Genesis 7:1–24

It is no longer the faithful Creator merely, but special relationship, and ends of a higher and more intimate nature. So we have a quite new call to the patriarch as one who had found grace in the eyes of Jehovah and was righteous before Him.

"Come into the ark," He says, "for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation." "Righteous" — is this about creation as such? It is not; it is about moral relationship... God is not just providing for the survival of the creature. He is providing, with marked completeness, for sacrifice.

But "Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah," that is, divine favour rested on him; righteous in himself, no doubt, but all through grace of course... In the next chapter God says of Noah, "You I have seen righteous before me in this generation." But the earth was completely filled with violence.

Only of Noah could God say, "You I have seen righteous before Me in this generation" (Gen. 7:1). Righteousness for men was not fully accomplished until the death and resurrection of Christ. Noah became an heir of that righteousness. The believer of today is not an heir of righteousness, for he has it.

God does not say, Go into the ark, but Come into the ark: He was "in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:19), and when He invites them to Christ, He invites them to Himself. The traveller under threat of the storm comes to make the divine Ark his refuge and home. He discovers that Another is there to welcome him.

A good deal is sometimes made of the word "Come"... The verb may be either, as best suits the context. Where no emphasis of this kind is called for, either word may be used correctly, as here.

The first verse of Genesis 7 gives us the first instance of how God links a man's house with himself in His dealings with men on earth. Here "you and all your household" occurs for the first time. Salvation from judgment poured out on earth is before us here, but in Acts 16:31 the same principle holds good in regard to eternal salvation.

Someone may object that all the members of the household were probably "righteous" before God too. But the later history of one of them — Ham (Gen. 9:22-25) — forbids the thought. So the statement loses none of its force: God delivered Noah's family from the judgment of the flood because of the faith of its head. True, it was not salvation itself; but it was a picture of it (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Jehovah Himself had invited him in. We read in Genesis 7:1, "Come, you and all your household, into the ark." And when he had taken his place there, we read, "the LORD shut him in." Here was full and perfect security for all within. Jehovah kept the door... The Lord secured the door with His own almighty hand. He left Noah the window. From it Noah could look upward to the place where all the judgment had come from, and see that no judgment remained for him.

As to the "two of every sort" in chapter 7, and the "seven clean" in verses 2 and 3: the first were male and female, to keep them alive. When they were clean beasts, he took fourteen. I have no doubt the "clean" animals were the ones people usually offered in sacrifice. Who would offer a ravenous wild beast in sacrifice to God, but sheep or oxen? This difference between provision for the race and provision for sacrifice is tied to the different use of the two names: God (Elohim) and the LORD (Jehovah).

Is this only about keeping the creatures alive? No. It is the language of One who has special relationships with Noah and with his family… God is providing not merely for the creature to continue, but with marked completeness for sacrifice. So we see His perfect care to maintain His rights and His place as the One who governed morally.

And now we discover why the clean animals were taken into the ark in sevens and the unclean only in twos… But why the odd one in the seven? Because they were to be offered as a burnt offering at the very start of the renewed earth. The Lord knew the flood had made no change in human nature. Even in Noah and his family it was the same after the flood as before… so from the very start the new world could only continue on the basis of sacrifice.

So we find Jehovah directing Noah to take to him of all clean animals by sevens, but of those not clean two, a male and its female, to enter the ark. And on this Noah acted when after the deluge he built an altar as his first recorded act, and offered up burnt offerings of every clean beast and of all clean birds. For the tenure of the post-flood earth hung on sacrifice.

The first time we read of clean and unclean animals is when Noah went into the ark… We are not told how Noah told them apart. But it shows that in early days there was a distinction between clean and unclean. Those called 'clean' were doubtless clean for sacrifice, and not for food. Nothing is said of man eating animal food till after the flood, and then God gave "every moving thing" for food.

Noah knew well before the flood which creatures made an acceptable sacrifice (Gen. 7:2), though how he learned it was never recorded. But in the law we read God's own definition of clean beasts and clean birds, and we find moral teaching tied to the subject (Lev. 11). We must conclude that no man could have discovered by natural intuition which creatures God would count clean and which He would not.

