NOAH’S ARK
Genesis 6:9-22
Bible Stories We Remember Series
July 17, 2016
Pastor Nathan Thompson
This July/August our sermon series is titled “Bible Stories We Remember.” There are many wonderful Old Testament Bible stories that perhaps you read and learned as kids; yet as you have grown older you perhaps have not heard these stories as much.
Sometimes we may think that we need to graduate to the hard core Bible stuff like Revelation; Romans; or we need to analyze the theology of the Apostle Paul. However it is very important that we never ever forget these beloved Bibles stories that we learned as a child.
Therefore throughout the remainder of these summer Sundays we’re going to look at stories like Abraham & Isaac, David & Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, etc. We will discover many of the important things that God can teach us from these fun and interesting stories.
Therefore this morning we will look at Genesis 6 and take a look at the favorite Bible story Noahand the Ark. Some important background information: Noah was the grandson of Methusalah who lived to the ripe old age of 969 years. He probably lived somewhere in relative close proximity to where the Garden of Eden is thought to have been.
When Noah enters the scene in Chapter 6 he is already 500 years old and has three sons. The name “Noah” means rest. He is described in 6:9, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”
This is a great description. It should motivate us to ask ourselves, “Are we walking with God?” Where are we at in our faith relationship with Jesus? What would it take for us to be righteous and blameless in our work in business; in our homes; in our relationships, etc?
It is important to note that the story of Noah is really about two floods not just one. The Bible tells us that the world at that time was flooded with evil and wickedness. There was a tremendous amount of depravity; things in this world were out of whack. People were not living the way that God intended or designed.
Which of course is still true in our world today; just look at our popular culture. I read an article not too long ago about how graphic movie violence guarantees success. It also talked about how some fairly wholesome pop music icons have put blatant sexual messages and imagery into their music and videos simply to remain competitive.
People today have an attraction to evil that comes from one's own original sinfulness; from one's own depravity. Even though people often know what is right we often choose what is evil. In the same way even though God has laid out his purposes and guidelines for his creation people so often choose to follow their own ways rather than God's ways.
Genesis 6:5 says that God saw all this wickedness and evil and was literally devastated. In fact verse 6 says that God actually regrets what has happened; he grieves deeply. This definitely shows God’s great love and deep emotion for his creation even when we stray away.
God is not sorry he created human beings; rather he is sorry that people have strayed away. He is sorry that people have embraced such terrible sin and evil. He is sorry that they have to experience such horrible and destructive things.
Therefore God’s plan in 6:7 is to end it all. He decides he is going to take out his eraser and erase everything. Yet in 6:8 there is one problem—Noah. God has a very special place in his heart for Noah.
Genesis acknowledges that the actual number of people who remembered the greatness of God; the number of those who acknowledged that God is creator, sustainer, source of love had dwindled to just one. Noah alone was righteous in the eyes of God.
Genesis 6 does not mince any words as to just how far things had gotten out of hand; there is lots of bizarre behavior. Therefore in 6:3 God says, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
It was at this point that God imposed a time limit—120 years. It was a last chance for the people to get their lives straightened out. It was then during that time that God had Noah build a giant illustration—an ark—in order to get their attention and warn them.
I’m pretty sure you remember how the rest of this story goes. God lets Noah in on his plan to destroy the earth. God sends the message that he will not overlook; he will not ignore this sin. God then gives Noah some very detailed blueprints for constructing this ark.
God tells Noah that he and his family will be spared if in faith he follows these instructions exactly as they are given. Verse 14 says that the ark was to be 450 ft. long, 75 ft wide, and 45 ft. high. A cubit is middle finger to elbow, about 17-22 inches.
In Verse 17 God says that a flood is coming yet I will make a covenant (promise) with you. He is to gather up two of every animal which was not an easy task. God tells him to bring his family with and to get ready for the storm.
Is it any wonder that Noah’s neighbors thought he had gone completely off the deep end? Why is this guy building this huge boat hundreds of miles from the sea? Every time they passed his house; took their dog for a walk; went to Wal-Mart they would see this huge boat.
Each person was given a choice; either believe that there is a God worthy of respect and worship or believe that Noah had gone completely insane. God is a God of second chances; he is a God of grace and forgiveness; yet the people continued in their evil ways.
Therefore Noah and his family worked hard on this project and stayed completely faithful to God’s request. Chapter 6:22 is the key, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Obedience to God is so important. Noah’s life was a witness to his neighbors. He stood out against the darkness; corruption; evil of this world.
Genesis 7:6 Noah is now 600 years old. Verses 11-12 points out that the time has now come to get in the ark and close the doors. There is then 40 days and 40 nights of rain. In verse 19 it says that all the mountains were covered; verse 24 says the waters swelled for 150 days.
However in Chapter 8 the message comes that God remembered Noah. At the end of 150 days God caused the waters to recede. It was then that the ark came to settle into the mountains of Ararat which today is in eastern Turkey.
Noah sent out a dove which ultimately came back with an olive leaf. Then God told them to get out and unload the animals. Then the very first thing that Noah does is to build an altar and to worship God. That was Noah’s number one priority before everything—to thank God.
Finally in verse 21 God makes a promise to Noah (as well as to all the people yet to come) that he will never destroy all the people like this again. He acknowledges that we are born with sin and evil yet he still looks at us in love and grace.
In Chapter 9 it says that God provides for their needs—he shows them love and grace. God establishes a covenant with Noah and his descendants; an unbreakable promise punishable by death. God even picks a covenant symbol; the rainbow.
Therefore in looking at this amazing Bible story there are many important things we can learn from Noah. First we learn that sin and depravity are a present reality; we are surrounded with much evil in our world today. Yet with God’s help and grace we can make a stand; we can be a light in the darkness. Repentance and forgiveness are a part of God’s plan for you.
The second thing we learn from Noah is that obedience is the key. Are we being faithful to God’s Word and to his commands? Are we trusting in him with our whole hearts; are we following his will and plan for us? God calls us to obey his commands.
The third thing we learn is that the main point of this story is not for us to be more like Noah; it is rather to trust completely in God. In other words if God tells you to build a boat, build a boat. If he tells you to follow him you are to do so. God is a creative and loving Father who wants only what is best for you.
The final thing we learn from this Bible story is that God is a God of law and of grace. In other words, God gives us rules and guidelines to follow because he loves us. Since we often fail, however, God also offers us the gift of grace in his son Jesus Christ.
The flood was a definitely a terrible thing; yet it was not as bad as if God had ignored this sin. God shared his grace with Noah; he also shares his grace with us. In 1 Peter 3:20, Peter compares the ark to baptism; he points out how life rises out of death. Because Jesus died for us we are now raised to new life. Jesus is our rainbow in the storm.
Therefore just like Noah we can find safety and security in God who will preserve, protect and sustain us. As we walk with him daily we can find the strength and help we need to live a holy life in an unholy and sinful world.