Noah Ark
When men began to increase in numbers on the earth. The Lord God saw how wicked man had become. He saw that the direction of people's lives was towards evil. The crime rates were rising rapidly across the earth. As seen by God the earth was rotten to the core. God was grieved. Man's sin is God's sorrow. He was sorry that He had made man. So God said " I will wipe out from the face of the earth all mankind that I have created - men, animals, reptiles and the birds. I am sorry that I made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Noah was the only righteous man on the face of the earth at that time. Noah's Godly life was a powerful contrast to the wicked lives of his contemporaries. This description of Noah does not imply sinless perfection. The meaning of the word Noah means rest. So the rest got grace in the eyes of the God.
So the God said to Noah 'I will destroy the mankind from the face of the earth. For the earth is filled with crime . So make yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in it and coat it with pitch. The ark is to be 450 feet long,75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring flood on the face of the earth and I am going to destroy every living being. But I will establish the covenant with you. You will enter it with your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every animal - a male and a female - into the ark with you. Store away in the ark all the food that they and you will need. ' So Noah did all that God told him and he built the ark. The account stress Noah's obedience.
At last the day came when God said to Noah. "Go into your ark, with you and your family because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take all the birds and animals with you." So he obey all the commandments God had given him. Then God closed the door and shut them in.
Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. A week later the floodwaters came on the earth. On that day the rain came down from the mighty torrents from the sky and water under the ground burst forth upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Fourty days and fourty nights. A length of time often characterizing a critical period in redemptive history. As water rose higher and higher above the ground, the ark floated safely upon it. At last water covered the highest mountains under the whole heavens. It stood 22 feet above the highest peak. And all the living things upon the the earth died. Only Noah and those with him on the ark survived. And water covered the earth 150 days.
God didn't forget Noah and all the animals in the ark. He sent a wind across water. And so water began to recede. At the end of 150 days the ark came to rest upon mountain of Ararat. Three months later the the tops of the mountains became visible. After fourty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and he let a raven go. It kept flying back and forth until the earth was dry. Meanwhile he sent out a dove to see if it could find dry ground. But it couldn't find to set it's feet so it came back to Noah. After 7 days he again sent out the dove. This time it came with an olive leaf. So he came to know that the water was almost gone. A week later he again sent out the dove and it didn't come back. 29 days later he removed the covering from the ark to see whether or not the surface was dry. Eight more weeks went by. Then at last the earth was dry. Then God told Noah " you may all go out." So Noah and his family got off the ark and so did all the animals and birds.
Then Noah built an alter. He sacrificed on it some animals and birds. So God was pleased with Noah. And He decided that He will never curse the earth again and destroy all the living beings. So He sealed His promise with the sign of the rainbow.
Application
- God always prepares his children before crises.
- Here Noah built the ark on the dry land. It took him 120 years to built it. Think about it how many times would have his friends and nieghbours laughed at him. It's no fun when your friends and neighbours laugh at you. But Noah did it because he wanted to obey God
-Noah would understand full implications of God's covenant with him only after the floodwaters had dried up. So whenever God gives us task , we must trust Him completely because when the task would be completed only then we see the blessings of God
- The story of Noah's salvation from the flood illustrates God's redemption of His children and typifies baptism. God extends His loving concern to the whole family of righteous.
- A rainbow reminds us that God keeps His promises. Remember to keep your promises too.
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