It may have been instinct in man in a way at first, and that God put His positive sanction on it when He gave the law.

The LORD (Jehovah) is stating His thoughts about Noah and giving His directions about His relationship with man and the earth. So He tells Noah to take clean beasts by sevens, still two and two, male and female. And they all go in two and two, as God (Elohim) had commanded. The text itself ties the two names together in a way that would make separating them difficult… You would have to be very hard pressed for a difficulty, or for a discovery, to find a contradiction here.

As to the "two of every sort" in chapter 7, and "seven clean" in verses 2, 3, the first were male and female, to keep them alive; when they were clean beasts, he took fourteen. I have no doubt the "clean" were the ones people usually gave for sacrifices. Who would offer a ravenous wild beast in sacrifice to God, but sheep or oxen?

And now we discover why Noah took the clean animals into the ark in sevens and the unclean only in twos… But why the odd one in the seven? Because Noah was to offer them up as a burnt offering at the very start of the renewed earth. The Lord knew that the flood had made no change in human nature… and so from the very start the new world could only continue on the basis of sacrifice.

The first mention is this: "Two of every sort shall come to you, Noah, to keep them alive." That is God's (Elohim's) care of His creatures, to preserve every kind alive on the earth. But when we read of His taking "of every clean beast by sevens, his male and his female," it is God as Jehovah who speaks. And why? Because He is now arranging, as in relationship with man, for sacrifices — types of Christ.

It is God providing not for the perpetuation of the creature merely, but with marked completeness for sacrifice. As a result we have this perfect care over the maintenance of His rights and place as One who governed morally. "And Noah did according to all that Jehovah commanded."

Jehovah states His thoughts about Noah, and gives His directions about His relationship with man and the earth. So He tells Noah to take clean beasts by sevens — still two and two, male and female. And they all go in two and two, as Elohim had commanded. That ties the two names together in the text itself, in a way that would make separating them difficult… The birds of the air, which went in by sevens, plainly mean clean ones too, as Genesis 8:20 shows.

As a general principle, the difference between clean and unclean was known in early days. So we find Jehovah directing Noah to take all clean animals by sevens. But of those not clean he was to take two, a male and its female, into the ark. Noah acted on this. After the flood, his first recorded act was to build an altar and offer up burnt offerings of every clean beast and of all clean birds. For the tenure of the post-flood earth hung on sacrifice.

Had there been only "two of every sort," offering some in sacrifice would have put an end to those particular kinds of creatures. So the "sevens" left plenty of room both for sacrifices and "to keep seed alive on the face of all the earth."

The beasts, clean and unclean, taken into the ark, as well as the birds of the air, give us the hint that creation will share the blessed effects of salvation. The later prophetic word, and Romans 8:19-23, tell us of a coming deliverance of groaning creation.

God warned Noah about things not yet seen, both on the ground of a special relationship and on the ground of His nature. Genesis 7:4 then follows that general warning with precise details. Just as it was predicted, so it happened, right on time, as Scripture plainly states. No history could be more exact, or more full of detail in so few words.

At last the one hundred and twenty promised years ran out, and then God gave a guilty world seven extra days of grace... He did not promise these seven days, but He gave them. How like God. There is no promise of seven days of grace to you. Come to Jesus today.

Men saw the huge number of animals coming to the ark. Then they saw Noah's whole family go into this finished, giant vessel. By then, at least, they ought to have realized that this project did not come out of Noah's imagination... But God gave men another week to change their minds. Perhaps, as those few days passed, people grew more confident each day that nothing was going to happen, instead of getting seriously worried.

Genesis 2:6 shows that a mist rose from the earth itself and kept the plant life alive, with no water coming down from above. There were waters "above the firmament" (Genesis 1:7), but they had not yet come down as showers on the earth. Not until Genesis 7:4 do we read of rain. Some think that the watering of the earth by mist and not rain persisted until the time of the flood. It may have been so.

