made the beginning of uncleanness" and corrupted the natural order.
So, there you have it. The world was destroyed not just because of random wickedness, but because of a specific breakdown in boundaries, a blurring of the lines between the sacred and the profane, and the utter disregard for divinely ordained limitations. Noah, standing on the other side of that cataclysm, knew that the future of humanity depended on learning from that devastating lesson. What lessons are we still learning from the flood?