Islington Baptist Church March 18, 2001
Sermon text: Genesis 8
Scripture reading: Matthew 24:36-51
The Flood: Part II
Last week we began a study of Genesis 6-9. These chapters detail God’s destroying of the earth by means of a world wide flood.
Here’s what we learned last week
1. The geological record overwhelmingly testifies to this truth: there was a world wide flood. In addition to this more than 230 cultures and civilizations have world wide flood stories as part of their heritage and background
2. The godly character of Noah is something that we are to pattern ourselves after
3. The loving obedience of Noah to God’s commands ought to characterize us. One of the things that really defines Noah in our text is how active and energized he was in response to the commands of God. His obedience was not of the foot dragging variety.
4. Blessings come to those who find favor with God
5. The wickedness of mankind was the reason for God’s destroying of the world by the flood
6. The details of our text emphasize that we considering a real, literal event.
7. There are many typological features to our text. i.e the Flood which points to the judgement to come, the Ark which was the vehicle of their physical salvation points to Jesus and how in him one can be spiritually saved and delivered from the judgement to come.
One question on many peoples minds is this: how did all those animals fit in the ark?
To some minds the Ark seems small. Our malls dwarf the ark in size. Yet note this: Until the 1800’s the Ark was the largest boat ever built. The ark had 1.4 million cubic feet of space and 100,000 feet of floor space. If you can picture in your mind a railway box car, imagine 522 of them fitting into the Ark—that’s a lot of box cars.
Creationists have estimated that between 16000 and 35000 animals only have needed been on the Ark. Noah was not required to take aboard the 200 breeds of dog that we have today or the 100 and more breeds of cats, etc. Breeding has produced all these variations—all Noah needed was the basic animals. Note this: we are not talking about evolution when we talk about variety amongst an animal kind. Also note this: scientists have estimated that the average dinosaur was actually the size of a small pony, etc.
It is reasonably thought that out of the 522 rail cars that I asked you to imagine fitting into the Ark, that only about 146, or 28% would be needed to hold the animals. This left 70% of the Ark free to store food, etc
Bottom line: no problem fitting the animals in the Ark
Another question people have asked is this: where did all the water come from that was needed to flood the earth?
First off we need to note this: The world pre flood looked radically different than the post flood world. The Bible tells us that the mountains were not as tall and that the valleys were not as deep. The weight of the flood waters, the underground eruptions of mass amounts of water, and the general overall violent battering of our world, resulted in the look our world has today.
Genesis 7:11-12 tell us that on the day the destruction of the world began that all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
The end result was this: the world was returned to what it was a day 2 of creation: a big ball of water with no divisions between land and sea.
As you all know, in addition to our world being 70% covered by water, there are massive amounts of water under the ground in great aquifers. Wherever you go, you can always dig down and drill a well. Imagine the amount of water under the ground being significantly greater than it even is today.
One of the things we need to note when the Bible speaks of the springs of the great deep bursting forth is that our world in the days of Noah was rocked as its never been rocked before. The destructive flooding of the earth by God was no gentle experience. Imagine gigantic earthquake after earthquake occurring on land and in the sea. Imagine how huge tsunami’s (earthquakes out at sea) with waves 100’s of feet high battered the coastal shores. Imagine how the foundations of our very world were shattered and broken.
In case you are wondering “how did the ark survive that terrible battering?” it is good to note this: In 1956 the U.S did all sorts of studies and determined that a vessel best suited to the most violent of sea conditions had to have a 6:1 length to width ratio. Incidentally, the Ark’s dimensions are at 6:1 ratio (length to width) and as such are the perfect dimensions for weathering the Flood.
Now note this: This first destruction of the world on the account of man’s sin points to the coming destruction of the world on the account of man’s sin. Point: need to get and be right with God as Noah was.
Bottom line: there was more than enough water to flood Noah’s world to the tops of its mountain peaks
Today we are going to zero in on Genesis 8. Genesis 8 is filled with all sorts of timing details, details such as when the waters started to recede, etc, etc. Again, these details emphasize that the Bible’s account of the flood is not mythological but real.
