Noah and the Flood
The Need for the Flood
Genesis so far has emphasized God’s fondness for humanity. God created male and female in His image. God desired to have fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God has more than adequately provided for them by providing them paradise. Even after the Fall, God wants to have a relationship with humanity, as demonstrated by His fellowship with Enoch. The problem is that after ten generations after Adam, humanity is getting worse. Genesis 6:5 records, “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” (NIV). Not only were the humans doing evil things, but when God read their thoughts, they were also corrupt. People in Noah’s day didn’t even have pure or good thoughts.
God’s Reaction to the Evil of Noah’s Day
In Genesis 6:9, God regretted creating the human race and was so troubled that He couldn’t be comforted. God decides to wipe humanity off the earth's surface and with them every living thing on the planet.
Noah Finds Favor in God’s Eyes
But not everyone on the earth was evil. Noah found favor in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). Genesis 6:9 describes Noah as “righteous, blameless, and he walked with God.” It is impressive that Noah was the only one on earth that wasn’t entirely evil. Noah “walked with God.” When Adam and Eve walked with God, they experienced eternal life until the Fall. Enoch walked with God and did not experience physical death. Noah walks with God and will not experience death in the flood. Even though Noah is the only one on earth “walking with God,” it is enough for God to spare him and his family. In the Old Testament, Noah is the last one to “walk with God.” Abraham walked “before God,” but not “with God.” Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can walk with God.
Noah Obeys God
God asks Noah to build an ark. He gives instructions to build it out of Gopher wood and make it 450’ long, 75’ wide, and 45’ high. The Hebrew word for “ark” is ‘Teva.’ Outside of the flood narrative, it is only used one other time. “Teva” is used for the vessel Moses was placed in as a baby when his mother put him in the Nile river. Building an “ark” of this size would be a massive task for someone of that day. Noah doesn’t hesitate. Genesis 6:22 records, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Also, like Adam, Noah is to take care of the animals. God will send them two by two to be saved on the ark. Every time God asked Noah to do something, he does it. Three times it is recorded that “Noah follows God’s instructions.” It is always good to say “yes” to God. We are created to have fellowship with God, and to obey His commands.
God Remembers Noah
God shuts Noah and his family in the ark along with the animals. Then He causes it to rain on the earth for forty days and night. Those who went through Harvey know what damage can be done by having hard rains off and on for two days. I can’t imagine what 40 straight days of rain would do. It flooded the whole earth.
Genesis 8:1 records, “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark.” In my opinion, this is the most significant verse in the flood account. “God remembers Noah.” God hasn’t forgotten Noah, nor left him alone. God is in charge and is watching out for Noah. It is good to remember that God remembers us. He knows our address, and He watches over us as well.
The ark is floating around and finally comes to rest on a Mountain after 150 days. Noah sends a Raven out, but it doesn’t return. Then Noah sends out a dove. It returns with nowhere to land. After another seven days, Noah sends it out again, and this time it returns with an olive branch. After another seven days, Noah sends the dove out again, and it doesn’t return. This is the sign that it is safe to leave the ark.
Reading this account shows that the New Testament writers use the story of Noah in their writings and teachings. In Jesus teaching about the second coming in Matthew 24, Jesus introduces this teaching, “As it was in the days of Noah,” to remind folks that the people in Noah’s day were not prepared for God’s judgment. Neither will the people be prepared when Jesus comes back again. The floodwaters wiped out wickedness. According to 1 Peter 3:21, this is symbolic of our baptism. Our sins and wickedness are washed away and covered with Christ so that we can be resurrected and recreated. Finally, the dove from the ark is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit in the Gospels. All four gospels record the Spirit descending upon Jesus, at His baptism, in the form of a dove as the dove brought news of life in the ark. The Spirit brings news of eternal life through Christ at His baptism.
God’s Covenant
As soon as Noah leaves the ark, he builds an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20). God is so pleased with the sacrifice that He pledges to never again curse the ground because of humans (Genesis 8:21).
God again reminds them of the preciousness of humans (Adam). They are created in God’s image, and therefore they are not to kill one another (Genesis 9:6). God’s image remains in every human despite the fall and evilness that humanity commits.
God reaffirms His covenant not to destroy the earth by flood. God gives the rainbow as a sign of His covenant (Genesis 9:8-13). Every time we see a rainbow, it reminds us of the covenant between God and humanity.
Noah’s Fall
There are many similarities between Adam and Noah. Both walk with God. Both are given the responsibility of taking care of the animals. Adam is the first man of creation, while Noah is the first of re-creation. Unfortunately, both of the men fall.
Noah plants a vineyard, drank wine, and got drunk. He then laid naked in his tent. His son Ham discovers his father that way and tells his brothers. I am not sure we know what happened, but nakedness refers back to Adam's fall. Some have tried to interpret Noah’s nakedness as referring to rape or incest. I am skeptical of such interpretations, but I think more went on than Noah being drunk and naked in his tent. Noah’s other two sons Shem and Japheth, took a garment and walked backward not to see their father naked and covered him up.
When Noah awoke and found out what his youngest son did, he cursed him. However, he didn’t curse his son Ham, but his grandson Canaan. The curse was that Canaan was to be a slave to Shem. Of course, the Canaanites would conflict later with the Israelites over the Promised Land, and many of them ended up being slaves to the Israelites.
The Bible records that Noah died. Just like Adam, because of Noah’s sin, he will die. Only Enoch didn’t die because he walked with God.
Despite Noah not finishing well and falling out of fellowship with God. He does teach us many valuable lessons. We should strive to walk with God and be blameless even though we live in an evil society. Also, Noah was willing to be obedient to God. Imagine taking on the project of building an ark and tending all the animal species. I wonder what big project God has for us. Let’s be obedient and get it done!