Noah and His Wife and Sons Entered the Ark
to Escape the Waters of the Flood
7: 6-9
Noah and his wife and sons entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood DIG: How hard do you think it was on Noah to continue preaching in the midst of the ridicule and mocking that would have had to come his way? How long did he preach to his wicked generation? How did Mrs. Noah help her husband? Was Noah successful or faithful? What’s the difference?
REFLECT: Where is one place that the LORD might want you to step out in faith?
Having reached 500 years of age before Shem, Ham and Japheth were born (5:32), Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth (7:6). Solemnly, in order to stress that every one of God’s promises and commandments were being carried out to the letter, Moses recounts all who entered the ark.
And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the Flood (7:7). This is the second of five times Mrs. Noah is mentioned in the Bible (6:18; 7:7 and 13, 8:16 and 18). To his neighbors Noah was a fool. The size of the ark alone, not to mention his preaching, exposed Noah to ridicule and smirks. Any rabbi’s wife can tell you, its painful to see your husband mocked and rejected. It is mighty lonely when ADONAI sets you apart for ministry. But by any measure of ministry, Noah was an utter failure. After preaching for a 120 years he had not convinced one single person of the coming worldwide Flood. Fruitlessness is a heavy burden to bear if you’re a preacher. Noah must have had his low moments. He might have put on a brave face in public and maybe even in front of their sons. But at the end of the day, like most of us, he probably let down his guard at home. Mrs. Noah was a good listener, a comforter, and most of all a friend – ministering with him side by side.
What was everybody else doing just before the Flood came? Jesus gives us a vivid description: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away (Matthew 24:37-39). The tragedy of defying the LORD over and over again, of toying with His patience continually and persistently, is that eventually the time of repentance passes by and it becomes too late to seek His forgiveness. When the Flood came, everyone outside Noah’s immediate family was beyond hope and doomed to destruction. And the situation will be exactly the same when Yeshua Ha’Meshiach returns. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare (Second Peter 3:9-10).
Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground entered the ark (7:8). The LORD had instructed Adam and Eve what was acceptable and unacceptable worship. They, in turn, taught their children, Cain and Abel. Abel was obedient, while Cain was rebellious to this standard (4:4-5). Although Moses had not yet put the Levitical system of clean and unclean animals in written form, there was an oral tradition. Noah understood the difference between clean and unclean animals.
Did Noah take dinosaurs on board the ark? The Bible does not list all the animals that were taken into the ark. But it does say that pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark (7:15), so that must have included dinosaurs. The ark was very large and specifically designed by God for this important purpose. So big, in fact, it took Noah 120 years to build it. It had plenty of room for all the animals, including the dinosaurs. Young dinosaurs would be small, easier to care for and needed less food.120 It is also a possibility that many of the animals went into hibernation during the year that the ark was withstanding the Flood because no babies were born and the command to multiply and increase in number came only after the ark had rested (8:17).
Everything you need to know, you can learn from Noah’s ark. First, don’t miss the boat. Second, remember that we are all in the same boat. Third, plan ahead; it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Fourth, stay fit; when you’re 500 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Fifth, don’t listen to your critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done. Sixth, for heaven’s sake, travel in pairs. Seventh, speed isn’t always an advantage; the snails were on board with the cheetahs. Eighth, when you’re stressed, float a while. Ninth, remember that amateurs built the ark, while professionals built the Titanic. Tenth, no matter the storm, when you are with God there is always a rainbow waiting.
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