Noah and the Ark
A story we’ve all heard, but do we know it? As with Jonah and the Fish, we (will) find that the story of Noah and the Ark is not the story of Noah, the Ark, of the flood. But a story about God and His merciful love, and His redemptive plan.
It is here that we can see our Father’s heart for His creation (yes, destroyed, but destroyed to save it - it could not be allowed to go on as it was and would have, committed to evil and wickedness). In this story, we see God’s heart for mankind, and in particular, His chosen ones (1Peter 2:), those who would believe God (Rom 4) and receive from Him the right to become His children (John 1:) - by faith, believing Him and receiving His love.
The foreshadowing of Jesus…. God’s mercy, His time, Hebrews 1, Gen 15
It is the story of God seeing Noah’s believing faithfulness, crediting to him as righteousness, and scooping up his loved ones, God cradles them in His merciful grace (the Ark) and brings them to a “promised land” - a rejuvenated, restored earth, prepared for a new generation, and in Noah, His children and the message of hope they would bring to all who would follow “God loves you, He is able, willing, and wanting to save, to redeem, to forgive you sins, and save you from the destruction and death of your sin and bring you into the kingdom of light by His Son, Jesus (the Ark of grace by which we are saved).
Colossians 1:12-14 giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Noah, a preacher of righteousness…
God desires to He fill the kingdom of heaven with “many brothers and sisters” with and for His Son (John 17:24; Heb 2:10-18; , a Bride to whom the Son would be wed, that they, we, who believe God, who know Him and love Him, having been loved (by Him (1John 4:19), would live together eternally - on what will be the fully redeemed and restored earth, in the new Jerusalem - for which we wait in hope. (Isaiah 66:22; Romans 8:22-25; 2Peter 3:13; Rev 21:1,27).
This is the story of God’s long-suffering…
This a Story of God’s patience and long-suffering, bearing up the sin of the world while Noah preached a message of hope through repentance in response to God’s kindness expressed by His Divine patience - as God wishes that all would be saved - in Christ Jesus. (Matthew 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–27; Romans 2:1-4; 1Peter 3:20; 2Peter 3:8-9, 15)
The story of God’s always working, and always at just the right time - Romans 5:6; Galatians 4:4; 1Peter 1:20
Genesis 6 corrupt covenant Noah finds favor with the Lord…
The beauty of God's image - reflected in the daughters of men, the distorting of that image
The changing nature of mankind and God’s relationship with them - 120 years - this may foreshadow a change in the nature of the relationship between man and animals (Gen 9:2)
Self
The world
God
Niphilim - https://www.gotquestions.org/Nephilim.html
The heart of humans were only evil all the time… Romans 3
God regretted, His heart was deeply troubled… Isaiah 53; Ezek 18:23
It is NOT that God saw that He had made a mistake in making man, but that…
He was sorry for their state, heartsick, and consoled Himself - deeply grieved as He was
Regret: to be sorry, moved to pity, and have compassion, for others - this aspect of God’s “regret” might lead to Noah’s being saved - not just from the flood, but from witnessing all the unrighteousness and wickedness around Him - 2Peter 2:7-8
To be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent, of one's own doings - not that God had sinned, but, that sin had perverted, even wrecked His creation and He would begin again - with those who believed Him and were faithful
Noah was a righteous man… this is God’s declaration of the substance of Noah’s faith as…
Noah walked faithfully with God, having believed God and it would have been credited to him as righteousness - Romans 4:3; Gal 3:6
Noah did everything just as God had commanded Him - faithful obedience - the expression of one who believes God - Jesus’ love language - John 14:21
The enormity of the ark, that it would encompass a remnant of ALL of creation… is a symbol of the enormity of, God’s mercy and grace. The all-encompassing love of God for his children. This love would be the love that would compel him to send His Son (John 3:16-18), and the Son to go (John 10:11-15), and the Spirit to gladly residing us (John 14:16-17). As in Jesus, saved from the deluge of the destruction of sin, we reach the shores of eternity, in peace with God and God with man. (Isa 9:6-7; Luke 2:14)
Genesis 7 God, again, declares Noah righteous
40 days and 40 nights - https://www.gotquestions.org/40-days-Bible.html
Genesis 3 “Surely you will not die“is the lie of the serpant in an attmept to get mankind to NOT BELIEVE God, and here is the ultimate fulfillment of the curse, as all creation would die...
But alas, God always leaves a remnant, a portion of His making, of those who turn to Him and believe, are declared righteous in their believing.
Genesis 8 This is not a short time, but God remembers… peace, peace, is it hospitable?
Genesis 9 God’s Promises… God’s continued mercy and grace, His patience and forebearing…
From the garden’s harmony to this earth’s tension, sin’s destructive force remains - plants and animals - now dread and fear, the tension of sin’s lasting effect, the groaning of creation waiting for its final redemption - Romans 8
Righteous, but not perfect. Declared acceptable by God, despite sins. Continued evidence of the need for a Perfect. And no sacrifices would be pleasing to work, these are foreshadowing to the perfect sacrifice, the perfect lamb, the ark by which we are saved, that is the body of Jesus
Contrast the sin of Canaan and the goodness of Shem
