The Flood - Part 3 (Gen 7:6-8:5)

Introduction

If you have your Bible, please turn to Genesis 7:6-8:5.

We’re continuing in the flood account and if you remember from last week, we’ve thus far, witnessed the building of the ark with the measurements and instructions given by the Lord. Genesis 6-7 show us the building of the ark matching those specifications and with conjunction of a few New Testament passages, we realized that the ark took about 100 years to build and while building the ark, Noah spent that 100 years preaching the Gospel and trying to convince people to repent (we’ll talk about that more today).

I highlighted the truth that Noah was righteous and blameless, but not of his own accord—rather, he was righteous and blameless because he chose to walk with God and God made him righteous and blameless. Likewise, we’ve been made righteous and blameless if we’ve chosen to follow Jesus; and just like Noah, we’ve experienced salvation from a world about to face tremendous judgment for their sin.

This morning, again, continues the account of the flood and in it, we will witness the flood itself. We’ll see Noah finish the ark, the animals and his family board the ark, and the Lord shutting them into the ark. We’ll see the judgment (really the wrath of God) against sin before the waters subsiding and Noah and his family leaving the ark. And there’s a key idea that I want you to remember throughout all this, “God remembered Noah.”

Keep this in mind as we read the text together:

Genesis 7:6–8:5 ESV

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in. 17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. 1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

As we study this passage, we’re going to break it into three parts: (1) Boarding the Ark (6-16), (2) The Flood (17-24), and (3) God Remembers Noah (1-5). In this passage, we’re going to see the devestating end for sin—that all sin and those who refuse to repent will face the consequences given by God for their sin. We’re also going to see that God always remembers His people. Our application for the text comes from two different ideas in this passage: (1) most poeple will reject the Gospel, but we’re still required to proclaim it and (2) even when this life is filled with great hardship, God always remembers His people.

Prayer for Illumination

Boarding the Ark (6-16)

The first eleven verses of our text records the boarding process of the Ark. Like Moses’ record of creation, in the first section, we’re given a brief picture of the process and then he repeats it in the second section with more detail and he continues in the flood account.

So, in the first section, which is vv. 6-10, we a few details:

Noah was 600 when the flood came upon the earth.

Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives all went with him onto the ark.

Both clean and unclean animals (as well as birds and creeping things), male and female, all went onto the ark with Noah.

Just as God had told Noah to do—Noah did.

In addition to this, vv. 11-16 tells us of a few more details.

The text tells us again that Noah was 600 years old, but v. 11 narrows the time-frame a little more by telling us that it was the seventeenth day of the second month—we’re not entirely sure what month that would’ve been because of the difference of culture.

We’re told in vv. 11-12 that the flood started and it really wasn’t a slow start, we read about the “fountains of the great deep [bursting open], and the windows of the heavens [opening].” and then we’re told that it rained nonstop for forty days and forty nights.

And, of course, knowing that God is sending a flood to judge mankind, Noah’s family are quick to jump on the ark in vv. 13-16.

Take a note on two key phrases in the last verse, (1) that they did all this just “as God had commanded [them]” and (2), “the LORD shut [them] in.”

Remember, that God had commanded for Noah to build this ark and take up these animals and bring them onto the ark. The fact that they did what God had commanded them is notable especially when you consider the fact that when Noah started building before there was reason to believe something like an ark could be needed and they technically jumped on board before they could empirically see the need of salvation from a global flood—they did these things simply because God told them to do them.

It’s notable that the Lord shut them in for two reasons: (1) it reminds us that their salvation on the ark was only possible because of God and (2) it reminds us that even though Noah had to build the ark, salvation is always of the Lord.

The Flood (17-24)

Our text then continues by telling us of the flood. And before we read those verses, let me just clearly state that the flood is devestating. From an apologetics standpoint, there are some who try to argue that the global flood wasn’t actually a global flood. They make this argument because they assume that a global flood is too farfetched of an event. Let me point out two details before looking at vv. 17-24.

