Yesterday, we went shopping for a new microwave and it got me thinking about God and Noah. The story is told that God spoke to Noah and told him to build an ark 300 cubits long. What does that have to do with a new microwave? The counter space where we keep our microwave is between the refrigerator and stove, so there's not an unlimited space for it. How wide is that space? Funny you should ask. I didn't think to measure it before we went out shopping, and the microwaves vary substantially in width. And then God spoke to me and said. "Jerry, I want you to buy a new microwave, but don't buy one longer than one cubit." (He didn't actually.) But, as we were looking at microwaves, I needed some way to measure how wide they were, and I used my portable cubit stick. You see, a cubit is the length from your elbow to the tips of your outstretched fingers. Not the most accurate measurement, admittedly because my cubit may be longer than yours. But then, I didn't have your cubit to measure with. The microwave I thought that we should get happened to be exactly one cubit long. One "My" cubit.

When we got back to the house, I took my cubit and measured the distance on the counter and we had about four finger widths to spare.
This morning we brought the new microwave home and I set it up on the counter. It fit perfectly. No surprise.

Now, I could have measured how many feet it was, but I was a little self-conscious about taking my shoes off in the store. I could have used my hand, too... horses were measured in hands.

Who needs a yard stick?

Jerry