Noah, why a vineyard?

 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Hebrews 12:1

Most people know about the story of Noah and the flood but not so many know about the story of Noah and the Vineyard. It is a strange story with disturbing hints that are really uncomfortable. I'm not going to look at what happened between Noah and his son but instead ask a question, "Noah, why a vineyard?"

Some might say that after being in a boat with a bunch of animals and his family, he might have thought, "I need a good stiff drink." However, it takes time to grow a vineyard and it takes time for grape juice to become fermented enough to produce wine. According to my research, which wasn't deep I admit, it can take three to five years. So it took a lot of work to get that drink.

Could it have been that since he hadn't drunk in a while he got drunk and passed out before he realized what was happening?

These questions we don't have the answers to, but I will look at them in light of Hebrews 12:1. What if Noah had a problem, a weakness, and decided after everything he had gone through he had the right to indulge a little? (Sure, none of us would do anything like that, or maybe we would?) 

The truth as I see it is there are many times when we finish a big project or complete a challenging task we excuse ourselves and give in to those things which may not be the best for us. Like eating out at a buffet after losing some weight, it may not be disastrous but it works against what you have been striving for. On top of that, we often feel like we deserve to "treat" ourselves, but is this really treating ourselves or simply an excuse to give in to something we know we shouldn't do?

Noah spent a lot of time preparing to enjoy himself, but I wonder if later he wished he would have done something else? For me, this is a reminder to guard your life, especially after a victory.

Photo by Annie Lang on Unsplash