I would like to think we are making our way through the
bible quite nicely. It’s going to be a slow progress. If one chapter a day is
not quick enough for you, then by all means, I encourage you to read ahead.
Read it and soak it in. The only way we are going to get through the ups and
downs of life is to keep the word of God close to our hearts. Let’s continue
with our study.
Today we have Genesis 7. While reading this I have noticed
that people tend to leave things out when they speak of the bible. Remember in
Genesis 6 when God told Noah to take two of every kind of bird and two of every
kind of creature that moved on the earth? Well, there is more to that and you
will see that first thing in Genesis 7.
God tells Noah to go into the ark with his family. Then He
also says to take seven kind of clean animal, a male and its mate. Two of every
kind of unclean animal, a male and it’s mate. And seven of every kind of bird,
a male and it’s mate.
It makes sense really. God’s number is 7. I am a little
confused as to what a clean and unclean animal is though. I am also confused as
to why this is kept bible study. All my life I have been told that Noah only
took two of each kind of animal and bird. But, I guess this is why we should
read the bible for ourselves right?
Ponder on that for a while. The lesson we take from this;
never take someone’s word for it. Go read the bible yourself. J
As we move through what God has to say to Noah, God says to
Noah that in seven days He will make it rain for forty nights and forty days.
That is a long time for it to rain! I get worried about when it rains for a
whole day and my yard becomes super flooded.
Noah, being the awesome follower of God that he was, did
just as God asked and didn’t even stop to think about it. It’s funny that just
from reading the first few chapters of Genesis we already know what we should
be doing. If we disobey God we are only hurting ourselves. But if we listen to
Him and do as He says, we will be the ones on the ark as God prepares to wipe
out everything else on earth. Think about that for a moment.
Noah was 600 years old when God flooded the earth! Do a
little math, God said that man had 120 years before he flooded the earth. So
Noah was already 380 years old when God made the decision. AMAZING! Can you
imagine being able to build a massive boat at such an old age?
God sent all the animals to Noah, all he had to do was load
them into the boat and he had to do this in 7 days. I am sure people think of
it as chaotic, but I always imagined the animals lining up perfectly waiting to
be lead into the ark. It’s a beautiful picture. A small picture of God’s great
power. We are even told when the flood happened!
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the
seventeenth day of the second month – on that day all the sprins of the great
deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” Genesis 7:11
The water rose so high that it covered even the highest
mountains and they were 20 feet and more underwater. I don’t know about you but
I have a bit of a fear of open waters. Imagining looking out of my window on
the ark and seeing nothing but water…it’s kind of freaky! There is no dry land
left. It is all underwater, just as God planned. All creatures, including man,
that walked the earth was no gone, except those that had been saved by the ark.
Only 8 people left in the entire world. I wonder if Noah or any one with him
realized how alone they were.
Once the forty days and forty nights were over the rain
stopped. But the earth stayed flooded for 150 days.
And that is all that Genesis 7 has to say. What used to be a
world full of hate, anger, destruction and wickedness had been wiped away in
what seems like moments. And all it took was a decision by God to rid the world
of the ugliness. Remember that next time you are talking about someone.
Now, go read the next chapter. What happens after the flood?
Much Love,
Heather
