Flood

Intro

The profound impact of Jesus Christ's life on earth had not occurred at this point in time. The world is a world without His teaching or even laws on clay, stone or papyrus. Still, God revealed Himself to men through His creation and in the conscience placed in their hearts. "Through everything God made, they [all people] can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."[1]

In the world after the garden of Eden, people are consistently and totally evil. While the specifics of the evil are left out, God’s judgment finally comes. Noah alone finds favor with God and obeys His commands. In doing so, Noah offers us a picture of Jesus by saving his family from a world of sin. Jesus calls us to obey his voice just as God called Noah to obey Him.

Flood

Genesis 6:1 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. . .

 5 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. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 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.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord. . .

13 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!

 14 “Build a large boat[2] from cypress wood[3] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.

 22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. . .

 Genesis 7:1 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. . .

14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. 15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. 16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.

 17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. . .

19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth. . .

22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 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. . .

 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth” . . .

 Genesis 9:8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

 12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. . .

 18 The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) 19 From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth. . .

 Genesis 11:10 This is the account of Shem’s family.

   Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of[4] Arphaxad.

 12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. . .
  14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. . .
  16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. . .

 18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. . .
  20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. . .
  22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. . .

 24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. . .
  26 When Terah was 70 years old, he had become the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Connect

After Noah, 10 generations pass until Abram, who will be renamed Abraham, arrives. During these generations people again seek to be “like God” by building a tower to the sky that will make them famous and keep them all in one place. God scatters the people by confusing their language. The next highlight along the trail picks up in this scattered world with the story of Abram.