The flood came down for forty days, and that number shows a period of testing. God tested Israel forty days while He gave the law, and forty years in all in the wilderness. The Lord was tempted forty days. Spies searched Canaan for forty days. Jonah's warning call to Nineveh was forty days... But God's patience sometimes lengthens the time of testing. In that case forty is multiplied again by three, the divine number, bringing us to 120. That is the time through which the long-suffering of God waited while Noah preached. Notice that this testing, while it destroys all else, lifts the ark up on its surface (Gen. 7:18).

God never destroys without warning. So He gave a hundred and twenty years' notice of the coming ruin. Through those years men had the ministry of "Noah, a preacher of righteousness." In that scornful age the result was nothing: no one was saved but Noah and his household... Seven days after the hand of God shut the door of the ark, the blow fell, and the rain kept falling for forty days and forty nights without a break.

"They did not know." Had they not had plenty of testimony? Plenty. For a hundred and twenty years Noah, the "preacher of righteousness," pointed to the coming storm, which Enoch had predicted too. They had plenty of testimony, but they paid no attention to it. How dull their ears were! People were taken by surprise in Noah's day, and so will they be when He Himself returns to judge the earth as Son of Man.

Next, we see the LORD's thoughtful care. He gave notice of only seven days before the flood, so that Noah and his family could enjoy their deliverance, and the goodness of their Deliverer, with calmer hearts. The world of unbelievers had refused the warning that sounded through one hundred and twenty years. The seven days' notice was a fresh proof of gracious concern for those who believed.

God warned Noah of the coming catastrophe. The great thing to notice in him is his simple obedience to the voice of God. God gave the dimensions of the ark — the window, the door, and the different decks. Noah made everything according to what was commanded.

"Jehovah" is a relationship name, one specially revealed; it is not the Creator's name, the name of the divine Being... The earth (Genesis 6) was corrupt before God as such. Yet the writer always speaks of Jehovah and His dealings. And "God" deals with the earth as so corrupted; again, verse 22, as "God" commanded him, not Jehovah. Then in Genesis 7 Jehovah said to Noah, and as Jehovah (v. 5) commanded him; then as God commanded him (v. 9), and again as God commanded him, and Jehovah shut him in (v. 16).

When God spoke to Noah of judgment impending, there was no sign of it. It was "not seen as yet"; but the word of God made it a present reality to the heart that was enabled to mix that word with faith. Faith does not wait to see a thing before it believes.

Noah believed what he did not understand at first, and acted on his faith. Soon he got understanding. Faith understands because faith believes God. Where unbelief sees a difficulty, faith does not. Noah believed, acted, and then understood.

Noah's personal character was no exemption from the threatened flood. His life and safety depended solely on his obedience to the warning voice of God. Because he believed in God he listened to this special revelation... Noah was shut into the ark before God brought His word to pass. God shut him in. He made secure His own work of salvation before He laid His judgment on the works of men... He condemned the world by his obedience to the word of God. His testimony was a witness of their madness as they carried on in their old way, paying no attention.

He was an obedient servant; he did according to all that the LORD commanded him (Genesis 7:5)... Despite all this high favour and special experience, as soon as Noah was left to his own will, under Satan's influence he became a slave to lust... We do well to be watchful: "Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." ... A Christian may have spent forty years with the highest privileges, in the best conditions for growth toward God. He is still not immune from failure.

When Noah was born, over a thousand years had passed since sin entered the world, at the lowest estimate. Six hundred years later the flood would sweep away the world of the ungodly. Divide those six hundred years into five equal parts. Four of the five passed with nothing put on record except the all-important fact that he was "a righteous man, blameless in his generation," and that he "walked with God."

Four-fifths of the period passed with little happening. Yet during those years this steady walk with God laid the foundation for the activity and the witness of the final fifth — the one hundred and twenty years just before the flood. That was the period when "God's patience waited … while the ark was being prepared" (1 Peter 3:20), and also of the witness Noah gave as "a herald of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5).

