October 7 – The Righteousness of Noah

Sunday School Lesson

October 7

The Righteousness of Noah

 

Devotional Reading: Matthew 24:36–44

Background Scripture: Genesis 6; 8:19

 

Genesis 6:9b–22

9b. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

 

10. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 

11. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

 

12. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

 

13. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

 

14. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

 

15. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

 

16. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

 

17. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.

 

18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

 

19. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

 

20. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

 

21. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

 

22. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

 

Key Verse

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.—Genesis 6:22

 

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. Describe the situation that led God to destroy human society.

 

2. Explain why Noah and his family were protected from the flood.

 

3. Identify a personal characteristic to develop or strengthen for the glory of God and make a plan to do so.

 

HOW TO SAY IT

Atrahasis	A-truh-hay-sis.
Babylonians	Bab-ih-low-nee-unz.
Gilgamesh	Gill-guh-mesh.
hygriscence	hi-grih-sense.
Japheth	Jay-feth.
Mesopotamia	Mes-uh-puh-tay–me-uh.
Noahic	No-ay-ik.
Septuagint	Sep-too-ih-jent.
serotiny	suh-rot-nee.

Introduction

1. Control-Alt-Delete

Many of us have become familiar with a term that would have seemed nonsensical before 1981: Control-Alt-Delete. When a Windows-based computer freezes up and you can’t do anything or just can’t stand to wait, the keystroke combination Control-Alt-Delete will bring up the Task Manager. That feature allows the user to shut down a frozen program or reboot the operating system; for Mac users, the equivalent is Command-Option-Esc.

 

In a perfect world, computers would always run without a hitch. But since we don’t live in a perfect world, we sometimes have to stop and start over when a system doesn’t do what it’s supposed to.

 

Our lesson today involves a “Control-Alt-Delete” scenario from early history. God had created a perfect world, and He created humans to share it sinlessly with Him. But Adam and Eve spoiled the system by eating the forbidden fruit. That started history’s downward spiral. God realized the only way forward was a reboot, a fresh start with a renewed creation.

 

1. Lesson Context: History

The first four lessons of this quarter considered the biblical account of creation. Because all things were made by God and were consistent with His purposes, they all were inherently “good” (Genesis 1:12, 18, 21, 25, 31). The situation changed, however, when sin entered the picture. The period described in Genesis 4:1–6:7, between expulsion from the garden and Noah’s lifetime, was characterized by a dramatic population expansion and a corresponding increase in evil. Over time, God’s hopeful plans for a perfect world were so spoiled by wickedness that only one option remained: to destroy humans and animals (6:5–7).

 

1. Lesson Context: Legends

Legends of a great flood were widespread in the ancient world. The two most commonly cited as parallels to Genesis 6–9 are the Babylonian epics Gilgamesh (composed over 2,000 years ago) and Atrahasis (a late version of which was written about 1700 BC). Similar to Genesis, both works attribute the flood to a divine cause, show the gods warning a select human being of the destruction to come, and advising him to build a boat. These works portray the hero rescuing animal life by bringing animals onto the boat and include the hero offering sacrifices to the gods after the boat settles on dry land (compare Genesis 8:20, 21).

 

In Gilgamesh, as in Genesis 8:6–12, the hero tests the receding of the waters by releasing several birds from the boat. Noting these similarities, some scholars have suggested that the biblical story of Noah is based on these pagan legends.

 

Yet while the Genesis flood story is like other ancient accounts of a great flood in certain respects, there are key differences. The Babylonian epics locate the flood within a larger narrative about a running conflict between the many pagan gods of early Mesopotamia. They portray humans as servile pawns to capricious deities. The Genesis account, by contrast, portrays the flood as a consequence of human sin and connects it with God’s larger creation and re-creation of the world. The differences are telling!

 

1. Faithful Man

(Genesis 6:9b–12)

1. Noah Described (vv. 9b, 10)

9b. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

This characterization of Noah creates a sharp contrast with the description of the world at large in Genesis 6:5. Of course, Noah sinned like every other human being (compare 9:21). But clearly he did not participate in the general moral decay into which the society around him had fallen. Noah was a follower of the Lord rather than idols. But the language and context here distinguish him from other people more on the basis of his character than on the object of his worship. While others are violent, abusive, and self-centered, Noah acts with justice toward others.

