This Lord’s Day we came to Genesis 7, the account of the flood itself. After a century of construction and faithful preaching, Noah received the final command: enter the ark. God gave a seven-day warning before the rains would begin — a final expression of divine patience before judgment fell. In those days, God instructed Noah to bring seven pairs of clean animals (for post-flood sacrifice) and one pair of unclean animals, and Noah, as he has throughout this account, did all that the Lord commanded him.
The embarkation itself is marked by remarkable precision — Moses records the exact date the flood began, the second month, the seventeenth day of Noah’s six-hundredth year. The waters came from two directions simultaneously: the fountains of the great deep burst forth from below, and the windows of heaven opened above. The very separation God made in Genesis 1 between the waters above and below was being undone. When the last animal had entered, God himself shut the door — not Noah. That detail is both comfort and terror, depending on which side of the door you stood on.
The cataclysm that followed was total. The waters rose until all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered — fifteen cubits above their peaks. There is no responsible reading of the text that permits a local flood. Everything with the breath of life on dry land perished. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained. The waters prevailed for 150 days.
Main Points:
- The Command to Enter the Ark (vv. 1–5) — After a century of faithful obedience, Noah received the final instruction. The ark was ready; the time of warning was ending and the time of reckoning was beginning.
- The Embarkation (vv. 6–16) — With exact chronological precision, Noah, his family, and all the animals boarded the ark. The repeated emphasis that Noah did all the Lord commanded him is the text’s testimony to his faithfulness. Then the Lord shut him in.
- The Cataclysm (vv. 17–20) — The same waters that spelled destruction for the world bore the ark safely upward. The flood was global, total, and undeniable — covering even the highest mountains.
- The Devastation (vv. 21–24) — All flesh died. Every living thing with the breath of life on dry land perished. Only Noah and those in the ark were left. The waters prevailed 150 days.
Key line to remember: “The door had been open for decades. Every beam that Noah raised was a sermon… Yet patience spurned becomes condemnation increased.”
Reflection and Preparation
Day 1 — The Patience of God
Read: Genesis 7:1–5; 2 Peter 3:3–9 Adults:
- God waited seven more days after Noah boarded before sending the rain. What does this tell you about God’s character, even in judgment?
- Peter tells us that God’s patience means salvation. In what ways are you tempted to mistake God’s patience for indifference or permission?
- How does reflecting on God’s patience toward you personally shape the way you view those around you who are still outside of Christ?
Children:
- Why do you think God waited seven more days before sending the flood?
- What does it mean that God is patient? Can you think of a time when someone was patient with you?
Day 2 — The Lord Shut Him In
Read: Genesis 7:13–16; John 10:27–30 Adults:
- Noah did not shut the door himself — God did. What is the significance of that for how we understand our salvation?
- Jesus says no one can snatch his sheep from his hand. How does the image of God sealing Noah in the ark illuminate that promise?
- For those outside the ark, the closing of the door was an act of condemnation. What does that mean for our urgency in sharing the gospel?
Children:
- Who shut the door of the ark — Noah or God? Why does that matter?
- If God shuts you in with him, what does that tell you about how safe you are?
Day 3 — The Waters From Above and Below
Read: Genesis 7:10–12; Genesis 1:6–10 Adults:
- The flood came from both the fountains of the great deep and the windows of heaven. How does this connect to the separation God made in Genesis 1? What does it say about the nature of this judgment?
- We were encouraged Sunday to trust Scripture over the shifting conclusions of science. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to hold Scripture as the final authority?
- How does the discovery of vast water reservoirs in the earth’s mantle (2014) encourage your confidence in the reliability of God’s Word?
Children:
- Where did the water for the flood come from?
- God made the world in Genesis 1. What does it tell you about God that he has power over all the water he made?
Day 4 — The Dividing Line
Read: Genesis 7:17–24; Matthew 24:36–44 Adults:
- The dividing line in Genesis 7 is not wealth, intelligence, or decency — it is being inside or outside the ark. How does this challenge the way our culture thinks about who is “good enough”?
- Jesus used the days of Noah as a picture of his own return. What parallels do you see between Noah’s generation and our own?
- How does the totality of the flood’s devastation shape the way you think about the coming final judgment?
Children:
- What was the only thing that kept Noah and his family safe from the flood?
- Jesus is our ark. What does that mean?
Day 5 — Faithful Without Converts
Read: Genesis 7:1, 5; 1 Corinthians 4:1–2; Ezekiel 3:16–19 Adults:
- Noah preached for decades and made not one convert outside his own family. By our standards, that looks like failure. What does God’s declaration of Noah’s faithfulness teach us about how God measures ministry?
- Where are you tempted to measure faithfulness by results rather than obedience? How does Noah’s example correct that?
- Is there someone in your life you have given up on sharing the gospel with because of a lack of response? How does this text encourage you to keep going?
Children:
- Noah told people about God’s coming judgment for a very long time. Did anyone listen? Did that mean Noah did something wrong?
- What does it mean to be faithful even when it is hard?
Next Lord’s Day Preview
God Remembers His Covenant — Genesis 8:1–13
After 150 days, the waters prevailing, the ark floating on a flooded earth — the silence is broken by four of the most comforting words in all of Scripture: “But God remembered Noah.” Next Lord’s Day we turn to Genesis 8 and the beginning of the recession of the flood. But this is far more than a weather report. It is a covenant-keeping God doing what he has always done — remembering his people, acting on their behalf, and beginning the work of renewal.
Come ready to consider:
- What it means that God “remembers” — and what that tells us about the nature of the covenant
- How the recession of the flood mirrors and reverses the original act of creation
- What Noah’s patient waiting teaches us about faith in the promises of God
Hymns for Next Lord’s Day
- 18 Thou The God Who Changes Never
- 462 Be Thou My Vision
- 472 O For A Closer Walk With God
- 22 Great is Thy Faithfulness
Blessings,
Pastor Mike