First, plainly reading the text, it’s a global flood. It can’t be a localized flood because if it were the waters wouldn’t have covered the highest mountains. In addition, you’ll note that every time the flood is mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, it’s always a literal, global flood that destroys all life except the lives of Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark.

Second, the mythos or non-biblical literature of the time also speak of a literal, global flood. They get the details wrong, but even sources like the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, the Hindu Shatapatha Brahmanas, and even Plato’s Timaeus all speak of global floods.

According to what we’re about to read, which is substantiated by outside sources, there was a literal, global flood that caused devastation over all the earth. Let’s read vv. 17-24.

Genesis 7:17–24 ESV

17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

In vv. 17-20, we read that the flood continued for forty days and as the waters increased the ark floated and rose above the earth on the water.

As the water continued to grow, the ark continued to float on the waters; and, of course, v. 19 reminds us that this wasn’t a peaceful or tranquil event.

V. 19 tells us that the waters prevailed so mightily that everything was covered, including the highest mountain. V. 20 tells us that the depths of the waters were fifteen cubits over the highest mountain, meaning that the waters were about 20-25 feet higher than the highest mountain.

For your reference, 20-25 feet is about the height of a two-floor house.

And, because of the flood, vv. 21-23, everything that had the breath of life, all flesh, every bird, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures, all of mankind except for Noah and his family, died in the flood.

Or, in other words, God said that He would judge all mankind, and vv. 21-23 tells us that what he set across to do actually happened.

God certainly judged the wickedness of man just like He said He would.

God certainly blotted out mankind and all living beings just like He said He would.

God certainly destroyed all things just like He said He would.

In fact, the same word usage is found in v. 21-23 when we read about the results of the flood.

That all flesh died.

Everything with the breath of life died.

He blotted out every living thing.

Man, animals, creeping things, and birds were all blotted out from the earth.

The only life from these categories of life that remained was found on the ark, which speaks of God’s ability to keep His Word.

God promised to care for Noah and his family.

God promised to save His people.

And He always keeps His promises.

The waters of the flood remained on the face of the earth for 150 days before the waters abated and we read about that in the last five verses. Let’s look at Genesis 8:1-5:

God Remembers Noah (1-5)

Genesis 8:1–5 ESV

1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

The last five verses starts with a statement that reminds us again that God keeps His promises, “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” Let’s talk about the first four words, But God remembered Noah.

Let me first start with a statement to clarify any confusion—by saying that God remembered Noah, the Bible isn’t saying that God forgot Noah.

In fact, the Bible is clear that God doesn’t really forget anything—He’s omniscient, He knows all things.

If you have that impression, it’s because you’re basing it on our modern-day use of the word remember.

But, the Hebrew word that’s translated here, zikar doesn’t mean that He’s recalling something that He had forgotten, rather, it’s covenantal language again.

K.A. Mathews writes, “‘Remembered’ often is found in the circumstance of deliverance, based on God’s prior covenant commitments, as in Israel’s exodus and occupation of Canaan (e.g., Exod 2:24; 6:5; Num 10:9). It describes the Lord’s response to the requests of his people, as when he delivers Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on account of Abraham’s mediation (19:29) and when he hearkens to barren Rachel, who gives birth to Joseph (30:22). Divine ‘remembrance’ was the appeal of Moses’ intervention on behalf of apostate Israel (Exod 32:13), and it was reason for God’s return to a contrite people (Lev 26:42, 45). ‘Remember’ speaks of the future as well as the past and present, for the psalmist declares that for the sake of covenant the Lord will bring about a future ‘blessing’ on his people (Ps 115:12). People of the covenant, whether yesterday or today, are expected to exercise covenant allegiance by “remembering” the Lord (e.g., Deut 8:18; Ps 103:18). Israel’s God had remembered Noah, and by this Israel too was incited to remember the Lord of Sinai. (K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 382–383.1a)

In, other words, it’s not that God forgot about Noah and then remembered, but rather, God chooses to think on Noah and the animals in the ark.

