A Dove Story

Note to reader: Chapter 3 in the series “If They Could Talk” follows; the story of our redemption through the eye-witness accounts of animals who found themselves at key redemptive moments. The target audience is children; that they might better understand the Bible and God’s plan of salvation as it unfolds in Scripture. Other eye-witness accounts are here. This is the story of the Flood from Genesis 6-9.

My Friends,

My words are tragic, but do take hope, for there is a rainbow at the end.

Dark days followed the Garden’s closing. Man, beast, fish, and foul multiplied; faster, however, grew Eden’s consequence. Man’s word trumped God’s and a self-rule reigned.

Evil’s teeth and talons dug deep into creation’s innocence. Selfishness, thievery, greed, and death cut and scarred a world that turned its back on its Creator. God looked upon His creation, and He was sorry, and He was grieved.

What I tell, I tell firsthand; for I am a survivor. A blessed dove I am. I and only one like me survived the wet. Pairs of others; male and female, walkers and crawlers, runners and flyers—an animal assembly not seen since creation’s first week—made their way to a man called Noah.

He was different. The Creator God called him righteous, but Noah’s neighbors were not so kind!

Noah heard the Creator; a boat was to be built. And his neighbors laughed. But when the animals were beckoned this man’s shelter boat stood complete. The rains began, and it did not stop—and as the rains grew louder the mocking neighbors grew quieter.

A creation good had become a creation bad. A waters grave came for all but those inside the man Noah’s boat; for we floated above the waters death. It was here we would drift for many a month.

A raven friend was sent to seek. But land not found to rest or sit; my feathered peer returned. My call came next. But land not found; I too, returned to Noah’s Ark.

Soon thereafter, sent again was I—and delight met eye as islands of land dotted the scape. No life, but fish were anywhere to greet. I swooped to secure proof for that which I saw. An olive leaf would be my message of the great water’s recess.

Whoops and squawks and roars came forth as word travelled through deck and stall. Soon soil and turf would be underneath again. Seven days more and sent with hope; this time I did not return—for the islands were now continents. Soon the Ark would open, and my animal friends would spill forth. But a very quiet and different earth was now before them.

Or was it different?

Evil became man’s companion that day in Eden. We animals fear that water was not God’s final fix; to cleanse man from sin—for we knew darkness was now in all men.

What will the Creator do to rid man of his evil and sin? I do not know. I hope He has a plan. I suspect He does; for when the Ark opened He made a pledge. Never again will water’s flood cover and destroy. A covenant of color made that day; forever skyward, stood as promise—His way of pledging there would be no more destruction until there was a salvation.

Hopefully,

The Dove