Is not this same care for His people seen in the long respite granted to the people before the flood? Here we see the longsuffering of God, who bore long with the sinners before the flood and gave them room for repentance. Every day that Noah worked at the ark, every plank, every nail, every stroke of his hammer, was a warning and a threat of the coming judgment. More than that, God could do nothing until Noah was safe in the ark, after He Himself had shut him in. Even then there was a respite of seven days (perfect forbearance).

The Lord God had fixed 120 years as the term of His longsuffering. Noah's preaching, as well as ark-building, was to be for that period. Such was the purpose of God. But Noah was told nothing of this appointed interval. The Lord kept back all mention of the 120 years.

The general statement that follows in verses 6-10 confirms the special force of these five verses all the more. There "God" appears rather than Jehovah, and so nothing of moral relationship in particular. Here we have Noah's age when the flood came — six hundred years — and the entrance of himself and all his house into the ark… He who enjoyed the favour of Jehovah had the earlier communication in grace. Nobody could fail to be aware of God's judgment when it came.

The theory of Elohistic and Jehovistic documents so fails to account for the use of the divine names, as well as the other features of the text… From verse 6 we have Noah's action in view of Elohim's word as such, where accordingly the entrance of the creatures, clean or unclean, two and two, is named as in Genesis 6; and all the more strikingly here, because in the earlier verses the clean by sevens had been commanded by Jehovah, as suited His dealings with His own.

In verse 11 God gives the date of the beginning of the flood in relation to the age of Noah. He gives not only the general time, but the exact day: the 17th day of the second month, in Noah's 600th year. The many dates, names and places recorded in Scripture are an invitation to anyone to check the accuracy of the word of God as he pleases.

Noah pictures the believer in general, as one who flees to Christ for refuge from the wrath to come… There is a sense in which the whole time of gospel witness matches Noah's days… It was the long stretch of undisturbed prosperity that made the builder of the ark look like a fool to those whose day was nearly over. In the same way we are warned that the Destroyer will appear when men begin to think that peace and safety are about to crown a world whose earlier generations have seen such strange changes.

When God spoke to Noah of judgment coming, there was no sign of it. It was "not seen as yet"; but the word of God made it a present reality to the heart that was able to mix that word with faith. Faith does not wait to see a thing before it believes, for "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

The last day came, however. Each of the four men and four women took the last decisive step that secured their preservation from destruction. That step came when each of them planted one foot on the ark and lifted the other off the earth under judgment. It was impossible to have one foot in and one foot out. It was either both feet in, or both feet out. This is a useful parable for gospel preachers today. Their action agreed with God's judgment against the world. It also expressed their faith in the way of salvation God had appointed.

The Lord commands Noah to enter the ark with his house on this ground: "for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation." Someone might object that all the members of the household were probably "righteous" before God too. The later history of one of them — Ham — forbids that thought. So nothing weakens the statement: God delivered the family of Noah from the judgment of the flood because of the faith of its head.

The three sons of Noah, all married men, did not carry one infant into the ark. Eight adult persons passed through the flood. What a touch this is, showing God's thoughtful planning, His arranging and tender care! It turns up in such an unexpected place, and it may well comfort many who face trials in their circumstances.

Noah's story was now nothing less than safety and deliverance. He held it with the fullest security and the clearest right, in an hour of most solemn judgment. And this is the salvation of the gospel… The One who decided within Himself to judge the world had also told His chosen ones the way of escape. It was the hand which was about to let the waters out that was now shutting Noah in. Could they then prevail against him? Just as impossible!

"They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:26-27). There was nothing wrong in any of these things, looked at in themselves. The wrong was not in the things done, but in the doers of them. They could do every one of these things in the fear of the Lord, and to the glory of His holy name, if only they did them in faith.

He entered the ark before the flood, and God shut him in. He was as safe as God could make him. Even so, no one could yet call him saved: he was still to be brought safely through the water. The water was God's judgment, and it overwhelmed the world. Noah goes through it. He enters the ark in the old world, goes through the water, the judgment, and comes out in the new world. He could not be saved except by going through.

