Noah: Saving Your Family in a Dark World – Part 4
This principle of letting God speak for Himself is a very valuable tool in our study arsenal. Let us not limit the Father to things we understand.
Read Time: 9 minutes
If you like math and/or numerology, this article is for you. As a community, we generally accept some basic numerology. Some take it too far, in my estimation, but the basics are so obvious they get our attention. This article is by no means intended to be an exhaustive class on numbers, and there are certainly more qualified (and interested) brethren to tackle that. Still, a few that routinely get my attention are as follows:
- 5 grace (hand of God),
- 6 man (creation day—666),
- 7 completion (generally of a covenant—days of creation, Noah’s story),
- 8 new beginning (day 7+1),
- 12 Israel (tribes), and
- 40 generations (generally referring to judgment—wilderness wandering, the temptation of Jesus).
The focus of this article will be on the completion of the covenant regarding Noah, and to do that, we will highlight the use of the number 7 throughout the chapter. Remember, in ancient Hebrew, there is no punctuation, so emphasis is provided by repetition.
In Genesis 7:1, Noah is declared righteous by grace (Genesis 6:8). With a population estimate in the millions, perhaps closer to a billion, that is an astounding declaration. Considering the protracted life span and absence of birth control, the math gets pretty tough very quickly on any reasonable extrapolation based on child-producing years. Noah’s righteousness is before God and not self-righteousness.
God gives us free will to serve him or serve self.
In fact, 2 Peter 2:5 states Noah was “the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,” giving us a clue as to what type of life he led. Remember #8 from our introduction above? Noah and his wife were one in marriage; therefore, they combined were the 7th and 8th (completion of the covenant and a new beginning), making this union a marvelous type of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Note the condemnation of the world as ungodly. There was no room for God when their time was consumed with eating, drinking, and marrying. God takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” and there is sadness when the wicked are slain, but God gives us free will to serve him or serve self. This is His process. Many are called, but a precious few are chosen, telling us that the cost of redemption is very high.
For us to be called to a knowledge of His truth and offered an opportunity to be included in His family, there are thousands upon thousands of others who chose self-service and death. This is a righteousness we cannot earn. Our righteousness is really our emulation of God’s righteous attributes in our service toward him.
“Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens” is the start of Genesis 7:2. This is evidence that there was a law from God before the Law of Moses. Clean animals are those acceptable for food, and those acceptable for sacrifice are included (not all clean animals are acceptable offerings). This is actually very logical and practical. If these are edible, you need more than one pair, or you will wipe out a species at each BBQ or feast!
In Hebrew, the male and female are the words to describe the man and his wife. This verse is the only one in Scripture where these words are used to describe animals. The RSV calls these seven pairs, and the Hebrew supports this as the word is actually doubled (seven seven). Whether that be for emphasis or multiplication is an interesting debate. In verse 3, the fowls of the air are added to the “sevens” count (seven seven again). This is “to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth” which is preservation, not re-creation.
Verse 4 adds 7 days of final warning. The word “rain” is only used by Moses in the Hebrew Testament, and he does so 5 times (grace). The verse also mentions 40 twice, a generation or judgment, which in this case is both (compare to verse 1). The word “destroy” means “to blot out” (same as Genesis 6:7) in the Hebrew and RSV. It is translated in several places to emphasize personal accountability (e.g., Exodus 32:32-33 and Psalm 51:9).
Verse 5 repeats the all declaration of Genesis 6:22, almost like a bookend from building to gathering. Verse 6 we referred to already as the years of Noah’s life mentioned in 6 hundreds—the number of man and the flesh. Verses 7-9 recount the entry into the ark. All three of the children noted are married, yet none are with a child yet (at least in the record, or this gets even more tragic). Lots of shadows here. The birds and beasts are used to describe Israel and the Gentiles in Hosea 2.
Reading Isaiah 34-35 with no break is also a worthy exercise, as we see nations coming to the ark door for salvation as the only access to the Father. And, of course, verse 10 completes the 7 days of final warning, which now puts us 1656 years after creation (math from Genesis 5) as we transition to verse 11, waters above (thunder showers), waters below (overflowing of rivers, lakes, seas, perhaps geysers, earthquakes, and tsunamis). Factoring the waters all around, we have a type for baptism. One more thought is to note that the ark landed in Ararat. Therefore, the ark floated north (or opposite of the natural flow pattern) because God is in control.
The next couple of verses show the judgment of the generation, with safety provided inside the ark and misery abundant outside. Isaiah 26:21: “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.” Jesus himself gets very close to home, considering this important lesson with these words in context.
This concept is not easy. Imagine the cries and pleas from those you know and even love as God’s judgment is delivered. We must know that Noah and his family intimately understand our pain when our loved ones walk away from the Father.
Let’s drop down to verse 16. Here, God closed the door. This action alone is a tremendous example of faith. Noah and his sons are not told to design a pulley system or creative contraption to close the door. Simply, the instruction was to build the giant box and leave the side open, trusting that God would take it from there. There is also a measure of mercy in this act.
