TORAH, GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS GENESIS 7 - NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD Say - Welcome to Sabbath School class. Let's bow our head and ask God for understanding as we continue our story of Noah and the great flood which was God's judgment upon the earth for the wickedness of His creation. Say - As we read the story of Noah and the great flood, think of God saying all of this as if He were telling you. 1And 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 (The righteousness God found in Noah was defined by God's Laws of which Noah had a great deal of understanding for we are told in the Bible "Noah was a preacher of righteousness" 2 Peter 2:5. "Righteousness" means "all the Laws of God" Psalm 119:172. It is a false assumption by many religions that the Law of God was first given at Mt. Sinai because the Law of God was from the beginning, Isaiah 40:21, 22). Say - Noah had a lot of knowledge of the Laws of God concerning the sacrifices, clean and unclean meats, the Laws of love, mercy, kindness, gentleness, patience etc. because they were passed down from Adam. Noah was the tenth from Adam, the son of Lamech whose father was Mathusela who was the son of Enoch, the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Malaleel who was the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam. Thus Noah was able to receive knowledge from the Grandson of Seth. Also we are told Abraham obeyed God's commandments statutes and Laws, Genesis 26:5 so we can see there was a lot of knowledge of the Laws of God and His Truth long before Mt. Sinai. Say - There is another "door" Christ talks about in the Bible through a parable, " 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door (I represent) of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers (false prophets, Christ is not speaking of Moses, Abraham, His Prophets or John the Baptist, etc. because they all pointed to the True Shepherd, Jesus Christ but those who did not point to Christ were false prophets and many today as well): but the sheep did not hear them (didn't understand). 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" John 10:7-9. (Just as for Noah, this "door" is likened unto the soon coming Kingdom of God. Christ is saying there is only one way to enter in order to be in the Kingdom of God, it is through following Jesus Christ. We cannot make up our own religion.).
Say - Finally the flood came and all those inside the ark were saved and the remainder of the people who would not listen to Noah, perished. Possibly many beat on the door to get in but it was too late. The Bible tells us when Christ returns the same thing will happen, " 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" Matthew 24:50-51. In another place Christ said, 11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment (a garment of righteousness as Noah had): 12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless (they did not want God's Laws or listen to Him or obey Him). 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness (outside the Kingdom of God for if we do not follow Him now, we are saying we are not interested in the Kingdom of God), there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen Matthew 22:11-14. Say - God gives understanding to those who accept His teachings not change them or add to them; He doesn't force His Way on anyone and we all must choose just like Noah. Now the ark is finished and Noah takes the next step of faith to go into the ark. We must remember this was a desert region where it very seldom rained; think about what we would be thinking personally. 2Of 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 ("Clean beast" here is not referring to dirty vs. clean but means "pure" as in the law of God of "clean and unclean animals" found in Leviticus 11. Three pairs were to be taken for the purpose of food on the ark and for sacrifices. But the 7th clean animal was to be used for sacrifices when the ark returned to dry land. Noah did not forget his religion and way of life with God just because he was safely inside the ark. Also make note here the knowledge of "clean and unclean" animals was known long before the Levitical Priesthood.). Say - Part of living a holy life for God is not only what we think but also what we eat. Leviticus 11 gives us the Law of God on "clean and unclean" meats just as Noah knew; if an animal is not "clean", don't eat it for we are the "temple of God" where the "new creature" resides, I Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Say - God tells us what He thinks through His Prophet Isaiah when His people in spite of knowing what His law is disobey, " 3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face;... which eat swine's flesh (pig/pork), and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; 5 Which say,
...come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day" Isaiah 65:3-5, Isaiah 66:17. 3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4For yet seven days, (After Noah went into the ark, God and His great mercy gave the wicked 7 more days to repent but sadly they would not, why? "because they believed not in God and trusted not in His salvation" Psalm 78:22. The Bible also tells us "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all" Luke 17:27).and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; (Forty is significant in that it is a type of testing or judgment. God had warned the people through Noah but they would not listen; He said, "39See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth" Deuteronomy 32:39. God had made everything to work and live in complete harmony and His creation became corrupt.). 5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him (The rest of the world did not. We must learn from Noah, no "ifs", "ands" or "buts". The rest were not willing to listen to God their Creator. God wants us to be diligent, busy studying, learning of Him and His ways and walking in the way of God not compromising with the ways of the world and the only way we will know which way to choose is if we are studying and learning God's way of life). 6And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth (ground). 7And 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. 8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth (God repeats it for emphasis, some commentaries say about 45,000 animals!), 9There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened (began to rain). 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights (Re-read vs. 4 about "judgments"). 13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark (This was symbolic of Noah being totally pure because he was close to God and
God kept him as the "apple of His eye". God cared greatly for Noah and protected him and his family). 14They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in ("shut him in" means God "covered him round about" because Noah was under God's divine protection and care and love; that is where we want to be! The spiritual lesson here is of salvation, Noah was "saved". In our continued study we will see how God "covered many round about" with His divine protection.). 17And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark (supported the ark), and it was lift up above the earth. 18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered (were hidden). 20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered (22 1/2 ft. above the highest mountain tops, this was not a partial flood as some try to say but a universal flood for the Bible tells us 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. Psalm 104:6.) 21And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died (judgments of this type destroyed everything connected with sin, read Genesis 19:25 says, "25And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground" and Exodus 9:6 says, "6And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one"). 23And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days (five months, even though all was dead, the length of the flood was to show God's hate for sin and wickedness and the good which comes to the righteous. Read "14Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but
their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD" Ezekiel 14:14. Noah did not fear even though "the waters roared and were troubled and though the mountains shook with the swelling thereof" Psalm 46:3. Why did Noah not fear, because he was "shut in" or "covered round about" by God his Savior and that is where we want to be in the "Hand of God"!). MEMORY VERSE 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 GENESIS 7:1 SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON FOR TOTS BELOW
NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD THE ARK OF GOD WAS BUILT AND NOW IT WAS TIME FOR NOAH AND HIS FAMILY TO ENTER IN; "COME AND ALL THEY HOUSE INTO THE ARK" GOD SAID, "FOR IN YOU I HAVE SEEN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND YOU ARE WITHOUT BLEMISH OR SIN. "TAKE WITH YOU OF EVERY CLEAN BEAST BY SEVEN AND THE BEASTS THAT ARE NOT CLEAN BY TWO"; FOR GOD WANTED "TO KEEP SEED ALIVE UPON THE FACE OF ALL THE EARTH". NOW NOAH AND HIS FAMILY WERE ON THE ARK AND THEY WAITED SEVEN MORE DAYS; GOD IN HIS GREAT MERCY WAS GIVING THE WICKED A CHANCE TO REPENT FOR IT WAS GOD'S CARING, LOVING WAY. NOAH WAS 600 YEARS OLD AND NOW HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE SAFELY INSIDE THE ARK, OBEDIENCE TO GOD WAS OF GREAT WORTH; AFTER SEVEN DAYS "THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WERE OPENED AND THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD WAS UPON THE EARTH". "FOR FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS IT RAINED AND THE MOUNTAINS AND HILLS WERE COVERED WHILE OUTSIDE EVERY LIVING THING PERISHED". UP, UP, UP FLOATED THE ARK ON TOP OF THE WATERS; BUT SAFELY INSIDE THE ARK WERE NOAH AND HIS FAMILY, THEY DID NOT FEAR BECAUSE "GOD HAD SHUT THEM IN" AND COVERED THEM ROUND ABOUT FOR THEY WERE IN THE HANDS OF OUR SAVIOUR.