 

The word perfect emphasizes his outstanding reputation for doing good. Noah’s faithfulness explains God’s selecting him to play a part in the renewal of the earth (see Genesis 6:8).

What Do You Think? What top three character traits should unbelievers see in you as you walk with God?   Digging Deeper Consider the general principles in Matthew 5:14–16; Colossians 4:5, 6; and 1 Peter 2:12, 21 as you decide on specific traits.

10. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 

Noah’s three sons are significant for the role they will play in repopulating the earth after the great flood. As survivors of the catastrophe, Shem, Ham, and Japheth will become the forefathers of all ethnic groups (Genesis 10). Presumably, they follow their father’s moral example and avoid the sins of the culture around them.

 

1. Humanity Decried (vv. 11, 12)
2. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

 

This verse summarizes the more detailed description of society in Genesis 6:4–7. As seen earlier, God intends for humans to manage the earth and all living things responsibly by following His instructions. While God had commanded Adam and Eve to produce new life (1:28), the darker human capacity to murder was introduced in the second generation of the human race (4:8). The tendency now seems to be to take life rather than multiply it.

 

12. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

 

The breadth of the problem is stressed in that the phrase all flesh includes all descendants of Adam and Eve. Everyone except Noah has become corrupt. (Regarding the status of Noah’s immediate family, see on Genesis 6:18 below.) This implies many self-centered sins: violent struggles for power, no regard for the common stewardship of the earth’s resources as God originally commanded (1:16–28; 2:15), etc. People have come to realize that control of the world at the expense of others can produce great material wealth.

What Do You Think? If we viewed our world the way God does, in what ways should our prayer lives, priorities, and behavior change?   Digging Deeper How does your answer change, if at all, after comparing and contrasting John 3:16 with 1 John 2:15?

1. Divine Plan

(Genesis 6:13–21)

1. For the Wicked (v. 13)
2. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

 

By the time Noah comes on the scene, the situation has become so bad that God sees no other solution than to destroy what He has made. Theoretically, Genesis 6:7 could signal a return to the timelessness that existed before Genesis 1 after God destroys the universe and all humans with it. Then He could start over. Or God could keep all the inanimate elements of creation intact, then bring new humans into existence.

 

But since Noah is an exception to the rule of wickedness, God decides to work with him and his family rather than starting from scratch. God’s decision to reveal His plan to Noah further stresses the quality of Noah’s character.

 

To what extent Noah shares this dire warning with others outside his family is unknown. Noah is characterized as “a preacher of righteousness” in 2 Peter 2:5, but it is unclear whether that means Noah actually speaks to his contemporaries about the coming judgment and the need to repent.

What Do You Think? What would you say to someone who believes that a loving God would never judge sin so harshly?   Digging Deeper What Old Testament passages (only) would you use in that response?

1. For an Ark (vv. 14–16)
2. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Having warned Noah of the impending flood, God now tells him how to survive it. Notably, God’s instructions require Noah to demonstrate faith. While God could miraculously protect Noah and his household inside a magic underwater bubble, He instead requires Noah to create his own means of survival at his own expense long before the first drop of rain falls.

 

Noah’s salvation is to take the form of a boat—an ark. The Hebrew word used to describe the vessel is somewhat unusual, appearing in the Bible only here in the story of Noah and at Exodus 2:3–5. In the latter, it refers to the container in which Moses’ mother set him afloat on the Nile River. Some commentators think the word, deriving from an Egyptian term, means “chest” or “box”; others think it means “palace.” In Noah’s context, it perhaps implies the special role the ark will play as a container of the precious life within.

 

The precise kind of wood is uncertain since the word gopher is not a translation but a transliteration (that is, a literal rendering of the sounds of the original Hebrew word). The fact that this is the only place in the Old Testament where this word is used adds to the uncertainty.

 

15. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

 

The dimensions of the ark are impressive, even by modern standards: conversion of 18-inch cubits to feet yields a length of 450 feet, a breadth of 75 feet, and height of 45 feet. At first glance, the 33,750 square feet of floor space is impressive enough, but Genesis 6:16b (below) has more to add to this.

 

The total volume computes to more than 1.5 million cubic feet. This equates to the capacity of about 375 modern tractor trailers! Note that Noah’s ark is conceived as a free-floating barge, not as a steerable ship. Therefore none of its capacity will be occupied by any kind of propulsion system.

