Genesis 7B (2011) Our study in chapter 7 f Genesis began last week, as we nted the spiritual parallels Between the accunt f this wrldwide judgement and the future judgment t happen at Christ s Secnd Cming We als nted the pictures f Christ seen in the day the fld began And in the way the family f Nah entered the Ark thrugh ne dr And the way the dr was clsed by the hand f Gd ensuring they remained in the safety f the Ark Last week I als mentined that we needed t examine the events f this chapter a secnd time cnsidering the physical descriptin f the fld S we culd better understand what Gd is ding here and hw He accmplishes it S let s reread part f last week s text frm the pint when the water arrives And then mve frward t finish the chapter Gen. 7:10 It came abut after the seven days, that the water f the fld came upn the earth. Gen. 7:11 In the six hundredth year f Nah s life, in the secnd mnth, n the seventeenth day f the mnth, n the same day all the funtains f the great deep burst pen, and the fldgates f the sky were pened. Gen. 7:12 The rain fell upn the earth fr frty days and frty nights. Gen. 7:13 On the very same day Nah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sns f Nah, and Nah s wife and the three wives f his sns with them, entered the ark, Gen. 7:14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps n the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all srts f birds. Gen. 7:15 S they went int the ark t Nah, by tws f all flesh in which was the breath f life. Gen. 7:16 Thse that entered, male and female f all flesh, entered as Gd had cmmanded him; and the LORD clsed it behind him. Gen. 7:17 Then the fld came upn the earth fr frty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, s that it rse abve the earth. Gen. 7:18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upn the earth, and the ark flated n the surface f the water. 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 2 Gen. 7:19 The water prevailed mre and mre upn the earth, s that all the high muntains everywhere under the heavens were cvered. Gen. 7:20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the muntains were cvered. Gen. 7:21 All flesh that mved n the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upn the earth, and all mankind; Gen. 7:22 f all that was n the dry land, all in whse nstrils was the breath f the spirit f life, died. Gen. 7:23 Thus He bltted ut every living thing that was upn the face f the land, frm man t animals t creeping things and t birds f the sky, and they were bltted ut frm the earth; and nly Nah was left, tgether with thse that were with him in the ark. Gen. 7:24 The water prevailed upn the earth ne hundred and fifty days. We re ging t examine the events prtrayed here in fur steps First, let s review the details f the text s we can be sure we have a full understanding what Scripture tells us cncerning the fld Secndly, let s cnsult ther Scripture t learn the surce fr the water Gd used t destry the earth Third, let s understand the effects f the Fld n the earth Furth, we ll learn where the water went after the fld had ended Beginning in v.11 we hear that the fld began with the funtains f the deep bursting pen and the fldgates f the sky being pened The Hebrew wrds fr funtains and fldgates gives us a clear picture f the event Funtains means a spring f water cming frm the grund Fldgates is the wrd arrubbah, which means chimney r windw Imagine a hle in the cluds and water literally puring thrugh the hle r pening S water fills the wrd frm tw directins, up and dwn The water frm abve falls fr frty 24-hur perids And it falls acrss the entire glbe fr that time 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 3 There are n present-day meterlgical cnditins that culd prduce such an event Tday, rain cluds drp water that was cllected thrugh evapratin elsewhere n the planet If the entire planet were experiencing rain simultaneusly, it wuld quickly cme t an end Because there wuld be n new surce fr the water, since the evapratin f water culd nt happen while the entire Earth was experiencing rain Clearly, there must be a surce fr the water abve which is different than what we experience in the wrld tday Then in v.14, we hear that the animals Gd has delivered t Nah vluntarily enter the Ark in pairs There is n indicatin that Nah led, chased, prdded, dragged r caxed the animals int the Ark The text indicates they went in n their wn n the appinted day Gd clearly delivered them and brught them int the Ark Every animal we have tday was represented n the Ark, fr the Bible says that every land animal after it s kind entered the Ark Yu might take time t nte hw similar the language in v.14 is t the language used in the creatin accunt in chapter 1 Just as Gd created all land animals, nw He is wrking t preserve them all We als nte that the animals were selected by kind This special Hebrew wrd describes an animal type that was designed t diversify int many subtypes ver time Fr example, frm ne animal kind we may have received all canines By bringing kinds t Nah, Gd ensure all sub-kinds wuld be preserved as well withut the need fr as many animals t enter the Ark 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 4 Sme f thse subkinds exists tday while thers that left the Ark later went extinct Finally, we als understand that