Gen 7

In Genesis Chapter 3 v15 we read the words God spoke to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This can be read as the first proclamation of the Gospel message from God to humanity – The Good News! This was fulfilled fully in Jesus, Hebrews 2:14 – Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. God being faithful to his word instructed Noah to construct the Ark to save righteous Noah and his family; the offspring of Eve, a righteous remnant.

The instruction to enter the Ark then comes to Noah, he had to be obedient and then God shut the door of the Ark to keep them safe. A reversal of Revelation Chapter 3 v20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Jesus was obedient in going to the cross and we have the opportunity to open the door of our hearts to him. God still gave time for people to change in v4, the flood will come in 7 days, and he is still giving people time to come to him today.

God’s instructions to Noah ensured provision while in the Ark for Noah and all in the Ark. Growing up as a youngster singing ‘the animals went in two by two’ in Sunday school, I didn’t understand about clean and unclean animals as described in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. More pairs of clean animals in the ark ensured a food supply and an offering for sacrifice after the flood, and pairs of unclean animals ensured the survival of all God’s creation for a new beginning.

In 1969 I remember the maiden flight of the Concorde airliner and the famous words of the television presenter Raymond Baxter, “She flies”. We read in v18 the equivalent “She floats”, the Ark floated on the face of the waters. The design was God’s from CH 6 so no surprise the design was successful. A lot of people show scepticism about a global flood but the Bible is clear in the detail. Verse 11 states 3 things;

1. In the 600th year of Noah’s life, this places it historically in the Biblical timeline.
2. The fountains of the great deep burst forth, the main source of water for the flood as we shall see in CH 8 it took 150 days for the waters to reach their maximum depth. Scientists now believe there is more water under the earth than in the seas.
3. The windows of the heavens were opened; it rained for just 40 days and nights.

God took the earth back to the Genesis CH1 state, to start again afresh with mankind.
Are you still waiting for science to prove any of this or archaeologists to discover the remains of the ark (it is amazing how often that story arises on news sites) or do you accept God is in control and has given mankind a new start in Jesus?

David Taylor