 

16a. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above.

 

The Hebrew word translated window occurs only here in the Old Testament, so the problem of exact meaning is similar to that of “gopher” in verse 14, above. The translators of the old Greek version known as the Septuagint, who lived two centuries before Christ, seem to have been just as perplexed in their translation: “By an assembling, you shall make the ark; and by a cubit you shall complete it from above.” Presumably, the ark is to have many openings below an overhanging roof for light and ventilation (see Genesis 8:6).

 

16b. And the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

 

The door of the ark will allow the loading of cargo and animals. It is likely sealed with pitch before the journey. Because the ark is to include three habitable stories, its floor space will exceed 100,000 square feet.

In Need of a Master Builder

One of the high school courses I enjoyed most was mechanical drawing. While it wasn’t a drawing class in the artistic sense, mechanical drawing definitely is an art. The course started me on a lifetime of doodling with geometric shapes. And it gave me the skill to draw, 25 years later, the plans for our family’s first home of our own after living in several church parsonages.

 

Our contractor graciously complimented my drawing. He told me, however, that we would still need an architect to draw a set of plans that reflected a professional’s knowledge of engineering principles and county building codes.

Noah was undoubtedly capable of building a boat. But he had never built one that could carry such a massive and unique cargo as the ark would be required to accommodate.

 

Most of us who have a few decades of life experience believe we can manage whatever problems life presents to us. This is our pride talking, though. Like my attempt at drawing house plans, the plans we have for our lives often do not mesh with the realities we face. That’s when we need our master builder’s instructions. The question is, however, whether we will be wise enough to recognize the need and be humble enough to set our plans aside and follow His!

—C. R. B.

 

1. For a Covenant (vv. 17, 18)
2. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

 

Having provided instructions for the ark, God now identifies its purpose: the judgment He has decreed (Genesis 6:13) will take the form of a devastating flood. The scale of the destruction parallels the scale of the sin: 6:5, 13 indicate that violence and evil had become universal, and the verse at hand prescribes a universal flood as the remedy.

 

Scholars debate whether the term all flesh should be taken to mean that the flood was to be global (covering the entire earth) or regional (confined to one specific part of the world). The latter interpretation emphasizes the fact that judgment is pronounced on and targeted at humanity. And at this point, humans seem confined to a specific area of the world, signifying that all human life can be destroyed by a flood that affects only that region. In either case, the scope of the devastation to come is clear: God intends to wipe out the entire human race, with just a few exceptions (next verse).

 

18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

 

The term covenant, appearing here for the first time in the Bible, is used in a way that specifically distinguishes faithful Noah and his family from the rest of the human race that will be destroyed. Covenant means “contract.” This covenant implies that obedience to a sovereign ruler (in this case God) will result in protection and provision. The terms of the agreement presuppose that Noah, as a servant of God, must follow the command to build and enter the ark; the implied reward is protection from the deluge, which Noah receives as a result of his obedience. The explicit terms of the Noahic covenant are listed in Genesis 8:20–9:17.

What Do You Think? How will the Bible’s concept of covenant affect how you live this week?   Digging Deeper Moving from abstract concept to concrete details, how does Hebrews 8 cause you to modify your conclusion, if at all?

1. For Creatures (vv. 19, 20)

19, 20. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

 

The terms of Noah’s obedience to God’s covenant continue, now regarding the plan for preserving animal life. These instructions cover the full range of creatures.

 

It will be physically impossible for Noah to capture a mating pair of each and every species. The fact will leave room for another miraculous display of God’s power as He will compel healthy representatives to come into the ark. The note that the animals will come in pairs of male and femalereflects their purpose of repopulation. These instructions are further clarified in Genesis 7:1–3.

 

Skeptics who doubt the truth of the biblical narrative question the ark’s ability to accommodate eight humans (1 Peter 3:20) and representatives of all animal species of land and air. They generally approach the question by noting the number of species extant today and arguing that Noah’s ark was not big enough to hold them all. The biblical account, however, takes the opposite approach: only those animals who travel on the ark will survive the flood.

 

1. For Sustenance (v. 21)
2. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

 

As a final instruction, Noah is commanded to stock the ark with supplies for his family and the animals. Comparing Genesis 7:11 with 8:3–14 indicates that they were in the ark for more than a year.

