# 36 2022 Dev. Genesis 7:1.God Found Noah Righteous! Read chapter seven first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s story. How will it affect yours? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Genesis 7:1 “The Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’”
Gen. 7 is the main event of this 120-year project. When one reads this chapter doubt begins to set in, yes, there is a reason why those of little faith deem the first 11 chapters of Gen. as non historical. Granted, it is a fantastic story but these chapters’ highlight God’s glory and power. Denying historicity is one way to avoid the theological implications and the truth of a conflict between God, His people and the Devil, Satan, that ancient serpent. The world has conveniently put aside the truth of evil and that Satan controls people on this earth. Look around at what is happening today! What was considered good is now bad and what was bad is now good. Really?
Vs.1-4 “Take with you seven pairs of clean animals, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animals…” In 7 days it will rain, and it will rain for forty days and forty nights. The numbers here are important; 7 is considered a complete number, 40 days comes up in other times of redemptive restoration; Moses on Mount Sinai, Jesus in the desert. God’s intention is to eliminate every living thing on earth. This seems terribly harsh, does it not? Yes, but people knew God and God’s precepts very early, in Gen. we read: “at this time people began to call upon the name of the Lord” Also, Noah, “a preacher of righteousness.” 2 Pe. 2:5 and “a man of faith” Heb.11:7. I recommend that you read these two New Test. chapters. For all the many years up to the flood God had His witnesses in the ancient world, as He does have so many witnesses to Jesus’ love today! Who is listening? Many people are, but in our country it does not seem to us like many people are listening today. Talking about the flood or hell, seems harsh and unfair but it is not, Jesus will come again and the world will be destroyed but not before everyone has an opportunity to hear about or to see Jesus’ Love. Amen!
V.5 Noah obeyed God!
Vs.6-10 confirms for us what God had commanded Noah, repeated here for emphasis.
Vs.11-12 are very specific about the date of the beginning of the flood and Noah entering the ark. The waters come from below and from above. Some commentators think that before the flood the earth was watered by heavy dew. If that was the case people would begin to panic that first day. Was this a worldwide flood? Not everyone thinks so, there are however eight hundred indications that a worldwide flood has occurred covering the highest mountains, besides, ancient writings not found in scripture that indicate the biblical flood is fact. Those of us who accept that fact do so on faith. We believe in God’s power and Glory.
Vs.13-16 here again we have a repeat of the event: ‘On that day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three son, entered the ark.” Including all the animals mentioned before, there is to be no doubt about this event. “Then the Lord shut him in.” There was a large door in the side of the ark, given the technology used to built this ark, 510 ft. long and 50 ft. high with 3 decks and a huge door in the side. Noah had the knowledge to build a mechanism to close the door, but, no, God Himself closed the door and sealed them in. Besides the animals coming to him, God closing the door was a huge confirmation of God’s purpose, care and love.
Vs.17-23 tells us that after forty days the water rose to 15 cubits or about 25ft over the mountains. “Every living thing that moved on land perished…” Only Noah and those with him were left.
V. 24 “The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts not our thoughts, His purposes not our purposes. Praise, glory and honor to our God!
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Heavenhigh 