Once Noah, his family, and the animals were in the ark, the rain could commence. This devotional reading looks at where the water came from and God’s control of every aspect of the judgment.
Nuggets
- As Creator of the universe, God retained control of the earth, opening the buried reservoirs.
- Even if it had never rained before, it rained now.
- It came to a day when God was done with evil.
- God provided salvation for those who followed His Will.
The flood began in 1656. We don’t know when the original sin occurred, but we figure that it was before Seth was born in 130.
In those 1526 years that sin went unchecked, it got really bad. “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Gen. 6: 5 NLT).
Nope, didn’t say anything about what they did, but we know what they did was violent (Gen. 6: 11).
This wickedness was a moral wickedness. That means they didn’t have God’s character.
Finally, God had enough. He started the creation do-over.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Creation’s Do-Over series
From Where the Water Came
“After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth. When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights” (Gen. 7: 10-12 NLT).
All the Underground Waters Erupted
As Creator of the universe, God retained control of the earth, opening the buried reservoirs.
When we studied Genesis 1 and 2, we saw that God created the universe by speaking it into existence and raising His outstretched arm (Jer. 32: 17).
It should not surprise us that God’s created world follows His and Jesus’ voices. “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth’” (MT. 28: 18 NLT).
When did/does the earth obey Them?
- “Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still, he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?” (Job 37: 14-18 NLT).
- “When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses” (Jer. 10: 13 NLT).
- “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.” (Ps. 107: 29 NLT).
- “The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses” (Ps. 135: 6-7 NLT).
- “He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures” (Ps. 147: 8 NLT).
- “He sends his orders to the world — how swiftly his word flies! He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws” (Ps. 147: 15-18 NLT).
- “As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm” (Mk. 4: 35-39 NLT).
The universe still remembers God’s voice and still obeys its Maker.
Rain Fell
Even if it had never rained before, it rained now.
If it hadn’t rained before, I wonder what the wicked thought when the sky went dark and the clouds turned black. They probably would have been uneasy.
Down came the rain. Moses got descriptive here. He said that the rain came down in torrents.
With the underground waters bursting forth from the earth and the rain coming down from the sky, it must have been terrifying for the wicked people seeing it coming.
Gilfillan talked about the destruction to the earth. He wrote,
“Rivers rush down in fury, overflowing their banks, sweeping away the crops, undermining the rocks, tearing up the woods, and rising above the lesser hills, till they meet with the streams which have swollen aloft from [neighboring] valleys, and embrace in foam and wild commotion on the summit. Oceans are stirred up from their depths, and distant seas on the top of aerial mountains, each bringing the ruin of whole lands for a dowry.”
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That discusses the impact on the earth. It doesn’t say anything about what happened to the inhabitants.
We aren’t told if the rain started during the day or during the evening. If it had been during the night, that would have been extremely scary.
But I don’t see that God would have blindsided them at night. They would know what hit them.
Whatever time the flood started, the wicked were going along with business as usual. They would have been practicing whatever evil things that earned them the judgment up until the water arrived.
That Very Day
"That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — and their wives” (Gen. 7: 13 NLT).
It came to a day when God was done with evil.
Yes, evil existed for more than 1526 years. God gave them time and opportunity to repent, but it was only getting worse.
The wicked heard the words that Noah and Methuselah spoke. They saw the ark taking shape before their eyes. They saw animals — maybe some they had never seen before — that were normally enemies lining up together to go inside a wooden structure and take a ride.
They couldn’t say God didn’t warn them. They couldn’t say He didn’t give them a chance to repent.
They didn’t want to repent. They wanted to keep doing what they were doing and not suffer any consequences.
Until that very day occurred. Then there was no where to run to and nowhere to hide.
God is going to do what He says He will do. He keeps His promises and doesn’t change His mind.
The Lord Closed the Door
"… Then the Lord closed the door behind them” (Gen. 7: 10-13, 16 NLT).
God provided salvation for those who followed His Will.
When God shut the door of the ark, He was showing that that part of the plan was completed. It was another way of saying God will finish what He starts.
- “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Gen. 2: 2 NLT).
- “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work’” (Jn. 4: 34 NLT).
- “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (Jn. 19: 30 NLT).
- “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1: 6 NLT).
But then, I think it was more than that. “When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous” (Gen. 7: 1 NLT).
In a way, God asked Noah and his family into His house. He was already there when He invited them to enter.
Countless thousands — maybe a million — died. But God kept those who believed in Him and lived for Him safe. “For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock” (Ps. 27: 5 NLT).
