Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (16.4)

The Book of Genesis

Genesis 6:14-22 to 8:1-19 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

The Judgement of the Flood

v.14-16 The ark was more of a barge than a ship, made of “gopher” wood, which may be cedar or cypress.  It was 135 metres in length, 22.5 metres in breath, and 13.5 metres in height.  It has three decks, which gives it about 95, 700 square feet of space, and a gross tonnage of 13, 960.  A vessel constructed in this manner uses space efficiently and becomes more stable as its cargo increases.  A window was constructed for light and air circulation.  The technology required for constructing the ark may startle us at first, but it should not in the light of the achievements of Cain’s descendants.

v.17-21 Now God tells Noah that He will bring about “the end of all flesh” through a flood.  The emphasis on the description of the flood indicates a flood of universal scope.  Only those who obeys and enters (Noah and his family) into God’s appointed means of deliverance (the ark) will be saved from His judgement.  God also gave Noah the responsibility to stock up sufficient food for his family and all the animals he gathers into the ark.

v.22 We saw the  importance (deliverance from death) and definition (living by faith) of walking with God in Enoch (5:21-24).  In Noah, we learn of the perfections (just and blameless by faith) of walking with God.  The Bible here gives us the demonstrations of walking with God.  Faith in God is always demonstrated through obedience to God’s command (cf. Ja. 2:18; Heb. 11:7).  This verse emphasises what Noah “did” as the expression of his faith in God.

Genesis 7:1-24 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

v.1-10 The LORD now commands Noah to enter the ark, and bring the animals gathered with him.  There appears to be a physical impossibility to hold “by sevens” (i.e. seven pairs) the thousands of species of animals in the ark.  However, the Hebrew literally means “seven seven” of every clean animal, and this can mean “seven each” – three pairs and one surplus (probably designated for sacrifice at the end of the flood).  Furthermore, Noah could have chosen the younger animals, which are yet fully grown.

The LORD further explains to Noah that He would cause it to rain for 40 days and 40 nights.  This means that there was then a vast store of water suspended above the earth, which would be released upon the earth.  For the second time (v.5) and third time (v.9), the Bible emphasises that Noah did everything God commanded him to do, revealing a most impressive example of obedience that flows from a believing heart.

v.11-15 The Apostle Peter gave us the only explanation in Scripture of the immediate cause and manner of the flood (2 Pe. 3:5-6 cf. Gen. 1:6-10).  In creation, the earth arose out of the waters when God retired one part of the waters into the deep places of the earth and gathered the other into vapoury clouds above so as to leave the dry land.  In the great flood, convulsions of subterranean and sub-oceanic foundations (“all the fountains of the deep”) and incessant rain from above (“the windows of heaven”) combined to overflow the entire surface of dry land with water.

With great detail the procession of those entering the ark passes by the impatient eyes of the modern reader.  There seems to be quite a bit of repetition but no bit of information is too insignificant if it can contribute to the purpose of holding up this picture of Noah's salvation so that the reader can take a long and hard look at it, and discover the principle of obedient faith that brings about his own salvation from sin, death and hell.

v.16 For the fourth and last time, the Bible repeats why Noah and all with him were saved from God’s worldwide judgement – faith in God that moves man to obedience is the way to salvation.  When all who would obey God and be saved entered the ark, the LORD Himself shut the door of the ark, and judgement fell on all who remain outside.  When the door to salvation is shut, judgement follows (cf. Heb. 9:27), and there is no escape to all who had chosen to remain outside of God’s appointed means of salvation (cf. Jn. 3:36; 14:6).

v.17-24 Some argue that the flood was local in extent because of the absence of known geological data to support a universal flood.  But we must remember that the divine account of creation and the miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ also raise “scientific” difficulties.  Furthermore, the matter of geological evidence for a universal flood may be a problem more of interpretation than availability – most geological data has been interpreted from a pro-evolutionary and uniformitarian bias.

The Biblical account of the flood teaches a universal flood: [1] According to 7:19-20, all the mountains of the earth were covered, and by at least 6.75 metres of water, which is the approximate draft of the ark.  [2] The flood waters prevailed for five months (7:24), and it was seven more months before Noah could disembark.  A flood, which lasts 371 days, cannot be anything short of universal.  [3] The size and need for an ark speaks against a local flood – there is no need for one if Noah can simply be directed to another safe place.  [4] The purpose of the flood was to judge the sinfulness of all flesh in the earth (6:12-13) – anything less than a universal flood would not have fulfilled this purpose.  [5] Peter specifically compared the flood with creation, the second coming of Christ and final destruction of the world.  Since creation, and the final destruction of the world are universal, the flood of Noah must also be universal (2 Pe. 3:3-7).  [6] Jesus Christ clearly stated that all men were destroyed by the flood (Lu. 17:26-30).

Genesis 8:1-19 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

v.1-5 The expression “And God remembered Noah” always emphasises God’s faithful love and intervention on behalf of His own (not that God suddenly recalled the plight of Noah).  It refers to God’s activity for those who look to Him (cf. Judg. 16:28; 1 Sam. 1:11; Ku. 23:42).

God faithfully acted to stop the fountain of the deep and the windows of heaven (8:2) and the waters began to recede after 150 days and Noah’s ark rested on the mountains of Ararat (8:3).  Another 74 days later, the tops of the mountain could be seen.

v.6-12 After another 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark and released the raven (8:7), which evidently returned.  The return of the dove also indicated that there was too little dry land for disembarkation, as it could not find any resting place (8:8-9).  The third time the dove was released, it did not return (8:12).

Read more devotionals on Genesis Chapter 6, Chapter 7 & Chapter 8