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For some of us we were taught about an old man by the name of Noah building an ark to save his family from the big flood that would come once he completed this work. God would make it rain hard enough and long enough to completely cover the entire surface of the earth. We were also taught that "the animals went in two by two" by Noah rounding them up wherever they were to take them inside for shelter and that was about the end of it. As a young girl with awe and respect for my teachers I trusted this teaching way back in my early years of Catholic school. The only thing is it was not entirely accurate -- there was truth mixed in with error. Do you have similar memories to mine? Many, many years went by, in fact it was decades without much thought to the matter but then one day my education began again about God and this time I took keen notice directly from the Bible about what God actually said.
Reading the biblical scriptures about the Great Flood all the details seemed to come to life and there was much more to this account than I could have ever imagined. There was Noah year after year building this ginormous ark in the middle of land nowhere near a beach or waterway. That would have been rather odd to witness in those times and most would think Noah had gone nuts or was eccentric. Today some would think he is probably going for the Guiness Book of Records or suchlike. In any event Noah was given very specific instructions directly from God in order to build this massive ark designed to hold his family of 8 people and their needs plus huge amounts of foodstuffs for all the animals and many more creatures than just two of each type. Further reading shows that the ark was made of gopher wood; there were separate rooms inside with three decks or levels as detailed in Genesis 6:14-16 and the whole thing was covered in pitch -- I imagine black pitch or a thick, tarry substance that looks like bitumen to keep the vessel impervious to water and thoroughly watertight.
When I read Genesis 7:2 which says "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female" there was an immediate realisation that the scripture reference matched exactly to the subject -- 7 pairs of clean animals and 2 of unclean animals. Smiling, my thoughts were "Oh, how perfect God is and His sense of humour is incredible". Not only that, but God helps us to remember where this is placed in the Bible. Maybe this is trivial or inconsequential to many, but to me it is specifically designed with purpose in order to benefit from and it also reveals the fun side of God's incredibly interesting personality. Did you already know this? Isn't it wonderful to get to know our Creator who can bring a wide smile to our faces especially when we are feeling sad or have need of encouragement.
Then I came to Genesis 7:9 which says "two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah". This is mentioned again in Genesis 7:15 "And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life". This is probably why the 2x2 animal reference is mentioned so strongly throughout Catholic education but it is only part of the equation and does not reveal the whole picture. What is the whole picture? We need to read the entire chapter, not just take a scripture or two in isolation to provide the whole meaning. Even better than this, if you want to get a more complete understanding then reading the chapters either side of Genesis 7 provides context and sets the scene with many helpful details. Therefore it is wise to read Genesis 6 and 8 in addition to chapter 7. Think about it this way -- going to the cinema with the movie partly underway or even worse, half way through, is not ideal and one would be quite confused and struggling to make sense of it all, not to mention a waste of money. Why waste all the effort God has made inspiring many authors to write His Holy Masterpiece especially for us? Don't you want to know all the details and get them straight and accurate, even directly from God's mouth? His word, the Bible is God breathed as scripture shows in 2 Timothy 3:16.
Searching online for images of animals entering the ark in pairs of unclean -- one male with one female -- alongside groups of 7 males and 7 females (7 pairs) of those clean according to God's instructions revealed that predictably only patterns of one male and female were found. This is how widespread the false Catholic teaching has permeated and influenced the world. It is not surprising as the world is full of lies and half truths. You may well be asking yourself what makes an animal clean or unclean? Or you may be wondering why did God do things this way? God always has perfect reasons and great purpose for all that He does including everything He has created. Leviticus 11 reveals the varieties of clean and unclean animals which include birds and insects (every creeping thing). If you read this chapter you will see that the clean were designed by God so that humans can eat them but the unclean were not to be eaten. Additionally, in Old Testament times the unclean animals were not to be offered in sacrifice to God, however clean animals could be used for this purpose (Genesis 8:20). Furthermore, God wanted to ensure the survival of all species during the flood when the heavens opened to rain down for 40 days and 40 nights. That is a lot of rain, for even the mountains were covered, and then there was the long period of time for the waters to recede -- 150 days as per Genesis 7:24 -- and then for the waters to eventually dry up altogether in order for them all to be able to leave the ark safely and inhabit the earth again (Genesis 8:1-19).
So now we know why the world has adopted the image of animals walking into the ark in pairs as this is partially correct but it is not complete. Young children are so trusting and extremely impressionable and do not think their teacher would deceive them so it is very important for all the teachers and parents out there to get the Bible out, blow the dust off it, and read the account of Noah for the sake of accuracy and truth. All children love this story which is about saving people who lovingly obey God, saving all animal species for use by mankind, setting the rainbow as a sign to the human race that God will never flood the earth again on this monumental scale to wipe out all life, and includes these promises contained in the Noatian Covenant outlined in Genesis 9:8-17. It may well be a great learning exercise to have your children or grandchildren draw a picture of the ark with animals in pairs of 2 but this time include groups of 7 clean animals in addition to the usual male and female of some animal types and then help them distinguish between the clean and unclean according to Leviticus 11. Children are like sponges and will lap up clear effective teaching as part of their education. What is more, you have the power to reveal more about God to them without adding to or taking away from scripture as God warns us in Revelation 22:18-19. This is an awesome and important responsibility to ensure accuracy as this is what God is well pleased with -- the Truth, and He is Truth.