9 This is the account of Noah.Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypressc wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.d 16 Make a roof for it and finishe the ark to within 18 inchesf of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 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 with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seveng of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 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 creature I have made.”5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet.h i 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
c The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.d Hebrew 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high (about 140 meters long, 23 meters wide and 13.5 meters high)e Or Make an opening for light by finishingf Hebrew a cubit (about 0.5 meter)g Or seven pairs; also in verse 3h Hebrew fifteen cubits (about 6.9 meters)i Or rose more than twenty feet, and the mountains were covered
The Holy Bible : New International Version. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ge 6:9-7:24
Noah was the oldest son of Lemech. His name means “Rest” and carries with it the idea of comfort. He lived in an extremely wicked age when people’s thoughts dwelled continually on evil. Yet dispite the corruption of his day, Noah lived blamelessly before God and men. When God gave him the enormous task of building the ark, he obeyed even though the assignment would last a hundred years.
While he constructed the ark, Noah preached to the people, but without effect. Noah’s obedience saved him and his family and set a biblical example of faith for future generations. His obedience also led God to initiate a new covenant with Noah and his descendents, one that would remain in effect for all time.
The ark was no ordinary boat, it was massive in size and would house two of every kind of living thing on the earth. But I think once the flood happened and the ark floated about on an earth covered with water and not any land anywhere, it would seem smaller in relation to the waters in my estimation, anyway.
There is a saying that came to mind: “Dear God, the sea is so great and my boat is so small.” I wonder if this might be how Noah and his family felt those 150 days? The ark was not just any boat and it was not only to save Noah and his family, because God uses such things to point us toward and teach us of the path to salvation.
In verse 14 of chapter 6 we read that Noah was to cover the ark, inside and out with pitch – to seal it to keep the danger out. In the case of the ark the danger was the water and drowning. The Hebrew word for pitch is “kaw-far” and this word is used over 70 times in the Old Testament, but only here in this passage is it pitch. Every other place it is translated Atonement!
The terrible flood came as a judgement for sin, but there was an ark that provided safety and life for those who were on board.
Today we live in extremely wicked times where the preaching to many is to no effect because they have trusted in themselves or the things of the world and not in The Most High God. Those Christians who live blameless before God are sealed in Christ and have no fear of danger. 2 Timothy2:19 tells us that “the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘the LORD knows those who are His.” And let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
The second advent of Christ is approaching, we know not the day or hour, but it will come and the days will be as the days of Noah. We have our boat of salvation in Jesus Christ, Who saved us by His blood. It shouldn’t end with us, there are others drowning and needing the life boat to pick them up before it’s too late.
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching to them? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
Jesus said for His followers to “go ye therefore to all nations”
Dear Father, the sea of lost humanity is so great and my boat is so small. Give me the strength to speak of Your Son boldly and in love so that some may recieve by Your grace – salvation. Amen.
Love to read your posts! Thanks so much for giving blood on Saturday. We love to see you at FUMC!