In particular, you’ll notice that the text doesn’t say that God choose to think about Noah’s character, but rather, God choose to think on the covenant made between Him and God.

God reminds Himself of the covenant that He had already made with Noah and that’s what initiates what’s about to happen.

God caused the wind to blow over the earth, the waters to subside, the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain was restrained, and God caused all the waters from the earth to recede.

And the Bible says in v. 4, that “in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.”

Five months, 150 days after the flood starts, everything ends.

The ark comes to stop on the mountains of Ararat, which is in modern-day Turkey on the eastern part of the country.

And on that day, the mountains were visible again.

Note again, that God did this—God did the flood so that God could judge mankind. God protected Noah and His family through the salvific work of the ark. God ended the flood because God chose to think on the covenant that He had made with Noah.

All this then leads us into our application. And our application is really found in Noah’s experiences.

Application

Ultimately, what this passages reminds us of is something that’s absolutely vital for Christians today to remember and its in that reminder that our application is found.

Noah is told to build an ark and God gives him the instructions, measurements, and really everything he needs to build this ark well. During that time while building the ark, which most estimate to be about 100-120 years, Noah preached a simple message of repentance (we know this from Hebrews 11:7 “7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” and we know this from 2 Peter 2:5, 9 “5 if [God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly . . . then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”)

Noah preached a a message of repentance while building the ark and we know from who actually got on the ark that the only people who actually listened to him was his family. So, Noah spends 100-120 years proclaiming the Gospel and sees absolutely no results. His family then gets on the ark and experiences forty days and forty nights of unrelenting rain and the fountains of the great deep bursting forth. They experienced forty days on the ark, which probably wasn’t the most gentle boat ride in the world, especially since the Bible describes it as “the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.”

After forty days of relentless rain, there were 110 additional days in which the flood waters were upon the earth before they had abated or died down enough that Noah and his family could exit the ark.

Just imagine how Noah had felt through all this—100-120 years of preaching and seeing absolutely no fruit and no repentance. 150 days of the flood and witnessing the destruction of almost all life on earth as part of God’s wrath against sin.

The 120 years, I’m sure, was filled with doubt and discouragement. Through all that time, he knew what God had called him to do and yet, there seemed to be no fruit, really, no earthly indicators of success. He’s proclaiming the same truth that’s proclaimed through the Bible of impending destruction, of the need of repentance, and the requirement to follow God; and yet, no one is listening. I’m sure he was filled with doubt and discouragement as people not only rejected what he was saying, but also persecuted him for what he was saying.

The 150 days of the flood, again, could have been filled with doubt and discouragement—maybe not doubt in the flood, that seems like that would be evidential, but rather maybe doubt that God would bring him and his family out of the ark. Consider the amount of discouragement that would have been produced while sitting in an ark in the midst of the greatest storm you’ve ever experienced in your life.

A few months ago I traveled to Grand Rapids for a conference and I remember sitting in this beautiful church building built of stone that you could tell was sturdy and safe. Of course, the first night I was there, there happened to be a tornado that came through the city and I (with my brilliance) decided instead of waiting the storm out in the basement of the church, I would instead, get an Uber back to my hotel.

That storm was on par with some of the hurricane-related weather that we experienced in South Carolina with the exception that in South Carolina I was typically smart enough to stay indoors during those storms. For whatever reason, I decided to get in a car and travel back to my hotel with my Jimmy Buffet-obsessed Uber driver; and I was filled with all sorts of doubts and discouragement as the wind whipped the car across the flooded highway and the lights of all the businesses around us flickered and eventually shut off.

I was filled with all sorts of doubt and discouragement—doubt that we were going to make it back safely, discouragement because of my lack of common sense—and that was a tornado, not a global flood.

Noah and his family went through a lot and though they probably recognized that they were safe in the ark that God had placed them, I’m certain they experienced discouragement and doubt and that’s precisely where our application is:

As Christians, we’ve been promised eternal security—that if we have genuinely repented from our sins, called on the name of Jesus, and we follow Him, no person, no thing can ever pluck us out of His hands. However, because we still live in a sin-cursed world—a world that refuses to hear the Gospel, a world that continues into degradation and sin, we can feel discouraged and doubtful. Because we still live in a sin-cursed world in which there is still calamity around us, we can feel doubt that we’re going to make it and discouragement about the situation that we find ourselves in.

