Last week we read about Noah building the ark. We discussed the enormity of the project.
It took 100 years
It was 1.5 football fields long and 4 stories high
We discussed the teasing and pressure he must have been experiencing
Read 7:1-24
What do you think that was like?
I think about spring. How it is damp and humid. Sloppy. Imagine the smell of all the animals and the humidity.
Verse 1 says “go into the ark” King James says “come into the ark”
What is the difference?
God says “come” because he is in there with them. Imagine a dad saying to his kids, come in, there is a storm coming.
The commentaries make a point of this, but NIV, ESV, NLT all say “go.”
Does Noah have to go out into the world to find these animals?
Gen 6:20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
“This largest and most complete menagerie that was ever gathered together was not collected by human skill; divine power alone could have accomplished such a task as that.” (Spurgeon)
Isaiah 1:3. The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
God never has a problem getting the animals to do what He wants. Only man is more stupid than the animals.
Verse 10 – After 7 days.
They had to wait in the ark for 7 days with no rain. What do you think that was like? Hot, smelly, humid. Imagine it is a hot summer night and the power goes out for 3 hours. What are you like?
Verse 11 – What are the floodgates of Heaven? (Gen 1:7)
Imagine the springs of the deep being “bursting” open.
What was that like? The Earth is filled with people
Verse 12 – 40 days. Why 40? Look up…
· Moses’ time on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18, Deuteronomy 9:25).
· The spies’ trip to Canaan (Numbers 13:25).
· Israel’s time in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33, 32:13).
· Elijah’s miraculous journey to Sinai (1 Kings 19:8).
· Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Mark 1:13).
The number 40 becomes associated with testing and purification, especially before entering into something new and significant.
Verse 14 – Why is the word “kind” repeated?
Kind is a scientific term – a dog is a Kind. Don’t need each breed. just one.
Verse 16 – Then the Lord shut him in.
Why is it significant that God shuts the door?
Noah did not shut out anyones salvation… There are people dying all over…
God kept the door open until the last minute.
This is powerful – Revelation 3:7
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
From Charles Spurgeon “The ark was salvation for Noah, but condemnation for the world. There were no second chances for those left out. “Yea, when the one hundred and twenty years were over, and God’s Spirit would no longer strive with men, there stood the great ark with its vast door wide open, and still Noah continued to preach and to declare that all who would pass within that open portal into the ark of safety should be preserved from the coming destruction. Outside that door death would reign universally, but all would be peace within” (Spurgeon).
after this we switched to the salvation reflection for Garrett
Genesis (LifeGuide Bible Studies) Hummel/Hummel God’s Creative Call
The Gospel Project – https://www.gospelproject.com