Warned, Moved, Inherited – Genesis 7-8

“Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male, and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made. And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.” Genesis 7:1-6

Does the Lord notice a person’s effort to honor Him by doing what is right in His sight? Yes, He does. He told Noah it was time to get his family to safety. In Genesis 6:20-21, the Lord told Noah that pairs of every kind of bird, every kind of animal, and every kind of creeping thing would come to him for rescue. He was to store food in the ark for them and for his family. In Genesis 7:2-3, God asks Noah to add an additional five pairs to the animal and bird species that He deems as clean or kosher.

In Genesis 6:3, the Lord indicated to Noah that it would be 120 years before the great flood occurred. In Genesis 7:4, the Lord tells Noah that is now seven days before the flood begins. He also told Noah the number of days and nights that the flooding would last. He told Noah that all life on the earth would be destroyed. Noah obeyed the Lord.

Trials are difficult to endure for us. God knows that. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” In Revelation 2:10, Jesus told the Christians in Smyrna that they would experience tribulation for 10 days. In Revelation 13:5, Jesus reveals to us that the reign of the antichrist over the earth will last 42 months. That’s six months short of an American president’s full term in office. In Psalm 57:1, King David wrote, “In the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” Thanks be to God for limiting the length of our trials and for promising to end them.

“So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. In the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the 17th day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.” Genesis 7:7-16

Noah, his family and select animals, birds and creeping things entered the ark as God commanded Noah. Genesis 7:16 says that the Lord shut Him in. The Lord put the final barrier in place between Noah and the destruction. Praise the Lord! The human race survived thanks to the obedience of one man. Noah is a type of Christ in this way.

In Romans 5:17-19, the Lord says, “For if by one man’s [Adam’s] offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Christ] shall many be made righteous.” In Christ, all people have opportunity to escape God’s wrath on sin, but we must come unto Christ. The ark is also a type of Christ. We must be in Christ to be saved, that is, have an ongoing relationship with Christ.

The floods were on the earth during the 17th day of the second Hebrew month which would be around late April or early May on western calendars.

“Now the flood was on the earth 40 days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed 15 cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing, and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.” Genesis 7:17-24

In Genesis 7:20, the floodwaters are 15 cubits above the highest mountains. 15 cubits is about 22.5 feet which emphasizes the completeness of God’s judgment, ensuring that no creature on the land survived.

“Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the 150 days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the 17th day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the 10th month. In the 10th month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.” Genesis 8:1-5

God turned on the dryers of the earth... a wind. He stopped the fountains of the deep and the rain windows of heaven from releasing water. The submerged bottom of the ark rested on a mountain of Ararat in modern day Armenia between September and October on our calendars. Between December 3rd and January 1st on our calendars, the tops of the mountains could be seen. The waters are slowly receding.

“So it came to pass, at the end of 40 days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So, he put out his hand and took her and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.” Genesis 8:6-12

The raven and dove are symbolic messengers after the flood. The raven, an unclean scavenger, symbolizes the old world of death and judgment. It likely found rest by alighting on dead things. The dove, a clean bird, signifies purity, peace, and new beginnings. The dove returns with an olive leaf which is a sign of life.

Oil from olives shall be used in the future for holy anointing. Olive oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. People are born again when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell them. In a sense, the earth was experiencing a rebirth in the days of Noah. In 1 Peter 3:19-21, Peter speaks of how Noah prepared an ark by which eight souls were saved. Peter compares their in-water experience with a baptism. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commanded His followers to baptize new disciples in the Name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The human race would have been lost had not Noah believed in the Lord. He believed in the Lord and a baptism followed. And after the baptism, there was a new creation.

“And it came to pass in the 601st year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the 27th day of the month, the earth was dried.” Genesis 8:13-14

The second month and 27th day on the Hebrew calendar is late April or mid-May on the western calendar. This was now one year and ten days after the flood waters began to rise.

“Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.” Genesis 8:15-19

The Lord gave to Noah the “all clear” signal. He may let the birds, animals and creeping things go so they can spread out and multiply.

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.’” Genesis 8:20-22

Noah was obviously grateful to the Lord for sparing him, his family, as well as the creatures of the earth and the birds of the air. His first recorded act after the flood was to build an altar to the Lord and offer sacrifices to God. Noah sacrificed out of EVERY kind of clean animal and clean bird an offering. That was a lot of animals and birds. That was a huge undertaking. He expressed by his actions a great desire for God in his life. God responded to Noah’s offering by promising to maintain planting and harvesting seasons, as well as seasons and daytime and nighttime.

Hebrews 11:17 says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

“Thank You Heavenly Father for speaking to us through Your Word. Please help us to be like Noah... divinely warned – moved with godly fear – inherit righteousness from You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”