God Floods the Earth (Gen 6:5-7:24)

Students will be able to

Explain that pre-flood man was wicked.

Tell why God brought the flood.

Identify God’s gracious act toward Noah.

Recount the success of God’s plan of judgment.

HITLER in WWII - Long before most of us were alive, a wicked man - Adolph Hitler - built a HUGE military and began to take over small countries. Eventually many Americans went to war to stop this wicked man and his evil army who had killed thousands and thousands and thousands of innocent people.

I will never forget going to a museum in Washington D.C. that showed pictures and videos of all the evil acts this man and his army committed.

They would load innocent people on trains and tell them they were taking them to a safe place away from the war.

They would then take them to camps where they were slowly starved, worked to death as slaves, and many were herded into what looked like large shower rooms, where these evil people pumped a deadly gas that killed thousands and thousands of people.

When I came to the end of that museum tour I saw a picture of a little boy and a little girl - around age 9 - the same age that my son was at the time. The first picture was of them alive. The next picture showed the 9 year old boy’s dead body. They had killed him. WHY? Because Hitler and these people were WICKED!

Tears streamed down my face as I though of MY 9 YEAR OLD BOY. What if that was a picture of HIM? I was ANGRY! I was ready to FIGHT! I was ready to pick up a gun and go kill these evil people who were killing innocent people. Somebody had to step up and put a STOP to this wickedness!

And thankfully, many Americans and people from other countries DID GO and fight against Hitler and his evil armies. These people were SO WICKED and were unwilling to stop, that there was only 1 way to deal with them - they had to be KILLED. If not, they would continue to murder many more people.

Maybe that gives us a glimpse of how God felt as people He created, people who were created to do GOOD, chose to do what was EVIL…over and over again. They would NOT STOP so God decided to STOP THEM!

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart.

And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”

But there was at least 1 person God was NOT sorry He made, a man who was seeking to know and obey God.

Genesis 6:8–13 (NLT)

But Noah found favor with the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

So God shares His plan with Moses gives him the blueprints for a HUGE BOAT!

Genesis 6:14–16 (NLT)

Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

That boat was going to be One BIiiiiig Boat (say in funny way)! 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high - with 3 decks. That’s 1.5 football fields long, and half it’s width.

Noah and his family begin the massive task which would have taken many years (the Scripture doesn’t tell us how long), cutting, hauling, preparing, and piecing all the lumber together - without power tools.

We simply don’t know any specifics beyond that, but you know some people had to stop by and ask what Noah and his family were wasting their time on. I can’t help but think that they warned others of what was coming, and probably faced ridicule and persecution for it, since no one besides his family was there when the “all aboard” call was sounded.

So while others went on like judgement was never coming, Noah and family were preparing and at the right time, 2 of every kind of animal - male & female - made their way to the boat - what kind of parade that would have been! Noah & his family had followed God’s instructions and collected enough for for them all (Gen 6:17-22), SO...when the rain started falling Noah and family were safe.

BUT, as the waters rose even the highest mountains were covered by water…and...

Genesis 7:21–24 (NLT)

All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.

God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed.

The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.

So while others went on like judgement was never coming, Noah and family were preparing and - by faith - trusting God for what was yet unseen. And when the rain started falling Noah and family were safe.

What do we learn from this history? God WILL judge sinners guilty. BUT…God offers to forgive people who...

BIG TRUTH: Turn from Sin and Turn to Him!

So too, there is a time coming when

LUCKY - He had everything he needed at our home - lots of affection and food. Regardless of the many times I went to pick him up and carry him home, even spanking his furry behind, he continued to disobey me and run off to others.

Memory Verses

Genesis 6:5–6 (NLT)

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

John 5:28–29 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.