NOAH, HIS FAMILY, AND THE ANIMALS ENTER THE ARK

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Why was Noah righteous?

It was by faith, just as later on Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

Noah believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. “By faith Noah . . . prepared an ark . . .” the writer to the Hebrews said (Heb. 11:7).

That is the reason God saved him.

Genesis 7:1-10 KJV

[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.

[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.

[3] Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

[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.

[5] And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

[6] And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

[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.

[8] Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

[9] There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

[10] And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

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.

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The Epistle to the Hebrews states that Noah prepared this Ark because he believed the Divine warning. The word “Come,” as used by the Lord, presents the fact that God is the first One in the Ark; had He been outside, He would have said, “Go into the Ark!”.

This also refers to Noah’s Faith in the coming Redeemer, for that is the only Faith that God will recognize. Paul wrote of him: “And became heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith” [Heb. 11:7].

The Faith addressed here speaks of Christ and what He would do at the Cross. Noah only had a dim view of that coming time, but, as dim as it was, he placed his past, his present, and his future in the Promise of God to send the “Seed”.

Have you ever noticed how gracious God is to this man in all of this time of judgment?

Here in verse 1 He says “Come thou. . . .” This is the same invitation that the Lord Jesus gives today to all mankind: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Then in verse 16 of this chapter, we read, “And the LORD shut him in.”

Isn’t that lovely?

And finally, chapter 8 opens, “And God remembered Noah.” How wonderful! God remembered Noah. God never forgets. He remembers you. The only thing that He does not remember is your sin if you have come to Him for salvation.

Your sins He remembers no more. What a beautiful thing this is!

Now Noah and his family enter into the ark.

Did you know that this story of Noah, just like the story of creation, has wandered over the face of the I wish that I could give you the Babylonian account?

All you have to do is to compare them to see the differences. The other accounts are utterly preposterous and ridiculous. The very fact that most nations and people have an account of both creation and the Flood should tell you something, my fellow Christian Siblings.

It ought to tell you that there is a basis of truth for them. All of these people would not come up with such a record if they had been making up stories. And if you want to know which one is accurate, just make a comparison.

The Babylonian account, for example, is a perfectly ridiculous story of a sort of war going on among the gods, one against the other, and that is what brought the Flood.

In contrast, the Bible tells us that the Flood was a judgment of God upon man for his sin—that makes sense, by the way.

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.

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The extra six pairs of clean animals and birds would be used for sacrifice and food. All you have to do is turn over to see that when Noah got out of the ark, he offered clean beasts as sacrifices.

Where would he have gotten the clean beasts if he had not taken more than two?

It was only of the clean beasts that he took seven, and now we know why. Those that were not clean went in by twos, a male and a female. “Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female”—that is for those that are clean.

Genesis 7:3

Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

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This is not a reference to the Levitical Law, for that would not be given for another 900 years. Probably the clean animals mentioned were such as from the days of Adam and Abel, as had been offered in sacrifice.

Thus, provision was made for Noah’s sacrifice on his exit from the Ark, when the flood would subside. God could use them to replenish the earth.

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.

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God allowed one more week for sinners to repent. The command to enter the Ark was given a week before the rains would begin — and rain such as the world had never known.

A worldwide rain for this length of time is impossible in post-Flood, atmospheric conditions, but not then. The canopy that covered the whole earth, a thermal water blanket encircling the earth, was to be condensed and dumped all over the globe.

 

Genesis 7:5

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

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This is the second time that the Holy Spirit through Moses speaks of Noah’s obedience.

Genesis 7:6

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

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This Verse proves that the 120 years of Genesis 6:3 had nothing to do with the time limit until the flood. In fact, the Bible doesn’t tell us how long it was that the warning was given to the people.

The number six is generally a Scriptural symbol of suffering. In the Apocalypse, the sixth seal, the sixth trumpet, and the sixth vial introduce critical periods of affliction.

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.

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Concerning this time, Paul said in Hebrews 11:7 that they did this thing “being moved with fear and impelled by faith”.

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,

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Seven couple of the one, and a couple of the other. Clean and unclean, also a like number. And upon that only, not in the water, for these had no need of the ark, they could live in the waters.

Genesis 7:9

There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

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Nothing short of Divine power could have effected such a timely and orderly entrance of the creatures into this huge vessel. Nowhere does Scripture say that Noah went out and drove the animals in. It was not necessary—they came to him.

Genesis 7:10

And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

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That which Noah had preached for a number of years was now a reality.

I hope that you have really enjoyed this post,

 

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