Journey Through the Bible 10 – The Flood – 2

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Journey Through the Bible 10 – The Flood – 2

Sermon by  Thomas Thornhill Jr


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NOTE: There is no pre-recording of this lesson.  The audio from our assembly will be applied after the recording.   Time permitting, I will produce a video in the coming week.  TT

JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE (10)

As we continue our journey through the Bible, we are currently examining period 2 of 17 Bible periods.  Period 1 was before the flood and period 2 is the flood itself.  In our last lesson, we began dealing with this 2nd period.  Specifically we noted Genesis 6, events leading up to the flood and we were introduced to Noah and the building of the ark.  In today’s lesson, we will notice the flood itself and the results of the flood.

 

  1. The Flood itself – Genesis 7-8:19
    1. The account and observations
      1. Noah is instructed to enter the ark. He is again declared righteous before God.  He was 600 years old when he entered the ark (7:6).  He entered with 8 people – He and his wife, and his 3 sons and their wives.   The animals went into the ark, both clean and unclean (7-9).
      2. 10-12 it began to rain and after 7 days the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heave were opened. It rained for 40 days solid.
    2. The LORD shut them in (7:16).
    3. (7:17- 24) Water levels rose and the ark began to float. The waters prevailed 15 cubits (22 ½ feet) above the mountains.  All flesh died that moved on the earth – birds, cattle, beasts, creeping things and man.  The waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days (likely after the 40 days of rain so the total to that point – 190 days or a little over 6 months.
    4. Genesis 8:1-19 tells us “Then God remembered Noah” and all animals on the ark.
      1. Thus, God made a wind to pass over the earth and waters began to subside. The sources of water were stopped and for another 150 days the waters receded.
      2. In the 7th month, 17th day, 6 months to the day after the earth started flooding, the ark rested on Mount Ararat. They waited in the ark for about 4 more months (about 3 months later mountain peaks were visible).
      3. Then Noah begins to send out birds. First a raven that kept flying to and fro.  Then he sent out a dove which found no resting place so she returned to the ark.  7 days later, the dove was sent out again and this time returned with an olive leaf.  7 days later, she was ent out again and did not return.
      4. So, on the first day of the next year (Noah’s 601st year), he removed the cover and the ground was dry. Then about 2 months later, Noah and his family were told by God they could go out of the ark and all the animals left with them.
    5. A global flood – evidence today.
      1. Some want to contend that the flood was a local event, affecting only a part of the world, even only a region. But, the Bible portrays it as worldwide.  Consider the following:
        1. The Bible gives the source of the waters – fountains of the deep and windows of heaven. Massive water from both below and above.
        2. The Bible account describes the waters as being above the mountains by 15 cubits.   IT also states in Gen. 7:19 that the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
        3. It lasted for almost 1 year, plenty of time, with the help of God, to deal with the dead matter of organisms.
      2. Even on high mountains, sea-animal fossils are found. Thus the fossil record is supported by the flood account.  Considering that a fossil is typically the result of a catastrophic event (which prevents decomposition and consumption by other creatures).  Geologists who profess an old earth admit that much of today’s land was at one time under water, because of these fossils. We also find in the fossil record places that are “fossil graveyards”, and add to this massive coal and oil deposits (which are created by plant and animal burials and pressure), which is consistent with a catastrophic flood that is universal.   Furthermore, the various layers of strata are more consistent with a universal flood than millions and billions of years.  The flood is the Bible’s consistent answer to these things.
      3. Other problems with evolutionary science is that it depends on uniformity – the belief that how the world is now is the way it has always been. BUT, the way the Bible is written, it is clear that AFTER the flood, the world changed in many ways.  For example, we find that Noah lived 350 years after the flood and then died.  He is the last recorded person who lived nearly a millennia.  It is also likely the atmosphere changed after the flood – the waters above the earth that could have provided protection for man was gone.   Plus, we know that catastrophic events change things drastically.  Can you think of a greater natural catastrophe than the Noahic flood?
      4. Other considerations –
        1. If only a localized flood, why did Noah need to build an ark, AND why an ark of the dimensions of a huge ship?
        2. God could have told Noah and family to move somewhere that was not going to be destroyed by flood. The same is true with the animals.
        3. Also, population estimates of the world over a 1500 year period, especially with the life expectancy of more than 500 years, likely would have exceeded a billion. If so, people would have needed to spread out, so the area would have been substantially larger to accommodate that population.
        4. NOTE: If the flood was only local, based on God’s promise, why do we still see local, devastating floods?
      5. What is the big deal about this? It has to do with the integrity and authority of scripture.  If you try to reconcile the Bible with evolutionary geology, you are saying God made this story up, if it was God.
  2. After the flood – Genesis 8:20-9:29
    1. Noah sacrifices to God – 8:20 – the first thing Noah does after he leaves the ark is build an altar and he took 1 of every clean animal and offered burnt offerings to the LORD.
    2. God’s vow concerning the earth – 8:21-22 – the LORD smelled the soothing aroma (He accepted the offering) and made a vow to never again destroy the earth as He had done. Nor would He curse the ground for man’s sake (as He had done because of Adam’s sin).  Furthermore, He declared, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
    3. We also note in this text that God KNEW man would again sin because his heart is evil from his youth. (8:21)