 

III. Obedient Man

(Genesis 6:22)

22. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

 

Now aware of the forthcoming reality of the annihilation of the human race, Noah proceeds with God’s intricate instructions. The action God intends to take is unprecedented, and we wonder if this quickens the pace of construction. We don’t know. This part of the story merely concludes with a simple statement of Noah’s obedience. Just as he has distinguished himself throughout his life by his righteous conduct, he now distinguishes himself by his full and unquestioning obedience to God’s commands. This aspect of Noah’s story is highlighted in Hebrews 11:7, part of a listing known as the Faith Hall of Fame:

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

What Do You Think? What is one thing you can do in the week ahead to prepare yourself to be responsive to God’s promptings?   Digging Deeper How do you guard against the possibility of confusing your own desires with God’s will?

Water as an Instrument of Life

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 ended up in the Hudson River a few minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger had decided to ditch the plane in the river after simultaneous bird strikes in both engines caused them to fail.

 

The relatively soft landing surface of the water, compared with the surrounding terrain, served as an instrument of life. Such a landing also helped ensure no fire, and all 155 passengers and crew survived as the damaged airliner stayed afloat long enough be something of an “ark.” The incident has come to be called the Miracle on the Hudson.

 

Commenting on the great flood, the apostle Peter says that “in the days of Noah … eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20). But wait‌—with the word by correctly understood as meaning “by means of” (instrumentality), shouldn’t Peter have written that “eight souls were saved by the ark”?

 

The fact that Peter does not say that may indicate that something vital in the bigger picture must not be overlooked: the fact that in addition to escaping physical death, the eight souls also escaped spiritual death.

 

Think about the wholesale wickedness of the surrounding culture in Noah’s day. If that wickedness had not been extinguished, would it not just have been a matter of time before some, most, or all of those eight souls succumbed to the temptation to join the party? The death of the wicked by water meant removal of that temptation so righteousness could flourish unfettered. The ark allowed the saving of the physical; the flood waters allowed the saving of the spiritual.

 

Don’t leave the analysis there, however, because what the apostle says about the flood in 1 Peter 3:20 serves as an analogy or parallel with the significance of Christian baptism in 3:21. You should read that now.

—C. R. B.

 

Conclusion

1. Starting Over

While we normally think of floods, forest fires, and hurricanes as “natural disasters,” these events can also serve positive purposes in the larger picture. Many plants and trees, for example, exhibit an adaptation called serotiny. That means that they release seeds only in reaction to an environmental trigger. One such tree is the giant sequoia, which produces seed cones that open only under great heat. This allows these trees to take advantage of the ground opened up by a forest fire.

 

Other forms of plant life evidence hygriscence. That means that they release their seeds only after a heavy rain, thus allowing survival in a desert. Fire and flood in these cases become contexts for the generation of new life.

 

Noah’s flood, terrible as it was, served a similar purpose. It was humanity’s first, but not last, “Control-Alt-Delete.” The last one is noted in 2 Peter 3:10–13.

 

1. Prayer

Lord, give us the strength to be faithful when the world around us is crumbling. Protect us from evil, even when everyone around us turns away from You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

God protects the righteous at all times.^[1]

 

 

Kid’s Corner

The Secret to Righteous Living

October 7, 2018

Genesis 6:9-22

 

Genesis 6:9-22

(Genesis 6:9) These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.

Noah’s great grandfather was Enoch, who “walked with God” and God took him (Genesis 5:23-24). Noah’s grandfather was Methuselah, who lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Noah’s father was Lamech, who lived 777 years (Genesis 5:31). When Lamech named Noah, he hopefully proclaimed, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed” (Genesis 5:29). Noah lived 950 years (Genesis 9:29). The account of Noah and his family is from Genesis 5:21-10:32.