We’ve seen time and time again that Noah was obedient (Gen. 6: 8, 22; Gen. 7: 5). God rewarded that by saving his life.
Griffin said something interesting. He wrote, “The Lord shut him in, so that he might not perpetrate any rash act. Had he possessed the power of opening the door, he might have jeopardized the safety of the whole family by bringing down the vengeance of God.”
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We think that our decision to obey God sets off permanent rewards. Well, yes it can, but we have to be obedient every day. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Lk. 9: 23 NLT).
Gaining salvation doesn’t take away our free will. Because we have to take up our cross daily, that means we have daily choices. Do we choose God, or do we choose Satan?
Did God shutting the door of the ark take away Noah’s free will?
We’ve said that Noah probably had family in the flood waters. He may even have had sons and daughters.
Would their screams have provided the temptation needed to open the door?
When we think the wicked were the ones that Noah preached to and prayed for to turn their lives to God, we could see there was undoubtedly a conflict within him.
Personally, I don’t think God was cutting off Noah’s free will. I think He was doing everything He could to keep His promise to keep Noah and his family – His creation – safe.
Spurgeon thought maybe the door was too big for Noah to close himself. I can see that.
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Did God close the door slowly or slam it shut? I can see an argument for both ways. It would just depend on when He made the “I’m done” decision.
Only God knew when everything that had to be done was completed.
Making the Connections #1
There are, in non-Biblical accounts, differing accounts of the flood.
One is from ancient Chaldea (yeah, that is Abraham’s birthplace). It is estimated that it was written 2,000-2,500 years prior to the birth of Christ. The narrative is given through the perspective of who is thought to be Nimrod, a descendant of Noah.
The ancient Chaldean account was summarized as follows.
“We sum up the results of this discovery in the words of Mr. Smith: “Not to pursue this parallel further, it will be perceived that when the Chaldean account is compared with the Biblical narrative, in their main features the two stories fairly agree; as to the wickedness of the antediluvian world, the Divine anger and command to build the ark, its stocking with birds and beasts, the coming of the deluge, the rain and storm, the ark resting on a mountain, trial being made by birds sent out to see if the waters had subsided, and the building of an altar after the flood.”
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The differences between the two accounts had to do with specific details. The number of individuals who entered the ark, how long they had to stay there, and where they ended up is different. The birds being sent out was also different.
An eastern Indian tradition spoke of a visitation that warned of a deluge to begin in seven days. All creatures – except those to be saved in a vessel – would be destroyed.
There were more occupants of the hurriedly constructed ark. A longer time in the vessel was reported.
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In the Greek account of the flood, Juniper decided to flood the earth. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha alone were saved. No animals were saved with them, but animals were created post flood by the gods.
In an expanded account, Deucalion brought his wives – plural – along with his children onto the chest he built. He didn’t know about the animals coming along with him until they showed up.
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To me, it isn’t a concern that there are various versions of the story. The others weren’t divinely inspired.
I can also see where the accounts were rewritten to change the location and culture to their own. We write God’s Word to fit our desire of how it should read.
But God knows what happened. What isn’t all that important.
The Who is.
Making the Connections #2
The sad part is that the wicked died, but that wasn’t the end of wickedness. Evil is right here with us today.
Jesus talked about the condition of the world then and how it would repeat itself. “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations[c] will hear it; and then the end will come” (Mt. 24: 14 NLT).
Every generation since Jesus uttered those words that they thought they were living in the end of the age. Many probably said the same thing, “How can it get any worse than this?”
Well, it keeps getting worse.
Some day soon, the Day of the Lord will occur. Once again, it will be that day.
I used to think this was the scariest verse in God’s Word. “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 NLT).
Not anymore. These verses fill me with dread and sadness.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Mt. 7: 21-23 NLT).
People even today are thinking they are doing God’s work. But they are compromising with the worldview.
Can they be saved? Yes, if they repent and walk obediently with God.
But we have to be careful because Paul warned us about them. “But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve” (II Cor. 11: 12-15 NLT).
Making the Connections #3
Noah had to wait for 120 years for God’s promised reward to be given to him – salvation in the ark. True, he had a lot of work to do before he could cash in the promise.
But really, Noah really had to wait 600 years to be rewarded for his choice to walk with God.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
- Don’t ignore God’s predicted judgment.
- Fear God’s wrath.
- Don’t be fooled by worldview security.
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Father God. Your Word says You correct those You love. We know You love all humans, even those who are not Your children. Part of Your love is judging those who break Your laws. Help us to be obedient to You. Amen.
What do you think?
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