Lesson
2
The
Righteous Family Preserved
II. The
Righteous Family Preserved
A. Faith and Action
Required
Notice that while God
made a way of escape, He required faith and action on Noah's part. God gave
Noah specific instructions on how the ark was to be built. The type of wood,
(gopher) the size, (300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high) the
number of doors and windows (one) and floors (three) were all decided by God.
The Lord even told Noah how many animals to take into the ark. He was to take
the clean beasts by sevens, and the unclean by twos. (See Genesis 7:2).
B. One Plan of
Escape
What if Noah, like
Cain, had decided to do things his own way? What if he had added another window
or door, or used a different type of wood, or changed any other detail of God's
plan? Without any doubt at all, his family would have perished in the flood along
with the rest of sinful, disobedient humanity. God has never spared those who
were disobedient to His Word. Because of Eve's sin, the first human couple had
to leave the beautiful Garden in Eden. Because of Cain's sin, the Lord set a
mark upon him and banished him from His presence. Because of the sinfulness of
the human race, the whole world— except Noah and his family—were
destroyed. As God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man. .
." (Genesis 6:3).
However, God saved
Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness. (See II Peter 2:5.) Evidently, Noah
not only prepared for his family, but warned others as well of the impending
judgment and their need to repent and obey God. His message, however, went
unheeded. God, in His long-suffering, was waiting for mankind to repent. (See I
Peter 3:20.) The end result was, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his
house." (See Hebrews 11:7.)
The home is still the
place to start the devotional life before God, and is the preserver of the
godly life within the family.
C. The Place of
Safety
One week before the
flood, Noah and his family were led of God into the ark. The Lord also directed
the animals in, after which God shut the door. (See Genesis 7:15, 16.) Noah was
600 years old. (See Genesis 6:11.)
The rain began to
fall, and the fountains of the deep were broken up. Steadily, the depth of the
water increased for the 40 days. The water continued to cover the mountains for
110 more days. At the end of 150 days, the waters began to subside. The waters
decreased continually for another 150 days. The ark rested upon the mountains
of Ararat in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month. On the
first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. The ark
came to a rest upon the mountains of Ararat.
Forty days later, Noah
opened the window and sent out a raven and a dove. The dove found no place to
land, and returned to the ark. After seven days, Noah sent the dove out again,
and when it returned, the bird had an olive leaf in its mouth. Finally, after
an additional seven days, Noah sent forth the dove again, and it never
returned.
D. Noah Receives a
Promise
After a year and 17
days. God told Noah, together with his family and the animals, to leave the
ark. (See Genesis 8:13-18). One of the first things that Noah did upon leaving
the ark was to build an altar upon which he offered burnt offerings to the
Lord.
How many homes have a
family altar? Today many excuse themselves on the ground that the pace of life
has been so speeded up that there is no time for family devotion and prayer.
The Lord said, "I
will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of
man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more
everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and
winter, and day and night shall not cease" (Genesis 8:21-22).
This was not the end
of God's communication with Noah, however. As He had commanded the first man
and woman. God told Noah and his family to multiply and fill the earth. (See
Genesis 9:1.) He said that from that time forward, animals would fear men and
be used by men for food, except for the blood. (See Genesis 9:2-4.) Also, God
instituted human government by providing that murderers suffer capital
punishment. (See Genesis 9:5, 6.)
To Noah and his sons. God said, "And I, behold, I
establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every
living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every
beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of
the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh
be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a
flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant
which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for
perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token
of a covenant between me and the earth" (Genesis 9:9-13).