The Bible says Noah was righteous or just: Noah did what was right. The Old Testament describes Noah, Job, and Daniel as righteous: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness” (Ezekiel 14:20). God declared both Job and Noah to be perfect or blameless: “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Twice, the Book of Genesis described the way a righteous and blameless Noah behaved toward God: “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22) and “Noah did all that the LORD commanded him” (Genesis 7:5). For a time in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked with God. Like his great grandfather, Enoch, Noah walked with God. The NIV adds the word “faithfully” — both Enoch and Noah “walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 5:22). The writer to the Hebrews emphasized that Noah lived by or walked with God by faith: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith” (Hebrews 11:7). The Bible commands everyone to walk with God: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Peter described Noah as a “preacher of righteousness” — “if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others” (2 Peter 2:5). When we consider Noah’s life as the Bible describes him, we can easily understand Genesis 6:8 — “But Noah found favor (or grace) in the eyes of the LORD.” The Apostle Paul explained: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

(Genesis 6:10) Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

After Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 5:32). Noah was 600 years old when God sent the flood (Genesis 7:6). After the flood, Ham disgraced Noah and Noah said of his three sons: “‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’ He also said, ‘Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth’” (Genesis 9:25-27).

After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. Since Noah lived 350 years after the flood and Shem lived 502 years after the flood, their direct descendant, Abraham, lived during the lifetime of Noah for 58 years and during the lifetime of Shem for 208 years. As their direct descendant, Abraham would have learned the truth about the LORD and the true Biblical account of the flood directly from Noah and Shem. Isaac and Jacob could easily have learned the truth about the flood from Abraham and from Shem’s firsthand experiences. When God called Abram and changed his name to Abraham, God chose a man who knew the LORD and who knew the man who had walked with God before the great flood. Jesus was descendant of Shem, and Jesus also taught about Noah and the great flood: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37).

(Genesis 6:11) Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.

In Genesis 6:5, we read, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Before God sent the great flood, He looked into every human heart upon the earth, and He saw that every thought of every person except Noah was motivated by the desire to do evil. Only Noah was qualified to help the LORD make a new beginning and be a godly influence upon his wife, his sons, and their wives. Everyone else on the earth, and perhaps all the creatures under their influence, were suffering from the violence of the other corrupt people around them. No one could possibly find happiness in such a situation. No one accepted God’s efforts through Noah’s preaching to restrain their evil thoughts and practices. Because God is loving, gracious, and merciful, God made a new beginning with the one righteous man, Noah, and his family.

(Genesis 6:12) God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

Imagine living in a world where no one restrains their evil inclinations and not one person does anything to restrain the evil actions of others; and if someone did try to restrain the evil of others, they would only suffer a violent response. In the days of Noah, no one was trying to do right; and except for Noah, no other human being was doing anything to encourage another to do right — their lives were totally corrupt. The responsibility for all the corruption on the face of the earth rested solely upon all the people on the earth, because God had made everything very good. At one time, they or their ancestors knew the true God and the ways of righteousness and peace; but by the time of Noah, they had all eventually turned from thinking and doing what was right to thinking and doing only evil. God had given them the opportunity to listen to and see Enoch, who walked with God, and to his son Methuselah, and to the preaching of Noah, but they turned from these godly examples of justice and righteousness to do evil and became increasingly violent. The only option left for God was the right option — a new beginning that would eventually lead to the coming of Jesus the Messiah as Savior and Lord.

(Genesis 6:13) Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

God loved the people He created; therefore, the wickedness and violence that God saw everyone suffering “grieved him to his heart” (Genesis 6:6). God felt sorry that the people He had made had turned from obeying Him for their own good to thinking and doing only evil continually to their own hurt (see Genesis 6:5). When God told Noah that He would put an end to all people except Noah and his family, they died physically in the flood. Noah and his family would also die someday. The people who died in the great flood did not die spiritually. They went to a different place, a spiritual place. We know from the Bible that some of them, if not all of them, went to a spiritual prison. Thus, God put an end to their increasing wickedness and violence on earth from which they and their children and their children’s children would have suffered for generations to come. (For a brief explanation of what Peter might have meant, in my opinion, see The Spirits in Prison which accompanies this commentary or read 1 Peter 3:17-22.)

(Genesis 6:14) “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.

The ark was not to be used for navigation as an ocean liner or sailboat would be used to travel from place to place. The ark just needed to float until it safely came to rest on dry land. The ark only needed to be a large rectangular box. The Hebrew word for the type of wood used is unknown. Some popular translations translate the Hebrew word as gopher wood or cypress wood. From the Bible, later exploration and abundant oil production, we know there is oil in the Middle East, where Noah would have lived. Pitch (a petroleum product) was used to seal the ark; inside and out between the seams.

