Genesis 7:1

The Bible says in 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.” The Lord called Noah “righteous.” Only the Lord can call you “righteous.” Only the Lord can make you righteous. We know that we are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. There are two aspects to righteousness. The first aspect refers to how God accounts an individual as a righteous person. The second aspect refers to an individual performing righteous deeds: doing the right thing.

Concerning the first aspect of righteousness: how a person becomes righteous before God, the Bible says in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Notice that it says “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith.” In other words, faith in Christ is the source of righteousness. That is why it also says, “the just shall by faith.” Spiritual life comes from faith.

There is also a practical aspect to righteousness. This refers to our actions. To be known as a righteous person, each of us must have a reputation as a person who does the right thing. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Jesus also said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

God chose Noah for a reason. God chose Noah because of the faith that Noah had, and because of the person that Noah had become. Do things to increase your faith and to become a better person, then you also will become an instrument useful for God’s plans and purposes for the earth. God said to Noah in Genesis 7:2-4, “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. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 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.” The Bible does not mention the extinction of the dinosaurs, but any land animals that did not enter the ark died. If any dinosaurs were still alive when the flood came, they were no longer living when the flood was over. Genesis 7:2-4 reminds us that nature itself tells us that “male and female” are united together. If Noah had taken only “male and male” or “female and female” into the ark, then all animals would have eventually perished. It is not logical: it does not make sense to unite male with male or female with female. To do so would be against nature and against God who created nature.

The Bible says in Genesis 7:5-6, “And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.” This is the second time that we have been told that “Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” We are told this twice as an emphasis. Do not ever underestimate the importance of obeying God. When we stand before Christ at the judgment, we will be amazed at how much more God would have done through each of us, if only we had obeyed Him more.

It says that Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came. Back in Genesis 5:32 we were told that Noah was five hundred years old, and sometime later Noah was told to build the ark. Therefore, we know that Noah started working on the ark some time between the age of 500 and 600 years old. Maybe it took Noah the entire 100 years to make the ark. Don’t ever think that you are too old to do something for God. Be faithful and be steady, even if you are not as strong or as fast as you once were. God rewards faithfulness no matter what is your age.

The Bible says in Genesis 7:7-12, “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. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 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. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” It rained for forty days and forty nights. But the rain was not the only source of water that caused the flood. Notice the statement “the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up.” There is the possibility that much more water came from these “fountains” than from the rain. Even today there are water tables under the crust of the earth. Some locations rely on these “fountains” as a source of drinking water. Perhaps before the flood the quantity of water below the crust of the earth was much greater. It is interesting that it says that Noah went into the ark seven days before the rain began, but it says in Genesis 7:7 that Noah went into the ark “because of the waters of the flood.” This indicates that the flooding started even before it began to rain. Is there any evidence that great amounts of water once covered the earth? Of course: there are sea fossils on the tops of many of the mountains of the world. There is ample evidence of creatures having been destroyed by water in many parts of the earth. On the polar ice caps there are massive quantities of frozen fresh water. Where did that water come from? Independent cultures from around the world have stories of a great flood. This is more than a coincidence. The existence of coal and oil deposits can be explained as the result of a great flood taking vast quantities of vegetation and burying them suddenly. In addition to this, quickly receding water on loose sediments could explain the formation of the Grand Canyon and other similar formations around the world.

The Bible says in Genesis 7:11-24, “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; 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. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. 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. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 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: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 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. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.”

The flood caused so much death: “All flesh died.” “All that was in the dry land, died.” “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” “Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.” We are only in chapter seven, and we have already seen the terrible consequences of sin because of the judgment of the Holy God who must judge and who will judge sin. Adam and Eve sinned, and we still see the consequences of their sin in all of our lives. Their first son became a murderer, and the consequences of Cain’s sins followed him and his descendents for generations. The whole world fell deeper and deeper into sin during the time of Noah, and the judgment was so great that everything and everyone was put to death except for Noah and those who were with him in the ark. At one time man’s life-expectancy was over nine hundred years, but God had to take away almost ninety percent of those years and reduced man’s life-span to about 120 years because of the sinfulness of man. God punishes sin. The judgments that will always follow sin are terrible and certain. Repent, and find forgiveness. God also provides a way of salvation. Repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins before your judgment comes.

The Bible says in Genesis 8:1-3, “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; The fountains also of the deep and the window of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.” God had made a promise to Noah. And now the Bible says that “God remembered Noah.” God did not forget His promise, and God did not forget the man who believed the promise. Learn the promises of God; believe them and rely upon them, because God will always keep His promises. Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Jesus also said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place or you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

After one hundred and fifty days the ark hit dry ground. It says in Genesis 8:4, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” Notice that it says the “mountains.” In other words the ark landed somewhere in an entire mountain range. The Bible does not say that the ark landed on Mount Ararat. It is highly unlikely that any part of the ark still exists today because it was made of wood, and the wood has more than likely decayed over the period of several thousands years that have passed. But the ark did exist at one time. The ark was one of the great marvels of human achievement. There is a lot to learn from studying the Biblical accounts about the ark. Noah’s life and his construction of the ark is a great reminder to us that God will provide a way of escape for believers no matter how great the danger. The successful construction of the ark also shows that man can accomplish the greatest of tasks if man becomes a co-worker with God. Noah built the ark because Noah followed God’s instructions and Noah obeyed God’s commands.

The Bible says in Genesis 8:5-14, “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.”

The flood started with a rather sudden rise in water. It rained for forty days and forty nights, but the Great Flood which covered even the highest mountains was due to more than the forty days of rain. Forty days of raining probably would not have been enough water to cover all the mountains of the earth. Of course, there is more than enough water on the earth to cover all of the mountains. The oceans are deeper than the mountains are high. All of the continents of the world would fit into the Pacific Ocean with all of the other oceans left over. One geological possibility that might account for the great flood not being caused from just the rain alone is hinted at in Genesis 7:11 which says, “the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up.” The word that is translated “deep” means literally “ocean.” Perhaps one of the oceans was underground at that time, and some cataclysmic event forced the water up and out of its location, flooding the earth. Maybe a great earthquake caused this, maybe meteorites crashing into the earth, or maybe a sudden continental shift. We know from geological and historical studies that the continents have shifted. That is a scientific fact. At one time North America and South America were joined with Europe and Africa in one large super-continent. We also know that the geological evolutionists are wrong on their insistence that all geological events took place in small increments over millions of years. For example, because North America is currently drifting away from Europe by a few centimeters per year, modern geologists assume that the continental drift has always been at that same slow pace. That is the error of uniformitarianism. The definition of uniformitarianism is as follows: in the philosophy of science is the assumption that the natural processes operating in the past are the same as those that can be observed operating in the present. But we know that some changes in the earth are the result of sudden events. The flood was one of those sudden events. The flood was the result of some great, world-wide cataclysmic event. As it says in Genesis 7:11, “the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up.”

Other great events are on the horizon that will bring destruction and sorrow to the earth. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Are you ready for the judgment? If not, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and find mercy and pardon for your sins.

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