We will begin this study with chapter 7 of Genesis 7:1 “And the LORD
said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I
seen righteous before me in this generation.”
In this we see Noah’s very difficult task finished. A righteous man or
woman should be about winning their entire family and generally will be able
to. The best way to win them is by living a separated life every day. God
mentioned again that He was pleased with Noah.
Genesis 7:2 “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens,
the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male
and his female.” Genesis 7:3 “Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male
and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.”
In V-2 the first separation of clean and unclean animals was made.
Clean animals would have to be more abundant to be used as food for Noah’s
family,and for sacrifice to God. This just goes into more detail. In V-1,
the call came. It is still our call to safety today. Matthew 11:28 “Come
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you rest.”
Noah obeyed God’s voice and came into the ark. Just as Noah went into his
ark of safety by the door, we must enter into safety through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Noah had lived in a very evil time, but stayed in right standing
with God. We must live pure lives in this evil generation as well. Verse 3
tells exactly why God brought the animals into the ark. It was to preserve
the seed of every variety. The fowls were in sevens for the same reason.
The animals were for food and for sacrifice.
Genesis 7:4 “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have
made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.”
These threatening were from God; Divine in nature to purify the earth.
Forty had always been a time of testing and trial, thus it rained forty days
and forty nights. This seven days was an exacting time, again, seven means
spiritually complete. The work was over. Divine judgment was here. God would
destroy his creation.
In verse 5 we see the unquestioning obedience of Noah when God spoke.
Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded
him.” Genesis 7:6 “And Noah [was] six hundred years old when the flood of
waters was upon the earth.”
As we said last week, the Scriptures say that when Noah was 500, he had
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and when the floods came he was 600. It seems
approx. 100 years of obedience to God was necessary for Noah to be prepared.
Today the world ridicules the believers, just as they did in the days
of Noah. We, too, must keep the faith against all odds.
Genesis 7:7 “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his
sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.”
A very popular reason to come to God is to avoid destruction.
Genesis 7:8 “Of clean beasts, and of beasts that [are] not clean, and
of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,” Genesis 7:9
“There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female,
as God had commanded Noah.”
It seemed as if there were invisible chains pulling the lion and
lioness, the tigers, serpents, crocodiles, birds, and every creature. Don’t
you know it caused quite a stir for these animals and birds to congregate at
the ark?
Genesis 7:10 “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of
the flood were upon the earth.”
If I understand the above, it seems that Noah was in the ark seven days
before the flood began. This would be one really good argument for the
Christians being in heaven seven years before the horrors begin. I
personally believe the problems will begin while we are still here, as the
rain began while Noah was on the earth. But the above seven days of safety
in the ark before the flood came, could possibly be symbolic of the seven
years we will be in heaven before the holocaust begins. It really does not
say exactly when it started raining, or exactly at what point Noah entered
the ark.
Genesis 7:11 “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second
month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains
of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”
This rain did not just fall from the sky, but it came from springs and
openings in the earth as well. Water came from everywhere. It started on may
17 as we think of time.
Genesis 7:12 “And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty
nights.” Genesis 7:13 “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham,
and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his
sons with them, into the ark;”
For sure we know that Noah was in the ark before the forty days and
nights of rain. The other exact time that they entered the ark is
speculation. I really believe verse 13 just means that the family all went
in the same day. This warning God had given Noah in verse 4, that in seven
days He would start the flood, was probably to give Noah a little more time
to get his family into the ark.
Genesis 7:14 “They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle
after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth
after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.”
Genesis 7:15 “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all
flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life.” Genesis 7:16 “And they that went
in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the
LORD shut him in.”
This verse tells us that safety comes from the Lord. The seal was set
by the Lord. He puts his seal of safety on us as well when we decide to
follow Him.
Genesis 7:17 “And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the
waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.”
As the rain came, the water rose and floated the ark upward. It seems
it rained forty days and nights. In the next few verses, we will see that
the water did not immediately go down.
Genesis 7:18 “And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon
the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 7:19 “And
the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills,
that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered.”
We understand by this that the mountain tops were covered and the ark
floated above it all.
Genesis 7:20 “Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered.”
In our studies, we know this would have not meant from the ground.
These 15 cubits had to be above the highest mountain. Just as the plagues in
Revelation get worse as each vial is poured out, this water and punishment
was greater and greater.
Genesis 7:21 “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of
fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth, and every man:” Genesis 7:22 “All in whose nostrils [was]
the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died.” Genesis 7:23
“And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the
ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the
heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained
[alive], and they that [were] with him in the ark.”
Here again, over and over, we see God making a difference between the
lost sinners and those saved by Him.
Genesis 7:24 “And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and
fifty days.”
This time was a time of security for Noah and his family.
When we look back at Noah and the flood, we can see symbolisms of our
day. First, sin prevailed as it does now in our land. Second, Noah found
favor in God’s sight as true Christians have found favor with God. Third,
God provided a way out for Noah, as we are saved in tribulation. Fifth, God
called Noah into the ark. Jesus will blow a trumpet to call us to meet Him
in the sky. Sixth, Noah knows rest and security in the ark. We will know
peace and rest with Jesus. Seventh, we see Noah return to the earth.
Christians will return with Jesus to earth. We will continue these parallels
as we go on in this study. One more thing here, and then our questions. Noah
did not seem to worry about his extended stay in the ark. Christians will
not be concerned with their length of stay in heaven