      1. God knew the nature of man by what He had observed.
      2. NOTICE how this understanding exists even though Noah was a righteous man. This tells us that while the efforts of parents have the greatest influence on their children (cf. Proverbs 22:6), that is not always a guarantee.  Sometimes children, being free-moral agents, act as they do IN SPITE OF how they were raised, both for good and bad.
      3. Also note that this does NOT say we inherit the sin of Adam. As mentioned in this text, He did not indict Adam but talked about man’s heart in general.  Cf. Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 1:20-21, etc.
    4. Be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 9:1 – the same instruction given to Adam and Eve and all of living creation was again issued (Genesis 1:28-29).
    5. The fear of animals – 9:2 – following the flood, animals would naturally be fearful of man.
    6. Eat meat, but not its blood – 9:3-4 –
      1. There is no indication that prior to the flood, men were meat eaters. But after the flood, meat was given to them to eat.  BUT they were forbidden to eat blood as it represented life
      2. This is a law that was true in ALL dispensations – patriarchal dispensation (our text); Mosaic dispensation – Leviticus 7:26, 17:10-14; Christian dispensation – Acts 15:20, 28-29.
      3. Concerning blood being the life of that which is living, just remember that it is the shedding of blood that produces the remission of our sins (Hebrews 10:4). And of course, it is with the blood of Jesus that our sins are washed away (Revelation 1:5, cf. Ephesians 2:13, 1 John 1:7, Matthew 26:28, 1 Peter 1:18-19, etc.)
    7. Death penalty – 8:5-6 –
      1. This is the first time we find capital punishment mentioned in scripture.
      2. Recall how Cain, while greatly punished, was not put to death.
      3. After the flood, that changed – God put in place a law that if one sheds another’s blood (intentionally), the penalty would be his own life. Why?  This demonstrates the sanctify of life.
      4. If a society is to survive and thrive, one of its principles must be to value human life (which is why we ought to oppose abortion, euthanasia, etc.).
      5. Again, this was part of the LOM – Exodus 21:12-14, and part of the Christian (NT) age – cf. Acts 25:11, Romans 13:1-4 – God declared governments do not bear the sword in vain. Paul’s point is clear that governments have the right to punish wicked behavior, even to the point of putting one to death.  This solidifies the sanctity of life.  A society that fails to adequately punish evil doers will only produce more evil.  We are seeing this today.
      6. Consider also Ecclesiastes 8:11 – Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
    8. God’s covenant with Noah and every living creature –
      1. 8:9, “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, contextually, this is a reference to His promise to never again destroy the world by water.
      2. The rainbow was given as a sign of this covenant. While today the rainbow has been hijacked to symbolize acceptance of homosexuality, the REAL rainbow that we see in the sky after a rain is a reminder of God’s promise in this text.
      3. NOTE: Also, God’s promise made in Genesis 3:15 had yet to be fulfilled, thus that covenant needed to be fulfilled. Because of this, genealogies will continue to be mentioned and God’s promise will continue developing.
  3. Noah’s error (9:18-29)
    1. 9:18-19 – notes that from Noah’s sons the whole earth was populated.
    2. 9:20-21 – Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. He drank wine and became drunk and uncovered in his tent.
      1. This is the first mention of wine and drunkenness in the Bible. We see its negative effects.  The Bible has very little good to say about intoxicating drinks.  Proverbs 20:1 says, Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
      2. We have addressed in past lessons why as Christians we should not drink intoxicating beverages. 1 Peter 4:3 speaks of different levels of drinking from the drunken binge to the social office party.  While science may tout some benefit to moderate usage, I cannot think of a single benefit that cannot be achieved WITHOUT alcohol and WHILE maintaining total sobriety.  We are constantly called upon to be sober (Romans 12:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, Titus 2:12, 1 Peter 5:8, etc.).  Alcohol loosens our inhibitions, as it did to Noah.
      3. ANOTHER thought – up to this point everything we have heard about Noah was good and righteous. Here we find a failure in his life.  One thing continually emphasized throughout scripture, and even among God’s most righteous is their human flaws and failures.  This gives us hope even though from time to time we may fall as well.  God provides the path for His people to return to Him –  Acts 8:22, 1 John 1:9, etc.   God does not expect us to be perfect, but He DOES expect us to be trying and improving (i.e. drawing closer to God).
    3. 9:22 – Ham saw the nakedness of Noah and then he told his brothers. This text is an enigma to me, but we know Ham did something wrong. Shem and Japheth took a garment and covered their father – they did something right.  While not an exact parallel, I think of Proverbs 17:9, He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
    4. 9:24-27 – when Noah found out what Ham had done, he cursed Ham (Canaan) and declared that his descendants would serve his brothers. He then blessed Shem (from whom Abraham would come) and Japheth.  We will note their nations in the next lesson.  NOTE: In time, Japheth (who would be the father of Gentiles) and Shem (father of Jews) would dwell together.  Could this be prophetic of the coming of Christ, who would, bring salvation and break down the walls of separation between Jews and Gentiles? (cf. Ephesians 2:13-16)
    5. 9:28-29 – Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at 950 years of age.

 

And thus we see some observations about the flood and what happened after the flood.  As noted in our previously lesson, when I study the account of the flood, not only am I reminded of the greatness of God, but also the promised coming judgment.  He judged the world back then and He has promised He will again come and judge the world, this time by fire, and it will bring to an end this world (2 Peter 3:10-13).  But we by faith, when we obey God as Noah did, can live with hope that He will save us in the end.  What about you?  Are you preparing for His return?

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