I. Noah Entering the Ark
A. 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.
1. Lord – יהוה Yĕhovah in His covenant relationship with Noah. This is a change from chapter 6 where we have God as Elohim, the creator
2. How did the Lord speak to Noah? Not apparent, but Noah knew he was being spoken to from the Lord. The Lord speaking to Noah here was likely not necessary from a logical conclusion, but incorporating the human emotions God providing instruction here certainly would have reassured Moses that he has been obedient and not simply conjuring this task up out of his own mind.
3. Righteous - צדיק tsaddiyq, just, lawful, righteous
B. Genesis 7:2 – 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.
1. Clean – טהור tahowr, clean (ceremonially - of animals)what is considered clean?
2. Up until now Noah is operating under the premise of which was to take two of each animal, now as the time to enter the ark approaches that directive has been modified.
3. Clean beasts by sevens, why seven? Three pairs and one for sacrifice?
4. Unclean beasts by twos, why? Obviously for propagation, no other function
C. Genesis 7:3 – Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
1. Seed - זרע zera`(masculine noun), seed, sowing, offspring
2. The statement “to keep seed alive” can serve a dual purpose here in that the fowls will preserve their own species as well as vegetation. We know that birds serve to spread many types of berry seeds through their droppings.
D. Genesis 7:4 –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.
1. God gives specific instructions so there is no doubt in Noah’s mind when the events begin to transpire. Also serves as a warning to Noah that he must tie up any loose ends in the time allotted
2. Seven – Spiritual perfection
3. Forty – the number of probation, trial
E. Genesis 7:5 –And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
1. Obedience, no emotion depicted. What would be some of the emotions that Noah was encountering? Both joy and sadness, the huge responsibility as the new father of humanity.
2. Noah never questions God.
II. The Flood Genesis 7:6 – 24
A. Genesis 7:6 –And Noah [was] six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
1. Noah – six hundred years old and this is the most important moment, this is what he is remembered for down through the ages. Much gravity in this verse as it represents the destruction of the rest of mankind, though they became corrupted.
B. Genesis 7:7 – 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.
1. Isaiah 26:20-21 – Come My People, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
· Isaiah is referencing the future judgment of the wicked. It parallels the story of Noah in that he and his household went into “thy chambers” represented by the ark and they were protected from God’s judgment.
· In Christ’s judgment of the earth those who are His can safely go into their homes until those wicked ones are removed, just as Matthew 24:38-41 indicates.
C. Genesis 7:8 –Of clean beasts, and of beasts that [are] not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
D. Genesis 7:9 –There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
1. God - אלהים 'elohiym (masculine noun) in the plural form God, ruler, judge, gods, goddess. Used as a name for the One True God as creator, the all encompassing creator God
E. Genesis –And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
1. Corresponds to the “seven days” of v. 4
F. Genesis 7:11 –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.
1. Second Month = Zif corresponds tour fifth month Mayin the Ecclesiatical year established in Exodus 12:2.
2. Since this takes place before the ecclesiastical year was established it could have been reference to the agricultural year in which the beginning corresponds to our September, making this October 17th. Either way, this date in 1656 AM was a day that “lived in infamy” to the household of Noah.
3. “Fountains of the great deep broken up” leads the reader to the assumption that it was more than just a heavy rainfall that caused the flood, but bursting forth from artesian wells of subterranean water. Indication of significant seismic activity.
· Matthew 24:7-8 – For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
· More parallels between the flood and the end of this age.
4. “Windows of heaven were opened” is this referencing something other than rain clouds, such as a water canopy surrounding the earth?
G. Genesis – And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
1. Prophecy from the previous week in v. 4 is fulfilled
2. Forty – probation, trial followed by righteous victory over evil
H. Genesis –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;
1. “the selfsame day” shows that Noah and his family waited until the waters came forth before they entered the Ark, they did not pre-maturely enter the ark, but entered on the exact day the Lord told Noah the flood would commence.
I. Genesis –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.
1. So it appears that up until this point all the animals were just grazing outside of the ark
J. Genesis –And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life.
1. “the breath” – רוח ruwach (feminine noun), wind, breath, mind, spirit. Has a variety of definitions and is used in reference to The Holy Spirit several times thoughout the OT.
2. “of life” - חי chay (can be used as an adjective, feminine noun or masculine noun) in this case most likely the feminine noun meaning living thing, animal
3. All flesh wherein is the breath of life…what is the breath of life? Do fish or aquatic animals have the breath of life? They certainly would not have been on the ark, but this verse seems to say all flesh that has the breath of life.
K. Genesis –And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
1. God - אלהים 'elohiym the all encompassing creator God
· אלהים 'elohiym gave the command, but
2. the LORD - יהוה Yĕhovah, Lord of the covenant
· יהוה Yĕhovah – shut them in
3. The fact that the Lord shut the door, took the option as well as possible guilt away from Noah in that God himself shut the door and therefore shut out all of those wicked ones and not Noah. Much like a certain parable:
· Matthew -13 – And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
· What are these wedding garments that the king alludes to?
· Revelation 19:7-8 – Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
· Obviously those outside the door of the ark were not dressed in wedding garments for they were not clothed in righteousness. Much like it will be when Christ returns.
L. Genesis 7:17 – 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.
1. Should probably read “the flood waters continued to rise for forty days” or something similar, otherwise we have an inconsistency with upcoming v.24.
2. Bare up or Lift up – נשא nasa', interesting the Hebrew word for lift up is NASA
3. Remember back when God provided with instructions to Noah on building the ark? Something normally very important for a sea faring vessel was missing from those instructions, a rudder or sails. God will be completely in control of their destination.
4. Here we see the ark lift off, like a giant soap dish no way of steering or controlling its direction, completely in the hands of God.
M. Genesis –And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
1. All the more reason to be amazed at the provision of God, we just witnessed the power and devastation of water with the tsunami in Japan, this manmade structure had no chance to survive something like that without the divine assistance from Our Savior!
2. went upon – it floated
N. Genesis –And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered.
1. The author removes all doubt that this is a universal flood that covered the entire earth with the phrase “under the whole heaven, were covered” this leaves no room for describing this as a regional flood, but a complete flood of the earth.
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