(Genesis 6:15) “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

The length of a cubit can vary from person to person, because a cubit is the length of a person’s arm from their finger tips to their elbow. [Note: you might ask for volunteers in your class who would be willing to use a yardstick to determine what a cubit’s length would be using their arm’s measurement.] Usually, the length of a cubit is given as either 1 foot 6 inches or 1 foot 8 inches. A “royal cubit” was used to standardize the length for government building projects by using the measurement from a king. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Roman cubits differed in length. Depending on the length of a cubit, the ark could be 450 ft by 75 ft by 45 ft or 540 ft or 90 ft or 54 ft or some other size. The ark’s capacity could have been 450,000 cubic cubits or 1,518,750 cubic feet. It was substantial in size, but smaller than the Titanic at 4,632,800 cubic feet. After all, Noah did not have as many people building the ark as built the Titanic, but the ark achieved its purpose.

(Genesis 6:16) “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

God gave Noah simple and easy to understand instructions for building the ark, and perhaps gave Noah more instructions as the building progressed that the Bible does not record. The ark would have three decks with rooms that might have divided the wild animals from the domestic animals from the birds from the people and from their food in different compartments. God would have told Noah exactly what to do and how to do it. A window one cubit high all the way around below the roof would give the ark needed ventilation, and perhaps shutters or doors would have been added to the windows to prevent water from entering the ark during times of greatest deluge and rain (though God could easily direct the rain entering from the windows). The Bible reveals how reasonable and wise our God is in whatever He commands us to do.

(Genesis 6:17) “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

The LORD told Noah exactly why He wanted him to build the ark. God has good reasons for telling us to do something, though He may choose not to give us all His reasons immediately, preferring to wait until we begin obeying His initial commands. By telling Noah what He planned, He freed Noah from the fears that can be produced from uncertainty; however, the Bible also promises everyone: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 — KJV). Trusting in God in all situations can give us perfect peace. Unlike some other flood stories that modified the Bible’s account, saying, for example, that the gods were bothered because people were so noisy, the Bible says God sent the flood because the human race had become morally corrupt, which had led to increasing violence.

(Genesis 6:18) “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

God made a covenant with or promise to Noah that his family and all that entered the ark would be saved from the great flood. The Bible does not say that the members of Noah’s family were righteous as he was. The Bible only says Noah was righteous, “The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation’” (Genesis 7:1). Later, in a similar situation, God would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah if He could have found ten righteous people in the cities (see Genesis 18:16-33).

(Genesis 6:19) “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Since Noah and his family and the animals saved in the ark would need to increase in numbers and fill the earth, male and female pairs would be needed. Pairs were of first importance. Later in Genesis, we learn that God told Noah to bring seven pairs of clean animals into the ark: “Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate.” (Genesis 7:2). We might presume that as God brought some into the ark in seven pairs that Noah easily learned which God considered clean and unclean animals. Noah would eventually need clean animals for sacrifices and to eat (until they could bring in crops upon the earth). For this reason (and perhaps other reasons), God also gave them permission to eat animals after the flood: “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything” (Genesis 9:3).

(Genesis 6:20) “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

God told Noah specifically what birds and animals he would need to carry on the ark to keep alive. Furthermore, Noah would not need to go about collecting animals as he built the ark, for God would compel the selected creatures to go to Noah and to enter the ark.

(Genesis 6:21) “As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.”

Noah’s job was building the ark and filling it with all the necessary food for the birds and animals, all types of seeds and plants, for they were not allowed or enabled to eat one another until after the great flood and they left the ark. There would not be conflicts between the animals or between Noah’s family and the animals until they left the ark. God could have done all this by himself, but God respected Noah as a righteous person and gave Noah responsible work to do in saving the whole human race. God does the same today: God works through and with responsible and obedient people to achieve His purposes when He could easily do everything himself.

(Genesis 6:22) Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Noah was a righteous man because he believed God and expressed his faith in God by his obedience. Noah did EVERYTHING just as God commanded him. The secret to success in the Christian life and to spiritual growth is to prayerfully seek to do all that the Lord Jesus has commanded us to do as we read the Bible and to trust in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to help us walk in obedient faith. The “process of sanctification” is by grace through faithful obedience to Jesus Christ.