the animals that were left n the earth perished in the fld And their bdies were buried by the mud and sediment depsited by the fld waters Thusands f years later, these skeletal remains were discvered by archelgists, depsited in layers piled atp ne anther Next in vv.17-20, Mses describes the Ark being lifted up by the water and flating n the water The water kept rising until even the tps f muntains were cvered In fact they were cvered t a depth f 22 ft Mses tells us the depth f the water s we can be sure that the Ark cleared every muntain as it flated n the water Based n the Ark s dimensins, even if half f the ark were submerged, it wuld still have cleared the muntains Later in chapter 8 we will discver that the muntains befre the fld were much lwer than the nes we see tday Archelgists have been puzzled by the way wly mammths preserved frzen in ice are ften fund clustered tgether n the tps f muntains r hills The lgical answer is they fled frm the water t the highest pint and then drwned when the water finally engulfed the peaks Finally, Gd cnfirms that the fld met its intended purpse Every land animal and every persn wh remained n earth perished under the fld waters Even birds died when they lst a landing place and culd nt remain alft any lnger 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 5 T ensure that every creature died and t allw time fr the decmpsing remains t settle under the mud, the waters remains n the earth a lng time Specifically, the earth remained as a ball f water fr 150 days Befre we mve t ur secnd pint, take nte f hw the wrld lks at this pint It s all water If viewed frm space, the earth wuld be nthing but blue And remember hw the bk f Genesis began The earth was frmless and cnsisted f a frmless deep And the Spirit f Gd flated r fluttered ver the surface f that deep Nw we see Gd restarting creatin in a sense The wrld is again cvered in water and nw the Ark (which is a picture f Christ) flats abve the surface f the deep The imagery is similar t draw a pint fr us This is a restart f the wrld made necessary by the sin f man Having examined the text, let s turn t answer the questin where did the water cme frm? First, we need t remember that all the wrk f Creatin was cmpleted n the Sixth Day Heb. 4:3 Fr we wh have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST, althugh His wrks were finished frm the fundatin f the wrld. Heb. 4:4 Fr He has said smewhere cncerning the seventh day: AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS ; Therefre, n new water was created n the day f the Fld 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 6 All the water used in this event already existed smewhere in Creatin Secndly, we remember that the wrld has never experienced rain befre this mment S the surce f water must be smething unique and nt like what we experience tday, as we ve already nted The nrmal water cycle f evapratin, cluds and rain isn t happening yet Lking t Scripture, we find the surce First, there is a clue in the creatin stry itself Gen. 1:6 Then Gd said, Let there be an expanse in the midst f the waters, and let it separate the waters frm the waters. Gen. 1:7 Gd made the expanse, and separated the waters which were belw the expanse frm the waters which were abve the expanse; and it was s. Clearly, as the wrld was being created, Gd placed water abve the expanse f the air in the wrld When we studied this chapter, I referred t this suspended water as the atmsphere, which is true But it is als clear that Gd stred mre water abve the Earth than we see suspended tday The atmsphere must have been especially rich in misture Or there was a supernatural suspensin f large quantities f liquid water stred abve fr this very mment Scripture seems t supprt the latter cnclusin First, we have the mere fact that the entire wrld experienced cntinuus rain fr nearly 7 weeks 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 7 Secndly, the Psalms alludes t such a strage: Psa. 148:4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are abve the heavens! Psa. 148:5 Let them praise the name f the LORD, Fr He cmmanded and they were created. Psa. 33:6 By the wrd f the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath f His muth all their hst. Psa. 33:7 He gathers the waters f the sea tgether as a heap; He lays up the deeps in strehuses. Finally, we have Peter s testimny cncerning the waters f creatin 2Pet. 3:5 Fr when they maintain this, it escapes their ntice that by the wrd f Gd the heavens existed lng ag and the earth was frmed ut f water and by water, 2Pet. 3:6 thrugh which the wrld at that time was destryed, being flded with water. Peter ntes that the wrld was created ut f water This is in keeping with Genesis 1 But then Peter adds smething interesting In v.6 he s talking abut Gd s judgment f the Fld But Peter says that the water used t destry the wrld was the water f creatin Peter is teaching that sme f the water f creatin was set aside in the heavens and reserved fr this day f judgment Gd knew it was cming and make plans fr it by string water abve the heavens And then He released that water n the appinted day S the surce f the fld was water stred water in the heavens But remember we ve already seen that there was a secnd surce The great springs f the earth were pened up In v.11 the wrd fr pened is