Genesis 7

Today we are going back into time. This might be hard to imagine, but take a moment and think about this. You’ve been building an ark for 120 years and today is the day you’ve been preparing for. Are you excited, nervous, anxious, relieved? Up until this point, I’m sure Noah received his fair share of taunting from the wicked neighbors around him. Maybe he was in hopeful anticipation of justice being served! In Genesis 7:11-13, it says that on the second month and the seventeenth day, water bursts from the earth and rain fell from the sky. What do you think they were doing when water burst from the earth? Were they eating? Packing? What if someone was using the restroom? Talking about bad timing! Did they sprint to the ark? Were they already inside? 

Did you catch that water came from the ground and the sky? It was like geysers and a rain storm simultaneously. This went on for 40 days. Did they get to get off the boat after the storm ceased? Nope. Verse 24 says the water covered the earth for 150 days. Then God does a trick he will repeat during Moses’ story; He sends a wind to help subside the water.  Then there were 40 more days before land became visible (Gen. 8:5-6). For about three weeks, Noah played fetch with the birds (Gen.8:12). After that, he had to wait three more months until the ground dried (Gen. 8:13). Finally, he waited one more month before the Lord allowed them to leave. Scholars have calculated that to be a total of 377 days. That’s a long time! I’m sure it smelled and they got on each other’s nerves, a lot. 

I wonder what they did as they waited. Did they wait well? Did they wait righteously? What would you have been doing on a boat full of animals for a year? Well, after 121 years, Noah received a promise from God about never flooding the earth again and a covenant which we’ll discuss further tomorrow. I hope Noah thought it was worth it. 

You may still have questions, such as, where did all the water go? How could all these different species of animals come from such a small group of animals? As much as we tried to place ourselves in the shoes of Noah today, we will never know exactly what happened. Even if we were Noah, I’m sure we still might not have the answers to some of these questions. Why not? Well, let’s remember the intent of this story. It’s a historical account, not a scientific journal. It outlines order, structure, and key events. It was probably written to guide the Israelites and eventually us into understanding where we have come from, who God is, our role on this earth, and our relationship to the Father. Expecting the Bible to explain everything that took place would be like reading a driver-in-training study guide and trying to find answers about how to build a car. A drivers’ training manual will help you know the rules of the road and the role you play, but not mechanics of the car you’re driving. 

Yet, don’t be discouraged. Take your questions to God. Write them down and ask Him to reveal His truths to you. Scientists around the world have asked some of these same questions about creation and the flood. They have made some pretty impressive discoveries to answer many of our questions. I don’t doubt there’s still so much more to uncover. If you haven’t had a chance to dive into the resources. Be sure to check them out. 

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