The first time we read of clean and unclean animals is when Noah went into the ark. God told him to take seven pairs of each of the clean beasts and clean birds, and only two of the unclean. We are told nothing about how Noah told them apart, but it shows that in early days there was a distinction between the clean and the unclean. Those called "clean" were surely clean for sacrifice, and not for food, since Scripture says nothing of man eating animal food until after the flood... When Noah came out of the ark, he offered some of every clean beast and every clean bird as burnt offerings.

In the accounts of Elohim's directions for saving the different kinds of creatures, the order is to take two of every sort, the male and the female, to keep them alive. Nothing could be simpler than the meaning of this. When Jehovah states His thoughts about Noah, and gives His directions about His relationship with man and the earth, He tells Noah to take the clean beasts by sevens — still two and two, male and female. And they all go in two and two, just as Elohim had commanded.

In relation to His place as Creator, God preserved two of every sort. In relation to His own moral government, He would have seven taken into the ark — seven animals of each clean sort. Of the unclean, just enough would be there to preserve what He had made. So in the one case we have what was generally necessary. In the other we have what was special, and due to the relationship in which man stood with Jehovah.

Clean beasts are named as well as unclean, and birds, and reptiles, as all going in. Yet only two and two, male and female, are spoken of, "as God commanded Noah," because the point here is simply to keep each race alive, high or low.

Why the odd one in the seven? Because they were to be offered in sacrifice as a burnt offering at the very start of the renewed earth. The Lord knew that the flood had made no change in human nature. Even in Noah and his family it was the same after the flood as before it... and so from the outset the new world could only continue on the basis of sacrifice.

From east, west, north, and south, the hand of God gathered the animals that cannot speak. The people must have thought it strange when those beasts went in. They were wiser than men. They obeyed the call of God... These animals knew the call of their Creator, and they passed in safely, but man paid no attention. Oh, sinner, what a state you are in! Just think — the very creatures stand as a testimony against you. They all came to a place of safety. Have you?

The beasts, clean and unclean, taken into the ark, along with the birds of the air, give us the hint that creation will share the blessed effects of salvation. Later prophetic words, and Romans 8:19-23, tell us of a coming deliverance for groaning creation.

The general statement that follows in verses 6-10 confirms the special force of these five verses. There "God" appears rather than Jehovah, and so nothing about moral relationship in particular. And this is so true that the account names clean beasts as well as unclean, and birds, and reptiles, as going in too. Yet it speaks of only two and two, male and female, "as God commanded Noah," because the point is simply to keep each kind alive, high or low.

When Jehovah states His thoughts about Noah, and gives His directions about His relationship with man and the earth, He tells Noah to take clean beasts by sevens — still two and two, male and female. And they all go in two and two, as Elohim had commanded. So the text itself ties the two names together. The reason for treating the clean beasts differently — still two and two, male and female — is too obvious to raise the smallest difficulty.

Here God provides not merely for keeping the creature alive, but with marked completeness for sacrifice. So we see His perfect care to keep His own rights and place as the One who governed morally.

From east, west, north, and south, the hand of God gathered the animals. It must have looked strange to the people when those animals went in. They were wiser than men. They obeyed the call of God. Men would not obey then, and many still do not. These animals knew the call of the Creator, and they passed in safely, but man paid no attention. Oh, sinner, what a case yours is. Imagine — the very creatures being a testimony against you.

God also gave instructions about all that the ark was to hold: seven of the clean creatures and two of the rest, male and female, with enough food for all. Nothing was left to arrangement or imagination; God ordered it all from first to last. This is worth noting, for here we have the first illustration of salvation that the Bible gives us.

The ark had a window above — looking towards Heaven and not on the earth and its judgment beneath. It had one door and only one, in the side. All of this applies to Christ and salvation... He passed through death and judgment for us and has made Himself our perfect ark, our hiding place. In Him we are lifted above the judgment waters.

The beasts, clean and unclean, taken into the ark, as well as the birds of the air, give us the hint that creation will share the blessed effects of salvation. The later prophetic word, and Romans 8:19-23, tell us of a coming deliverance of groaning creation.