baqa, which means t cleave pen 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 8 T split pen, like splitting a lg f wd This descriptin suggests that Gd tre pen the face f the Earth Lking at the wrld after the Fld, we can see the result f that ripping pen The cntinents were frmed by the splitting f the Earth And buried under the earth were springs f water set lse by the mvement f the land masses Imagine the destructin created by this sudden, vilent mvement f the cntinents? It wuld dwarf any earthquake we ve ever seen It was likely accmpanied by great vlcanic eruptins Since we re already talking abut the remaking f the Earth s features, let s mve t pint three: the effects f the Fld n the Earth We ve already nted the mvement f the cntinents And the depsits f fssilized animals arund the wrld under layers f mud Als, the mvement f s much water acrss the Earth - bth during its arrival and later when it receded - wuld have resulted in massive ersin Especially when the cntinents drained (in chapter 8), the weight f all that water wuld have cut huge channels and canyns in the surface f the earth Similar large-scale ersin was witnessed in the days fllwing the Mt. Saint Helens eruptin and the melt f snw frm the muntain This explains the frmatin f places like the Grand Canyn and the creatin f river valleys and cliffs Next, we mentined hw the atmsphere befre the Fld wuld have been very different due t the huge strage f water abve the heavens Nw that all that water has drpped, the atmsphere must be very different 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 9 Drier and with fewer cluds Furthermre, the strehuses f water belw the grund have been released S the mist that rse up t water the grund will n lnger be available Instead, rain will nw be a regular feature n the Earth Furthermre, the mvement f sme cntinents t farther reaches nrth and suth will lead t a wider variety f climates Sme with harsher weather than befre Befre all the land was lcated in the same place and experienced a cnsistent and likely similar weather pattern Nw the cntinents have split, water scattering animals and plants everywhere, and the new land experiencing new climates This explains why scientists find fssils f trpical plants in the middle f deserts Or fssils f fish n the tps f muntains Or wly mammths flash frzen in ice Finally, let s answer the questin f where did the water g? At first glance, it s a tugh questin because it seems an impssible prblem t slve Hw d yu eliminate enugh water t expse the seven cntinents, leaving a third f the wrld s surface expsed? Chapter 8 will give us all the details, but we can get the essential answer here nw In chapter 8 Mses will tell us that the water recedes ver a perid f mnths And then in Psalm 104, we get a cncise descriptin f where it went 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 10 Psa. 104:5 He established the earth upn its fundatins, S that it will nt ttter frever and ever. Psa. 104:6 Yu cvered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing abve the muntains. Psa. 104:7 At Yur rebuke they fled, At the sund f Yur thunder they hurried away. Psa. 104:8 The muntains rse; the valleys sank dwn T the place which Yu established fr them. Psa. 104:9 Yu set a bundary that they may nt pass ver, S that they will nt return t cver the earth. In v.5 the psalmist credits Gd will creating the earth Then in vv.6-9 he describes the fld upn the earth First, the psalmist says Gd cvered the earth with the deep (tehlm) meaning the waters f the fld It was like thrwing a garment ver the Earth The waters were cvering the muntains, as Genesis 7 tells us He says the waters fled at Gd s rebuke They hurried away, which cmmunicates a clear image f the water receding quickly in a vilent rush creating thse canyns Nw ntice the key part: the muntains rse and the valleys sank This happens as the waters recede The muntains n the Earth are made t rise upward abve the water And simultaneusly, the valleys f the Earth are made t sink deeper If Gd raises ne part f the Earth, He must lwer anther part, since n new material is being created The muntains Gd raised were bth the nes n Earth and thers in the ceans Islands are merely tips f underwater muntains And the valleys Gd deepened are the trenches in the sea 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Genesis 7B! 11 The deepest valleys n Earth are in the sea, including the deepest f all, the Marianas Trench It extends 7 miles dwn If Mt Everest were placed in the trench, it s peak wuld still be a mile and a half under water As Gd created these trenches in the basin f the ceans, the water did what water naturally des It s seeks the lwest pint It ran ff the high slpes f the muntains and int the valleys in the ceans Tday s lessn gave us the chance t fcus n the hw f Gd s wrk in the Fld S we didn t take time t make many applicatins r ask questins abut hw Gd wants us t put this knwledge t wrk But let this lessn draw yur mind t the awesme pwer and wisdm f the Gd we serve If Gd has the pwer t wrk these wnders n a wrldwide scale, is there anything He can t d in respnse t ur needs r circumstances? And knwing His wisdm, can we ever dubt that whatever may happen in ur daily lives, it must be accrding t His wise and masterful plan? Glry be t Gd! 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.