And yet, just like Noah and his family on the ark, there will be a day after the metaphorical 120 years of proclaiming the Gospel to deaf ears and the figurative 150 days of destruction in which God remembers His people and we’ll step out onto dry land, in His presence, able to dwell with Him and walk with Him, and see Him face to face. So, let’s consider this in our application:

We live in a world that has rejected God; and yet, the Great Commission is clear in that we are to continue making disciples.

Which means that regardless of whether people actually accept the message to repent, believe, and follow Jesus, we’re still supposed to go and make disciples of every nation.

And again, when people reject that message, it can be discouraging and it could cause doubt, but that doesn’t mean we can stop proclaiming the message.

In fact, the Bible is pretty clear that the majority of people will reject the truth despite our push to continue proclaiming the Gospel to every nation.

So, what do we do when we experience the discouragement and the doubt that we might face as a result of what we think to be a lack of fruit?

I’d argue for two things that would help you get past that discouragement and doubt:

First, you need to remind yourself that rejection of the message isn’t necessarily rejection of you—rather, the person is simply rejecting the truth.

Second, you need to remember that you aren’t responsible for their response to the Gospel, you’re only response for proclaiming the Gospel.

Thus, don’t take it personally if and when people reject the Gospel and don’t think that you have the ability to change minds, only the Holy Spirit can change the heart of man.

And don’t allow for their lack of response to prevent you from doing what you’ve been called to do or from continuing in the work of the ministry.

The path is narrow, thus, very few actually find it—so, don’t be discouraged if people don’t; however, don’t allow their lack of response to prevent you from obeying Jesus.

You are called to make disciples, to proclaim the Gospel regardless of whether people respond—so go and proclaim the Gospel and make disciples.

We live in a world in which we’re constantly battered—whether that’s because of persecution or the concerns of life in general. Life is difficult to bear.

But just like Noah, we’ve been placed in a figurative ark of salvation in Jesus Christ; and just like Noah, God has promised to seal us until the day of redemption.

But just like Noah, we still experience the battering of life around us—in Noah’s case, though they don’t experience the wrath of God, they still experience the effects of God’s wrath against sin. In our case, we don’t experience the wrath of God because Jesus has taken the wrath of God on the cross, but we do still find ourselves experiencing significant struggle because of those who are awaiting the judgment of the Lord.

We don’t have a fear of experiencing judgment for our own sins since Jesus has taken them on the cross as our substitutionary atonement, but we still experience hardship in life.

We can allow persecution, struggle, strife, and hardship in life to cause us to struggle with discouragement, despair, and doubt, but the account of Noah’s ark reminds us of something significant that should cause great hope.

Just like Noah, though we experience these great hardships today, we ultimately have no reason for discouragement, despair, and doubt.

Like Noah, we know that God has promised to care for us even when experiencing great hardship. In John 10:27–30 Jesus says, “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.””

Now, that doesn’t mean that we won’t experience hardship, trial, tribulation, persecution, struggle, and strife; all it means is that in the end, God still holds us in His hand; and ultimately, He uses all these difficulties to shape us into the image of Jesus Christ—Romans 8:28–29 “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Life will be difficult and it continues to be difficult even after salvation, you just need to remind yourself that even in the hardest moments of life, God still holds you and He still cares for you, and He still sovereignly and providentially utilizes these difficulties to make us more like Jesus.

Put simply, what we learn from Genesis 7:6-8:5 is that despite hardship in life, God still moves all things for your good and despite the world rejecting Jesus, you are still required to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. Really, what we learn from Genesis 7:6-8:5 is that you can still have hope even when life is hard and even if your evangelistic efforts seem fruitless, you should still be proclaiming the Gospel and trying to make disciples.

Pastoral Prayer