Imagine living in the Ark for a whole year as Noah, his family, and all the animals. If you think your skin is pasty and light after spending the winter bundled up in clothes and out of sun, imagine what Noah and his family were thinking….
READ TEXT
I. “But God remembered Noah and…”
These words are turning point words. Until this point the world has been under judgment and the flood waters prevailed. God’s remembering of Noah and all those in the ark, marks a new direction, a change in the sentiment of God. God was not going to be angry forever. The time of wrath and judgement has now passed, justice has been served, now is the time of restoration.
The word remember in our text has nothing to do with God forgetting about Noah for a while. It’s not as if God looked out on the world and saw the Ark floating and said “Oh yah, I forgot about those guys”. In the Bible, God’s remembering of someone is a good thing—at least its good for those with whom He finds favor. God’s remembering of someone always involves an action on God’s part that is directed towards them.
For Noah, God’s action is a positive one. God’s action for Noah indicates his favor and his grace. What does God do?: He in essence recreates a habitable world for Noah, his family, and the animals. In the accomplishing of this our text tells us that God sent a “wind” over the earth and that the waters then receded.
Without this “wind”, Noah and the animals would have been in the Ark indefinitely. The world would have remained a big floating ball of water. The world would have continued to look as it did at the end of day 1 of creation.
There are some striking parallels between our present text and Genesis 1. Take a look at Genesis 1:1-6 for a moment.
a. The first parallel is that the world in 8:1 looked as it did at the end of day 1.
b. The second parallel is this: “The wind”
The Hebrew word for wind is “Ruah”. Ruah in the OT scriptures is typically translated in 3 ways “breath”, “spirit”, “wind”
In Genesis 1:2 it says “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and “ruah” of God was hovering over the waters. Now in Genesis 8:1 what are we told? God sent a “ruah” over the earth and the waters receded.
What is being spoken of in both passages is the creative activity of the Holy Spirit; alternately depicted as “the Spirit of God” and as a “wind” from God.
Genesis 8:1 depicts God’s “recreating” of our world, once again making boundaries between the land and seas.
Application: The same God who remembers Noah is ever mindful of us and acting for our good. Sometimes we are blind to His work in our lives yet…. God will never abandon us—his children….
II. The dove and the raven v.6-12
In these verses we see Noah working to determine the hospitality of the world. Noah’s agents are 2 very different birds. The raven is useless, the dove is extremely useful.
One of the lessons we learned last week was this: Noah is not inactive in the face of God’s activity. A principle we learned last week which continues on today is this: We have our part to do. The Christian life cannot be one of passive inactivity. Generally speaking, a continual response on our part to God’s activity in our lives is appropriate.
There is a sharp contrast between the dove and the raven that we must note.
Doves
-white in color, classified as being ritually clean animals, acceptable as sacrifices unto God, cooperative and helpful to man. In the scriptures the Holy Spirit is depicted as being like a dove. The word for dove and Noah are related and so the picture is that the dove in our text was Noah’s representative, sent out into the world.
Ravens
-black in color, ritually unclean, unacceptable as sacrifrices unto God, eaters of dead things (no doubt when Noah sent the raven out it most likely sought out carcasses for food), here pictured as uncooperative
Many a bible student has pondered and speculated on Noah’s use of these 2 very different birds. Here’s my thoughts… From the dove and the raven we can learn a spiritual lesson.
The dove, a clean white bird, acceptable to the Lord, representative of the Holy Spirit (John 1:32) stands in a purposeful contrast against the unclean, unacceptable, carcass scavenging, black raven.
I would like to propose to you that the dove is representative of those who are godly. Just as there is the dove, there are those who are the children of God, indwelt by the Spirit, clean before the Lord, helpful and useful to each other. Likewise, I would like to propose to you that the raven is representative of those who are evil and ungodly. Just as there is the raven, there are those who are still in the blackness of sin, unclean before the Lord, unacceptable before God, preoccupied with the dead and sinful deeds and things of this world.
