THE STORY OF NOAH

The Story of Noah (Genesis 6:9-22)

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

14 “Build a large boat[a] from cypress wood[b] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[c] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[d] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

The story of Noah is perhaps one of the most well-known in the Bible. In one way or another, everyone has heard about the Ark, the animals entering two by two, and the Flood. There are even children’s songs that tell this story.
But what perhaps not everyone knows is that it is not a fictional story. There are debates about whether the Flood happened globally or partially (restricted to the Middle East at the time). Either way, what is certain is this: the purpose of wiping out all living beings (including humans) who were part of that wicked and godless generation really did happen.

There is strong evidence beyond the Bible, such as respected archaeological findings and studies, and the historical traditions of countless peoples and tribes that confirm the occurrence of a great flood on the earth, from which only one family survived.

You might want to research it for yourself. But the fact is that the faith and trust I have in God’s plans leave no room for doubt. I am certain that this chapter of human history with God really happened. So today, I’d like to draw some lessons for our lives.

The Bible says in Genesis 6:5–6:

“The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.”

Do you remember when we told the story of Fall with Adam and Eve? And even after living through the consequences of disobedience, humanity just kept getting worse and worse. It only kept going downhill...
There are historical and archaeological records indicating that in Noah’s time (around 2,500 B.C.), human beings were wicked, cruel, lacking in love and mercy.

Here I want to open my first parenthesis:

We can see it in movies, TV shows, soap operas, and in real life: if someone decides to do good and truly pursues it, they will keep improving and doing more good. If someone decides to do evil and truly goes after it, they will become more and more evil every day. This is a law I’ve observed for years. And if someone chooses neither to do good nor evil, they become apathetic, lifeless, and lukewarm.
Who you become is A CHOICE!

Let’s continue the story. Humanity chose the path of evil and kept getting worse… And this saddened our Creator. Like, “It wasn’t supposed to be this way!”
And He decided to “start over.” Let’s erase it and begin again.

7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7)

Another parenthesis:

The verb "to repent" in Genesis 6:6–7 (in Hebrew nacham – נָחַם) carries the meaning of deep sorrow, grief, and pain over the corruption of humanity—not repentance as in a mistake or a failure in planning.

The Lord felt deep sorrow over the condition of humanity. He grieved over the course of human history that had strayed from its original purpose, and out of the abundant love He has for us, He decided to replan.

But He saw Noah, who kept trying to do what was right—loving and serving the Lord and seeking a relationship with Him. At that moment, God called him to build the ark and save himself, his family, and one of each kind of animal so they could start over.

At that time, there was no rain yet. The earth was watered by another means (water came up from the ground).

“5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” (Genesis 2:5-6)

Humans didn’t know rain. Imagine how Noah must have been ridiculed when seen building an ark because a lot of water was supposedly going to fall from the sky.

To try to illustrate that today, it would be like if I built a house without heating because God told me it would never snow again in Manitoba. You’d probably laugh or think I was crazy.

Noah was mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated. The construction of the ark took about 100 years (yes, back then humans had a much longer life expectancy).

Another parenthesis:

The time between the calling and the fulfillment of the promise can be quite long. Noah knew that the One who had called him was faithful and just to fulfill His word.

The rain came. It killed everyone—except Noah, his family, and the animals that had entered the ark. Then the Lord made a promise to Noah: “Never again will I destroy the earth with water.” And as a sign for us to always remember that, He showed us God’s bow, which we call the rainbow.

Conclusion:

A corrupted society. Extreme wickedness. The Flood came.
And what happened next?

Humanity multiplied again, and evil prevailed once more.

Then Jesus came and presented the plan of Salvation. That is:
There is only ONE WAY for you not to be corrupted again:

Follow me. Think like me, love like me, act like me, worship the Father like me. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” I am God, the Savior of humanity.

And we multiplied. Many follow the cross. Yes! Many follow love as a commandment. But evil is growing more and more once again. Just watch the news.

So, as Jesus Himself said:

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24: 37-39)

Jesus is coming back.

This will be the third (God’s perfect number) and final strategy to finally establish a world where evil will no longer spread.

We need to build our Ark day by day: by seeking to do good, by following Jesus.

 By Dani Caldeira