 

The Secret to Righteous Living

October 7, 2018

Genesis 6:9-22

 

“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9).

 

Looking back at the heroes of the faith in the Bible, Hebrews says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Genesis also teaches that Noah was a righteous man. From the Bible’s teachings, we learn that faith comes first, followed by righteousness. Simply put, because Noah lived by faith, he believed God and obeyed God. He strived to always do the right thing in obedience to God; therefore, God warned him of a coming judgment on the people of the earth who had corrupted their ways and become violent. Duly warned, Noah did what God commanded him: he built an ark and saved his family and himself. God considered Noah righteous and blameless, but that did not mean Noah was sinless. Only Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life on earth. If Noah sinned, he did what was right: he repented of his sin, asked God to forgive him, made appropriate sacrifices, and returned to doing right. Noah did not make the excuse, “Well, nobody’s perfect.” Noah was blameless because he strived to obey God and if he disobeyed God, he immediately repented and returned to right living, to righteousness. Noah did not claim this for himself, but like Enoch, the Bible says Noah walked with God and “did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). Therefore, Noah became a heroic believer, whose example all believers can follow.

 

Thinking Further

The Secret to Righteous Living

October 7, 2018

Genesis 6:9-22

Name _________________________

 

1. How does the Bible describe Noah?

 

 

2. Before the great flood, how does Genesis describe Noah’s family?

 

 

3. Before God told Noah to build the ark, how does the Bible describe all the other people living on the earth?

 

 

4. Name two things God told Noah to do.

 

 

5. Name two things God said He would do.

 

 

Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

 

1. How does the Bible describe Noah?

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

 

2. Before the great flood, how does Genesis describe Noah’s family?

Noah had a wife (unnamed). Three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Their

wives (unnamed). We do not know anything about their moral or spiritual

character.

 

3. Before God told Noah to build the ark, how does the Bible describe all the other people living on the earth? They were totally corrupt.

 

4. Name two things God told Noah to do.

Build the ark. Fill the ark with food for people and animals. These foods

would be seeds and plants for birds and animals.

 

5. Name two things God said He would do.

God said He would send the great flood. God said that He would send the

selected pairs of animals to enter the ark (they would come to Noah to be kept alive).

Word Search

The Secret to Righteous Living

October 7, 2018

Genesis 6:9-22

Name __________________________

 

V R X L C D A I H R J K V G B

W I I Q T O G Q D U F E Q X P

T D O G H P V J S W V G S Z T

Y L E L H T U E A J F C P U L

C T R K E T R R N P Q W H I S

E G F V L N E A R A H P Z X S

Y M N G W A C O E O N E R M E

V O T Z E D W E U M C T T E L

F I R C U B I T S S G I N H E

Q W P T F H Z R H V Y C M S M

S C V H S L O T D I S K D P A

J X A T M E J H O X U O S X L

Z O I G O G D T K R A C I C B

N U K A F K Y E L V D F H V I

V R E D S I H A M Y L I M A F

 

Noah

Righteous

Blameless

Walked

Family

Shem

Ham

Japheth

Earth

Corrupt

Violence

Destroy

Ark

Cubits

Covenant

 

 

True and False Test

The Secret to Righteous Living

October 7, 2018

Genesis 6:9-22

Name ___________________________

 

Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.

 

1. The Bible says Noah was righteous and blameless. True or False

 

2. The Bible says Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, walked faithfully with God. True or False

 

3. The Bible does not tell the names of the wives on the ark. True or False

 

4. God saw that people on the earth had corrupted their ways and the earth was filled with violence. True or False

 

5. God told Noah to build an ark with wood and coat it with pitch on the outside and the inside. True or False

 

6. A cubit is always 18 feet long. True or False

 

7. The ark was to have three decks and Noah was to collect pairs of every animal and bird and bring them into the ark before it started to rain. True or False

 

8. God told Noah to store food in the ark for his family and all the creatures on the ark. True or False

 

9. Because no unicorns would follow Noah into the ark, there are no unicorns today. True or False

 

10. Noah did everything just as God commanded him. True or False

 

True and False Test Answers

Genesis 6:9-22

 

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True
9. False

10.True

 

 

Prayer

Lord, give us the strength to be faithful when the world around us is crumbling. Protect us from evil, even when everyone around us turns away from You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.