God did not require them to shut the door on others (including family) but rather took that on himself as the righteous Judge. Verse 17 repeats the 40-day comment again to emphasize the judgment of this generation. In context, Habakkuk 2:14 helps shed some light on the overall purpose. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Water used for cleansing is a common theme in Scripture. The ark being lifted up is a direct tie to the work of Jesus, referencing the water, the wood and provided redeemer to the obedient. Numbers 21 notes this idea as well, and John 3:14 puts them together.
To discuss this further is a separate topic, but we may use the imagery. The serpent represents flesh in Eden, as does the metal brass. The only way they could escape the death of the flesh and its sinful condemnation was to look on the man who was pierced and lifted up, draining water and blood in the end.
Genesis 7:18-19 emphasizes that “the waters prevailed.” Water (the Word of God) versus earth and sin: water wins! The way to overcome the flesh and its lusts is to flood it with the Word of God. Knowing that all of this is preserved for our learning and pointed out by Jesus as a specific object lesson, it would behoove us all to look at ourselves individually and ecclesially.
Our community once had a reputation for being readers and students of God’s Word. The question is, does it still? One of the most dangerous phrases that can be uttered in a Bible class or discussion is “I think.” We must continue to immerse our thinking in the Word of God, or we will replace it with the thinking of flesh.
The current trend is toward Humanism and letting whatever is “right in our own eyes” be “our truth.” What a sad condemnation of society at large and even the state of the ecclesia in general. Nothing wrong with having a thought to share. Just do not elevate the thoughts of man to the level of Scripture. Every relationship worth having requires a two-way dialog. We speak to our God in prayer, and He speaks back to us through His written Word. Without Bible reading, we jeopardize the relationship by talking without even listening.
Water was not the problem. Water was the salvation. The flesh that was corrupting the way of God was the real problem. If we are not consciously fighting flesh daily, we are losing. Their time was up, and God’s patience was gone. This is a model for us in our day to be prepared!
Genesis 7:20 tells us that the water was fifteen cubits, or twenty-two feet, over the highest visible mountain. This section includes the commonly used verses to suggest a worldwide flood. We must be careful not to put our God into a corner He did not choose. Our opinion does not matter. You can believe the Flood was regional or worldwide, as evidence supports both theories. However, we should be careful not to feel so strongly about it one way or the other as to think those who disagree with us are wrong.
When we dig our heels in, we miss the key point. For God’s Word to be correct, all humans had to die. The animals are amoral and only have to die due to their proximity to humankind. As long as we agree that everywhere that humans were, water was, then we are Biblically accurate.
This principle of letting God speak for Himself is a very valuable tool in our study arsenal. The same rules apply to the age of the earth and the creation account in Genesis 1. The Bible does not tell us how long ago the earth was created beyond “In the beginning.” It does tell us that this dispensation of time has lasted approximately 6,000 years. Science suggests that the planet is between 4-5 billion years old. Why would we argue something that may very well be true and, even if it is wrong, gains us nothing? Perhaps this planet was used for other purposes. (Were some of the angels of our dispensation part of a prior creation on this planet? Could that explain where dinosaurs and other similar fossil evidence came from?).
Let us not limit the Father to things we understand. The Hebrew language in Genesis 1 favors these theories. Using evidence like the word “create” being different on day 4 (the “made” of verse 16 differs from the “create” of verse 1) and the word “set” in verse 17 is better rendered as “appoint.” The Hebrew leaves room for the sun to exist before day 4. In fact, having an evening and a morning from day 1 illustrates one revolution of the earth on its axis in orbit around the sun.
In addition, the word “replenish” in verse 28 is the same as that used in Genesis 9:1 after the Flood, which certainly intended repopulation. The point is that true science will always match true Bible study. When they don’t, one of them is flawed. Believing that the Bible says the earth is 6,000 years old is an example of flawed Bible study. Believing in macroevolution is an example of flawed science (not following the scientific method and changing the theory when the hypothesis fails the test).
Let’s take a moment to highlight a fundamental principle regarding our efforts as Bible students. We all produce thoughts and ideas as to what we “think” something in Scripture means. We must be careful not to get so locked in on our own thinking that we ignore the Scriptures refuting our theory. Letting God lead us inevitably means that some of our thoughts are wrong. When we refuse to modify our thinking to match the Scriptural teaching, we, in effect, have become our own God.
When we look to the Scriptures to validate our thinking, we sacrifice context and latch on to anything that might appear to support the thought. What a dangerous dilemma this presents! Another perilous and blasphemous “thought” that can ruin the efforts of a Bible student is writing off the Scriptures that do not match your desired theory (or modern sensibility) as if they “do not apply to our day.” This implies our God changes his righteousness to match ours! The Word of our God has been preserved for all our edification, and disregarding any of it means discrediting all of it. Let us not be so arrogant as to set YHWH on the sideline to make room for our pet theories or ideas. Let’s prayerfully ask God to guide us through his Word and search the Scriptures to reveal his glorious plan and not create our own.
From verses 21-23, we have repetition for emphasis, and then we get some new information in verse 24. 150 days equals 5 lunar months, which ends the chapter with a reminder of the grace behind the preservation of the faithful remnant.
It seems fitting to close this article with a quote from Proverbs 3:5.
Dennis Bevans,
Austin Leander Ecclesia, TX