H. Genesis 6:8 – But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
a. Proof that this is a divine action is that Noah was spared
II. The Generations of Noah (Genesis 6:9-10)
A. Genesis 6:9 – These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.
a. Generations - תולדות towlĕdah, descendants, results, proceedings, generations, genealogies
b. Just - צדיק tsaddiyq, just, lawful, righteous
c. Perfect - תמים tamiym, complete, whole, entire, sound
d. In his generations - דור dowr, characterised by quality, condition, class of men
e. Perfect in generation – without blemish, the technical word for bodily and physical perfection, not morally perfect, but genetically. His bloodline is pure, no mixing with “sons of God”.
f. It appears from the statement “Noah walked with God” that there was also a certain degree of moral righteousness in Noah, yet we also no that there is “none righteous (or perfect) no not one”, but Noah has demonstrated that he possesses certain virtues that pleases God.
1. Romans – As it is written, “there is none righteous, no, not one…”
2. Psalm 14:3 – They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
3. Ecclesiastes – For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
B. Genesis – And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
a. Shem – שם Shem, name or renown ( the youngest)
b. Ham – חם Cham, hot or heat, black (second, Genesis )
c. Japheth – יפת Yepheth, opened or enlargement (the eldest, I Chronicles 1:5, Genesis )
III. The Earth Corrupt (Genesis -13)
A. Genesis – The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
a. So not only were men corrupted, but the earth as well…how can this be?
b. Earth - ארץ 'erets, land, earth
c. Corrupt - שחת shachath, to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay
d. Romans -21 - For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him Who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature (creation) itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
1. Remember it was God who cursed the ground as a result of the sin of man.
2. The creation itself is actually waiting to be restored, delivered from its current state of bondage
B. Genesis – And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
a. Flesh – בשר basar, of the body of humans and of animals
b. Corrupt - שחת shachath (verb), to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay
c. Physical flesh as a result of the influx of hybrid species
d. Were these Nephilim advanced enough to genetically alter living creatures? Could this be where some of our legends such as a minotaur, pan, sphinx or mermaid originated?
e. What is going on in labs all over the world today? Cloning species, mixing DNA of different species, producing “hybrid” seeds for agriculture that cannot reproduce. Are we repeating this sin of corrupting all flesh?
1. Remember Christ’s warning in Matthew 24, “For as the days of Noah…”
2. What is the real push behind cloning? Man desires the power to create life or extend life and he has never had that ability.
C. Genesis 6:13 – 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.
a. God sees the problems that are a result of His creation being corrupted.
b. His plan is to destroy the corrupted flesh and save that which was incorrupted.
IV. Instructions for the Ark
A. Genesis – Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
a. Ark
b. Pitch it – כפר kopher (verb), to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch…ie to protect from the waters, only this atonement can keep the waters or the judgment from us. Foreshadowing of Christ providing atonement for us to escape the wrath of God’s judgement.
c. Pitch - כפר kopher, asphalt, pitch (as a covering), price of a life, ransom, bribe
B. Genesis – 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.
a. What is a cubit?
· Isaac Newton did a dissertation on the “Sacred Cubit of the Jews”
· The sacred cubit is about 25 inches
· The “profane” cubit is approximately 17.5 inches
· So we are looking at a structure that is anywhere from 450 – 650 feet long (or up to two football fields), 70 – 105 feet wide and 40 – 65 feet tall.
C. Genesis – 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.
a. Window – צהר tsohar (noun), , . Meaning he was to make a place for light
b. Interesting that a window is deemed important enough to give specific instructions on where it is to be located. To provide light in the ark. Light is very important to God’s creatures.
D. Genesis 6:17 – 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.
a. Symbolic of baptism, before we are baptized we are a corrupted creature. The process of baptism is an event that symbolically cleanses us from that corruption and we are a “new creature” after baptism. But just like the earth the potential for corruption remains as long as we are in these flesh bodies.
b. So similar to the way that we transition through life (born of water at birth, sinful nature, baptism by water) on a micro scale, the earth had a similar transition on a macro scale (born out of the water, became corrupted by sin, baptism by the flood of Noah).
E. Genesis – 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.
a. First mention of a covenant in scripture
b. God promises that He will establish His covenant, the first of which will be the bow.
F. Genesis – 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.
G. Genesis – 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.
a. Here we have two of every kind for preservation of species, later we see that “clean” animals are to be retained at seven each, possibly for the purpose of sacrifice.
b. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan – From birds according to their kinds , from the animals according to their kins, from every creeping thing of the earth according to its kind, two of each shall come to you, brought by an angel that will catch them and bring them to you to keep them alive.
1. The Targum’s may provide some insight as to how this great task of assembling these animals was supernaturally accomplished.
H. Genesis – And take thou unto thee all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
a. No mention of eating the flesh of animals at this point, still references “food that is eaten” does this “food that is eaten” contain meat?
b. What would the carnivores such as lions and tigers be eating? If it were meat, Noah would have had to bring other animals on board to feed them. Would they have been satisfied with plant-based food?
I. Genesis – Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
a. Hebrews 11:7 – 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 whole world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
1. He became heir of the righteousness of God by faith in the promises of God, which is to say he believed God.
2. Do you believe God’s promises? Do you trust what He tells us when we see all this wickedness surrounding us?
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