Noah And The Ark Genesis 6:1-22/Hebrews 11:7 Message by Michael J. Barnard July 16, 2017 Teaching Aim: To examine Noah s faith in God as seen in Genesis 6 to understand what made Noah s faith so unique. To explore the sin which led to the destruction of the world by the Flood. To realize Noah was a just man made perfect through his faith in God. To understand Noah had his faults just as we have ours, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. To realize Noah walked with God in his day and we should walk with God in ours! DIGGING DEEPER INTO GOD S WORD (BIBLE STUDY) Part I: The wickedness of man that brought on God s judgment (Gen. 6:1-12) 1. Sin has always been a problem with mankind since the time of the fall, but according to verses 1 & 2, what sin led to the worldwide Flood? What are the two most popular theories as to whom the sons of God and the daughters of men were? (See Commentaries) 1) The sons of God were: The daughters of men were: 2) The sons of God were: The daughters of men were: 2. The antediluvian era refers to the pre-flood era. According to verse 3, how did the LORD respond to the sin spoken of in verses 1 & 2? Some believe the 120 years referred to in verse 3 became the new lifespan for human beings after the flood. Others believe the 120 years was the amount of time God allotted for the people to repent. Which interpretation do you believe and why? (See Gen. 9:29; 25:7; 35:28-29; 47:28; Deut. 34:7) 3. Why do many people believe the sons of God where fallen angels in male bodies who had sexual relations with human women, thus producing an offspring of evil giants? (See 2 Pet. 2:4-5; Jude 6-7) 4. How does the teaching of Jesus in Matt. 22:30 relate to this supposed interbreeding among species? Do angels breed among themselves, or did God create them all at one time? (See Exod. 20:11; Job 38:4,7; Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16) 1
5. Others believe the sons of God refer to men from the godly line of Seth intermarrying and breeding with women from the ungodly line of Cain. Do we find a similar warning against such compromise in the New Testament? (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-16) What happens over time if believers compromise in their relationships with unbelievers? 6. There are difficulties with both theories, but especially with the popular view that the sons of God are fallen angels. If the sons of God are fallen angels, why did God destroy every living thing on earth (except those taking refuge in the ark) if it was because of the sin of fallen angels? Can sexless spirits have a sexual relationships with human beings? The Nephilim ( giants or fallen ones ) reappeared again after the Flood? (See Num. 13:31-33) Did the Nephilim outsmart God? Note: In the writer s opinion, the better view is that the godly line of Seth went astray, compromised and intermarried with the unbelieving line of Cain. In the last days, we will also see people compromising and walking away from God! 7. According to verses 5 & 6, was the LORD focused on man s sin, or the fallen angels? How does our sin today affect God (vs. 6)? What was the LORD s response to the sin so prevalent in the world (vs. 7)? God said in verse 8, I am sorry that I have made them. Does this indicate God was caught by surprise, or is there another explanation? How is this an example of anthropomorphic language? (See Dictionary) What was Noah s saving grace? 8. What can we learn about Noah s lifestyle in an evil and corrupt generation from verse 9? How is this an example for us today? Who is the only other person in the Old Testament said to have walked with God? (See Gen. 5:24) What was his relationship to Noah? 9. What were the names of Noah s 3 sons? What can we learn about the state of the pre-flood days in verses 10-12? Is the world as evil today as in Noah s day, or have things gotten better? 2
Part II: God commands Noah to build an ark (Gen. 6:13-22) 1. What alarming announcement does God make in verse 13? What unusual instructions did the LORD give to Noah in verses 14 & 15? Why might Noah have been perplexed by these instructions? What can we learn about pre-flood weather patterns from Gen. 1:6-8 & 2:4-6? Would boat building be a common occupation under those conditions? Why or why not? 2. How large was a cubit by biblical standards (vs. 15)? (See Commentaries) How large was Noah s ark in comparison to a modern football field? (Hint: Google it) The ark was comparable in size to a modern day battleship, but in what way was it different? What other common object is similar in shape to the ark today? 3. According to Gen. 7:19-20, how much flooding occurred because of the Flood? People living in rainy areas of the world have likely experienced 40 days of continuous rain in their lifetime. Some local flooding has been experienced, but has anything like the flooding described in Gen. 7:19-20 been experienced since? The flooding was so severe it took 371 days before the door of the ark could be opened. (See Gen. 8:13-16) What mountain did the ark come to rest on? (See Gen. 8:1-4) How high is that mountain today? (Google it!) 4. What promise did God make to Noah in verses 16-18? What is the Noahic Covenant? (See Gen. 9:8-17) How is the beautiful symbol of this covenant being misused for evil today? 5. What instructions do we find for Noah in verses 19-21? What part of this was God s responsibility and what part was Noah s? How do you think Noah felt as he received the instructions from God? According to verse 20 and Gen. 7:1-3, how many pairs of clean and unclean animals were to be brought aboard the ark? Why so many clean animals? Who do these sacrificial animals point towards? 3
6. What remarkable truth can we learn about Noah from verse 22? Why should Noah be an example to every believer facing hardship and discouragement today? Part III: By faith, Noah when warned moved ahead with godly fear (Heb. 11:7) 1. The topic of our study is the unwavering faith of Noah in what seemed to be an impossible situation. (See Heb. 11:7) Have you ever been overwhelmed by your circumstances? Why is it important to trust God during these times? Why would it have been easy for Noah to doubt God and question Him? Did he? What positive attributes can we find Noah demonstrating in Gen. 6? What negative act do we find in Gen. 9:18-20? 2. Noah is thought of as one of the all-time spiritual giants of the faith. Noah is mentioned 50 times in 9 books of the Bible, and for good reason. The Bible says, Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Gen. 6:9 also says, Noah walked with God. Did Noah being perfect in his generation mean that he never struggled with sin? (See Rom. 3:23) 3. It is encouraging to realize that Noah struggled with sin like we do today. What sin did Noah commit in Gen. 9:18-20? Is it a sin to drink wine? (See John 2: 1-12; Rom. 14:20-23; 1 Cor. 10:30-33) When does drinking wine become a sin? How should we respond once we realize we have sinned? (See 1 John 1:9) 4. What encouraging truth do we find in Gen. 6:8? Why should this be an encouragement to every believer in Christ today? (See Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5-6) 5. What is a biblical type? (Hint: Google it!) What would you say if someone asked you how Noah s ark was a type (or picture) of our salvation in Jesus Christ? (See 1 Pet. 3:18-21) Why is Noah s story really our story today? 4
MINER S CORNER ~ Manna to live by! Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord! Noah believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness! The Flood was a precursor to the ultimate judgment at the end of time! Noah trusted God at His word and built an ark that took him over 100 years to build! The ark was a type of Christ; only those who took refuge in the ark were safe from the fury of God s wrath because of sin! Only in Christ will we be delivered from the fury of God s wrath in the final judgment! Noah obeyed God in a seemingly impossible situation; his faith and obedience are legendary and have become an example for each of us today! 5