Humor has a special way of drawing readers in, helping them relax, connect, and see familiar stories from a fresh perspective. When used thoughtfully, it doesn’t distract from the message—it enhances it, making ideas more memorable and engaging. One effective way to understand how humor works on the page is simply to experience it. The sample article below, The Shenanigans in Noah’s Ark, offers a playful retelling that shows how lighthearted details, unexpected twists, and gentle exaggeration can bring a well-known story to life while still honoring its deeper meaning.

The shenanigans in Noah’s ark 

Genesis 6:9 (Berean Study Bible – BSB)

Noah lived in a generation that counted centuries of years before signing off and proceeding to upstairs. Imagine Methuselah, Noah’s grandfather lived for 969 years without any sweat. And his son Lamech, Noah’s father, lived for 777 years. He was 182 years old when Noah burst into this world and made his first yell.

Before being reported to the local police as a missing person, Enoch who clocked 365 years, was the man who used to host God in his bungalow as a visitor and later escort him. One blissful evening he walked with God and never returned; forgetting it was only an escort.  He was Noah’s great grandfather, and Methuselah’s father. Approximately 126 years after Adam’s death, Noah bounced into this world. Noah clocked 500 years old, afterwards his production line of descendants went full throttle and he sired Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Completely made filthy by the seed of Satan, Noah’s generation had passed the point of no return. It was a rebellious faction of angels who came down from upstairs and introduced every kind of evil and immorality to that generation. This generation was big-headed and self-centered. Besides not obeying God, people took as wives whomever they chose. The exchange of nuptials between human wives and angels was against God and they produced giant offspring called the Nephilim.

The giants sired were a product of Satan and not godly. Satan had yet again tricked the inhabitants of the earth attempting to destroy the seed of the woman (from Adam’s fall) once and for all. God found the world being immoral, and full of violence. He decided to act. He resolved to flood the earth and bring judgment upon the ungodly generation. The LORD decreed: “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.” At the blink of an eye, the centuries lived were slashed to a century and two decades only.

The wickedness of man was great upon the earth. The inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil. The LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them.” Their know-it all attitude had backfired.

Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD. He was righteous and blameless in his immoral generation. God had a special assignment for Noah. It sounded out of this world and many people could not understand it. God spoke to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.”

“Make for yourself a massive vessel and call it ark. A mass of contraptions of metal and wood that will float on water. In today’s jargon, Noah turned into a structural engineer, because he did not query about the given specifications. It had a roof, floor, walls, lower, middle, and upper decks – a gigantic ship by proportion. Many times bigger than The Titanic. That was an engineer’s work as directed by the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Without God, Noah’s mission was impossible. By faith, Noah moved with godly fear, and formulated the ark with divine directions. The Mission Impossible (does it sound like a blockbuster movie?) Noah was asked to accomplish required divine assistance.

By faith, Noah informed his generation of Nephilim of things not yet heard or seen. Rain, ark and floods. Before the floodgates of heaven opened, he was mocked, ostracized, censured, resented and called a mad man by the haters. Me thinks Noah might have been discouraged day after day, month after month, year after year for over 120 years. But I guess his faith in God made him look like one with a heart made of metal. He did not throw in the proverbial towel.

The floodwaters would destroy every creature. “Everything on the earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives,” God said. “And you are to accommodate two of every living creature into the ark – male and female – to keep them alive with you. Take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.” And Noah was obedient.

The Lord declared, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.” The clean and unclean animals, the birds, and everything that crawls along the ground came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and female. And the ark floated on the surface of the flood waters. Every living thing that moved upon the earth perished, only Noah and those with him in the ark remained.

Noah suddenly became heir of the entire world and was in the league of Adam: the only two characters known and unknown who owned every inch of the world at different times. The most unfortunate thing was that money had not been invented and they never had any prospective buyers of prime pieces of land.

Inside the ark, the animals had a lot of shenanigans. Conflicts were reported by the animals to Noah the high priest on a daily basis. He implored upon them to live in harmony. Perhaps the elephant could have been accused by majority of animals of pushing others as he strolled to pass time. But he did not seem to care. The giraffe could be accused of eating other animal’s food from second deck while standing in lower deck where he should eat from. Could we be having these characters in the Body of Christ today? Yet we regard ourselves as one family under Christ.

The wealthy could pass as the elephants, as they trod like colossus while the people who (mis)use others come out as giraffes. The lion could be accused of walking majestically, looking menacingly at any animal as if it was its next meal – and they felt threatened. We have seen them. They walk as though they own every inch of the earth; their mean faces sending a message that they play in a higher league than other less mortals. The peacock comes in as a decorated Christmas tree. It shows-off as though it is always its wedding day. The proud are in plenty. The cat and the pig in church are in this category of showing–off.

Gossipers could compare well with the parrot. People who shamelessly repeats everything they heard about others whether good or bad. The hen that lays only one egg and shouts itself hoarse about it is like those who give and tell everyone what they gave and to whom. They suffer from wagging tongues. We have witnessed dogs in the manger that do not allow sheep to lick the mineral salt in the manger. The sheep that follows the lead sheep without questioning are those who follow their leaders blindly in a cult, courtesy of a crazy priest.

Imagine the hare visiting the elephant’s family and having a chat as hyena was passing by. The hyena inquired: ‘Hello Hare and Elephant!” Hare retorts, “We are fine. I came to visit my cousin.” “But you told me the snake is your cousin the other day?” Hyena wonders. Hare: “True. Every animal is my cousin. You are also my cousin: Hi cousin?” The hyena passes on as he shakes his head and wags his tail.

Hyena becomes a visitor to the sheep and belts, “Hare is very cheeky. I saw him holding a night meeting with elephants. He calls every animal his cousin.” The Sheep baas, “Hare is a cunning animal. I guess he is up to something.” “You are correct,” hyena retorts, “We should report him to Noah our High Priest.” Sheep: “I agree. It is time we get a written constitution for this Ark Kingdom otherwise Noah will find himself under the Priesthood of Hare soon.”

In many churches there are cunning foxes and unmanageable old cows (read church veterans). In some instances people feel endangered, abused and excluded. There is backbiting and gossiping like everywhere else. Others are like fire-breathing dragons – emitting fire always without caring the repercussions. There is a high league and a lower league sort of order for worshippers. Does anybody out there agree with me that contemporary church has failed miserably in this regard? Let us make it a place of welcome, safety and refuge. Like Noah’s ark.

For shelter and security in the midst of the turbulence and flood, the animals were grateful to Noah. The church should be a place of retreat, welfare and salvation. A life boat from the storms in life. It is one thing to hear a godly message, it is still another to act on it. The obedience does not come in the believing but in the carrying out of God’s word. Noah’s faith led him to obey the words of God.

Lessons learnt:

1. Faith without action is dead.
2. If you are not in God’s Kingdom, understand that your fate is as sealed as the fate of those who were defiant in the days of Noah.
3. Churches should be places of refuge.

by James Mwinga, freelancer in Kenya