Noah preached all these years, and never got a convert, that I know of. Remember, a moment is coming when you will have heard the last word. So it was in Noah's day. In the end the one hundred and twenty promised years ran out. Then God gave a guilty world seven extra days of grace. He did not promise these seven days, but He gave them. How like God. If you want to be saved, you come to Jesus today. There is no promise of seven days of grace to you.

Then a respite of seven days is given before the flood would come. This shows again the longsuffering of God. Men saw the large number of animals coming to the ark. They saw Noah's whole family go into this finished, gigantic vessel. At least by then they should have realized that the project was not just something Noah had dreamed up, even though rain had never fallen before. But God gave men another week to change their minds. Perhaps, as those few days passed, people grew more confident each day that nothing would happen, instead of growing worried as they should have.

We see God's longsuffering here. He bore long with the sinners before the flood and gave them space for repentance. Every day that Noah worked at the ark, every plank, every nail, every stroke of his hammer, was a warning and a threat of the coming judgment. More than that, God could do nothing until Noah was safe in the ark, after He Himself had shut him in. Even then He waited seven more days. And if Noah had taken twice as long to be shut up safe in the ark, judgment would have waited just as long.

Once God had shut the door, no one could open it again. When the rain began to fall, others might be terrified enough to rush for shelter, but they could not get in. Once the door closed, it was too late. How solemn a lesson for those who neglect the salvation of their souls until too late!

So we have clear examples of God's ways in prophecy. There is the short, clearly marked interval of "seven days" in Genesis 7:10, when the blow was to fall. It came after a long and generous warning of "a hundred and twenty years" in Genesis 6:3. Both stand plainly in the record. Each is worthy of Him who alone could announce both with authority and fulfil both on time. If He executes judgment on a world that hardens itself in wickedness and refuses to believe His word, He also makes room to show His mercy. He shows it to those who keep His word in faith and obey Him, as Noah did, and so saved his household.

The man who enjoyed Jehovah's favour received the earlier word in grace. When the judgment came, no one could miss it.

The Lord next refers to the days of Noah. It will be the same in His own days, when He comes as the Son of Man… "They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them." Men forget too easily that a far more sweeping judgment awaits the world, on the pattern of these two acts of God — the flood in Noah's day, and the fire that fell on Sodom in Lot's day. The Lord waits, to save souls. Such is His longsuffering and grace, but He "is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness."

In verse 11 God gives the date when the flood began, in relation to Noah's age. He gives not only the general time, but the exact day: the 17th day of the second month, in Noah's 600th year. The many dates, names and places recorded in scripture invite anyone to check for himself how accurate the word of God is.

The term, "windows of heaven," is very expressive. It denotes an outpouring from God above; it may be in blessing, as Malachi 3:10 shows, but here it was in judgment... But also there was from beneath a breaking up of the established order. What exactly is signified, when we read of all the fountains of the great deep being broken up, it is impossible to say. The tremendous event had never happened before, and it will never happen again. For we read, "never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Genesis 9:11). So we must be content to know this much: there were immense convulsions inside the earth, which produced a mighty upsurge of earth's waters to meet the waters coming down from above.

At the flood the expression the "windows of heaven" is in the sense of the "floodgates," as the margin note says. Gen. 7:11.

In Genesis 7:11 we read, "the windows of heaven were opened," a scene in which the wrath of heaven was poured out upon a world of violence and corruption. In Malachi 3:10 we read of God's desire and promise: to "open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." A flood of judgment, required by the holy character of God; but a flood of blessing, expressing the love of God's heart.

Scripture uses language found nowhere else. It shows that this was an extraordinary outbreak of waters, unheard of except in this one case, and never known in any other way... Does not the narrative speak of some outburst of water known on no other occasion? But let us be more exact about the fact. The passage speaks neither of clouds nor sea... It never says the water drained back into the sea, but that "the waters receded from the earth continually." It also declares that the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was held back. That is, the narrator does present it as having its source and its arrest in the extraordinary intervention of God — call it "miracle" or what you please.

