Genesis 7 part 3

Genesis 1–11:26 IV. Noah and His Family (6:9–9:29)

Noah is depicted as Adam redivivus (revived). He is the sole survivor and successor to Adam; both “walk” with God; both are the recipients of the promissory blessing; both are caretakers of the lower creatures; both father three sons; both are workers of the soil; both sin through the fruit of a tree; and both father a wicked son who is under a curse. Also there is a wordplay between Adam in the garden and the “rest” motif recurring in the Noah story (see 5:29; 8:21). The Lord “put” (nûaḥ) Adam in Eden as the divine ideal for man (2:15), but because of sin the soil is man’s new opponent (3:17). Lamech’s prayer is that “Noah” (nōaḥ) alleviate the toil and achieve “comfort” (nḥm; 5:29), but it comes about in an unexpected way when Noah preserves the human family by the “resting” ark (8:4) and the “resting-inducing odor” (8:21) of sacrifice, which appeases God and leads the way for a new promise. We can only view Noah through the template of Adam, both the promise and the garden sin.

Matthew 24:37–38 (CSB)

As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.

Hebrews 11:7 (CSB)

By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

What do you see?

Too often, we modern folk ask Genesis to answer modern questions, like how old is this water-covered ball that spins at 1000 mph in space while orbiting a nuclear-powered fireball?

But Genesis wasn’t written to us. It was written for us, but not to us. It was written to people asking ancient questions. What are those ancient questions?

How long did the flood last?

A. 40 days and nights

B. 150 days

C. 190 days

D. All of the above

Who entered the Ark?

A. Animal Couples, 2 by 2, on Valentine’s Day

B. 7 pairs of clean animals, 7 pairs of birds, and 2 pairs of creeping things

C. Everything except unicorns

D. A and B

Why was there a flood?

A. Angels had sex with women

B. The line of Seth mixed with the line of Cain

C. Kings stole brides on their wedding night

D. Violent Animals

Where did it flood?

A. The whole world including South America

B. The whole world except Nepal

C. Only Mesopotamia

D. Stop it Jake

What do you see?

The phrase “These are the generations of...” as an introduction is used 11 times in Genesis.

Before the Patriarchs: The need for a family of God

2:4 Heaven and earth

5:1 Adam’s line

6:9 Noah

10:1 Shem, Ham, and Japheth

11:10 Shem

The Patriarchs in the Promised Land: Establishing the family of God

11:27 Terah

25:12 Ishmael

25:19 Isaac

36:1 Esau

36:9 Esau

The Patriarchs in Egypt: Incubation for the Covenant People

37:2 Jacob

As we look, let’s ask ourselves . . . is this how we would tell this story?

Chapter 1: God arranges the furniture

Chapter 2: God puts the man in the garden and creates woman—man was incomplete without her

Chapter 3: Woman is “deceived”, both are disobedient. They experience adolescence. The serpent and the ground are cursed, but the man and the woman are not. God is merciful. God provides for his children as they leave the garden. The man names his wife “Eve”.

Chapter 4: God disapproves of Cain’s offering. Cain is emotional and has bad attitude. Cain kills Abel. Abel’s “blood cries out to me from the ground”. Cain is cursed and cannot work the land. Cain descendents develop culture, murder, and polygamy.

Chapter 5: The descendents of Seth (image of Adam) live a long time and died, except Enoch. Lamech thinks Noah will save him from the curse on the ground.

Chapter 6: Mankind multiplies and becomes corrupt (violent). God decrees a wet judgement. God warns Noah (“Rest”) and instructions on how to build and Ark.

Chapter 7: Entering the Ark and the Flood comes.

Remember that we are still answering ancient questions. “Why am I like this?”

Why am I a “Hebrew” since I don’t live in Hebron? Why is it promised?

Do you have any relatives who have lived a very long time?

Would you be the good twin or the evil twin?

Do you ever feel like a background character in someone else’s story?

Is it hard to get out of your parents’ shadow?

Does God make mistakes?

Do you have a flood story?

How do you deal with unusual requests?

What if I told you it really was aliens in Genesis 6?

Have you ever had to live in a small space?

Would you ever go on Fear Factor?

When did you completely lose your patience?

When does God’s judgement feel real?

You haven’t heard the rest of the story. Is God going to save Noah?

Should God still be doing occasional floods?

Has God ever closed a door to keep you safe?

How did it feel when you were no longer lost?

Why were ancient peoples scared of eclipses?

Why do we have rules or laws? Do they do any good?

Are there natural laws that we take for granted?

How do you normally respond to good news?

Genesis 8:15–21 CSB

Then God spoke to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, those that crawl on the earth—and they will spread over the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came out. All the animals, all the creatures that crawl, and all the flying creatures—everything that moves on the earth—came out of the ark by their families. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.

Genesis 8:22 CSB

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

The punishment is over. There is now a general mercy.

God sings about his creation. It is, after all, good.

2 Peter 3:3–13 CSB

Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Genesis 9:1–5 CSB

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything. However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it. And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood; I will require it from any animal and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.

Genesis 9:6–7 CSB

Whoever sheds human blood, by humans his blood will be shed, for God made humans in his image. But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”

Genesis 9:8–16 CSB

Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, “Understand that I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by floodwaters; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.”

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