Q Are you like Noah’s little representative or are you more like the raven?
III. “Come out of the ark”
At the command of God, Noah had built an ark- the vehicle of their physical salvation and deliverance. At the command of God, Noah had gathered together the necessary food for their time in the ark. At the command of God, Noah, his family, and all the animals that God had summoned, entered into the ark. Lastly, at the command of God “Come out of the ark”, Noah, his family, and all the animals God had summoned, exit the ark.
Last week we observed that one of the defining characteristics of Noah was that he was obedient to the commands of the Lord. The principle for us was this: We need to be enthusiastic doers of God’s word as well. Our obedience to God is a sign that we love Him and really are his children.
Also note this: Noah was a man who waited for God and his commands. He did not run on ahead of God and his will, there were certain things that he knew required the go ahead and command from God before he would act. Noah knew that the timing of the leaving of the ark was for God to determine. How about in our lives?
Sometimes we want to go on ahead of God. God’s timing is something we struggle with. The problem is this: when we go ahead and leave God behind we are going to end up having to settle with what is 2nd best and substandard. When we wait for God and don’t try to force our wills upon whatever the situation is, then we’ll get God’s best and we won’t disappointed.
Also: want to know what it is God wants of you? Study and know his word
Note: The animals that came out of the Ark were to continue on with God’s pre flood commands. Chapter 9 notes this for Noah as well: Point: Creation commands still stand.
III. The building of an altar
If you were in the ark for a year what would you have done first when you got out of the ark? Would you have kissed the ground, done hand stands and cart wheels, hopped on the back of the horse and rode of to explore the brand new world that would be before you?
After coming out of the ark the first thing that godly man Noah did was to build an altar and offer some of the ritually clean animals to God.
Altars
-before Jerusalem temple built various altars existed where the worship of God was done
-altars built by those who had a personal encounter with God i.e Jacob, Abraham. Typically built right at that spot
-on these altars sacrifices offered (thanksgiving, commitment, praise and worship, for sin, for fellowship with God)
-in the OT the altar is the means by which one approached God. Going to the altar with a sacrifice or offering was a physical way of drawing near to God. It was at the altar that one called upon God and met with Him
-we don’t need to build an altar to approach God to today….
Q Why did Noah built an altar and offer sacrifices to God?
-wanted to please Him
-desired the fellowship of God
-praise and thanks
-expression of his commitment to God and God’s #1 place in his life
-all about his seeking the face of God/ drawing near to God
Q Are our hearts oriented towards God like Noah’s was?
-is the worship of God our top priority
-is the seeking of God and fellowship with Him our priority
-what place does God have in our lives
-When God does something for us, is going to Him the first thing we do?
Q How can we do what Noah did without our actually building an altar?
-“seek the Lord while he may be found”, “draw near to him and he will draw near to you”
-prayer and fasting, quiet contemplation, praise, the Word, loving obedience to Him….
CONCLUSION
1. No problem fitting all the animals into the ark
2. More than enough water to flood the whole earth
3. The words “But God remembered Noah” are turning point words—they mark a new direction, a change in the sentiment of God.
God’s remembering of someone in the scriptures always involves an action directed towards them by him. Here God’s action is the sending of a “wind”, the result being that once again the waters and land are assigned to their respective places: the earth was recreated.
4. The dove and the raven are representative birds.
The dove, being: white, clean, acceptable to God, depictive of the Holy Spirit, is representative of those who are godly, pure and acceptable in the sight of God.
The raven, being: black, unclean, preoccupied with death, unacceptable to God is representative of those who ungodly, evil, and unacceptable in the sight of God.
5. Noah’s coming out of the ark at God’s command speaks yet again of his stellar obedience to God. As the Bible says “This is love for God, to obey his commands’
6. When it comes to our worship and approaching of God, there is no need for you and I to build an altar yet…..