And now the last day came. It was on the seventh day that Noah went in, and then God shut the door. Then the world saw what it had never seen before... And then what panic! To me it is a very striking thing that God has drawn a veil over what happened then. All Christ says is this, "and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away" (Matt. 24:39). They paid no attention. They did not care about their souls. Then the moment came, and judgment overwhelmed them. It is a solemn picture of the terrible judgment coming on a world without Christ.

Here we have clear examples of God's ways in prophecy. First, a short, exactly marked gap of "seven days" in Genesis 7:10, when the blow was to fall. But that came after a long warning of "a hundred and twenty years" in Genesis 6:3, when God's judgment would end man's days for the world of that time. Both stand undeniable in the record. Each is worthy of Him who alone could speak with authority, and He fulfilled both exactly on time. If He carries out judgment on a world that hardens itself in evil and will not believe His word, He also provides mercy for those who keep His word in faith and obey Him, as Noah did, saving his household.

"Rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (verse 12). Here for the first time in the Word we find the number forty. It is not the last time. Forty means endurance and testing. Moses was forty days on the mountain; his life was divided into three forties. Forty years Israel was in the wilderness. Elijah knew the forty days, and Ezekiel lay forty days on his right side, a typical action (Ezekiel 4). Jonah preached, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown"; and Christ was forty days in the wilderness to be tested.

The term "windows of heaven" is very expressive. It means an outpouring from God above. It may be in blessing, as Malachi 3:10 shows, but here it was in judgment. The devastating waters came down for forty days and forty nights.

This was no mere matter of the clouds or of the sea, as it usually is. The inspired writer speaks of sources that were completely different and had never been seen before. All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens, as the phrase goes, were opened. Neither the one nor the other was according to the course of nature that God established before or since. This is exactly what makes a miracle clear and impressive. Everyone admits the regular working of the physical laws by which God orders the universe.

It is claimed that the sky above us would be full to saturation point if it held enough water to cover the earth just thirty feet deep... But to add to the awesome flood, the rain fell for forty days and forty nights (v. 12).

Verse 6 shows that a mist rising from the earth kept the plants alive, without water coming down from above. There were waters "above the expanse" (Genesis 1:7), but as yet they had not fallen as showers on the earth. Not until Genesis 7:4 do we read of rain. Some think that the watering of the earth by mist and not rain continued until the time of the flood. It may have been so.

The ark was borne up. And that which was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark. A happy and blessed thing for those in the ark.

Plainly, the ark is Christ. The flood it saves through is the judgment of the whole world, and that world perished in it. Those kept safe come through to a new world that rises out of the waters.

So tremendous an event is recorded with the utmost precision and solemnity. We are told of it to the year, month, and day, when the judgment was executed.

Verse 13 makes it plain that Noah and his family entered the ark on the very day that the storm broke. Noah had been a preacher of righteousness... Still to the very last day the door of the ark stood open, and nothing would have stopped a repentant man from entering, if such a man had been found.

Luke 17:26-27 tells us that life in Noah's day went on in its usual routine — eating, drinking, and marrying — until the day Noah entered the ark. On the morning of that day the sun rose as it always did. No cloud, heavy with rain, cast its shadow upon the scene, and yet sudden destruction overtook the world of that day. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Noah's faith was warned about things not yet seen. He believed God, against all the evidence of his senses, and resisted the reasoning of the men around him.

The three sons of Noah, all married men, did not carry one infant into the ark. Eight adult persons passed through the flood. What a touch this is, showing God's thoughtful arranging and planning tenderness! And occurring as it does in such an unexpected place, it may well come as a comfort to many who are tried in circumstances.

The Lord commands Noah to enter the ark with his house on this ground: "for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation." Someone might object that all the members of the household were probably "righteous" before God too. The later history of one of them — Ham — forbids that thought. So the statement loses none of its force: God delivered the family of Noah from the judgment of the flood because of the faith of its head... God's grace reached wider still: the sons' wives were included in His merciful purposes too, making up the eight persons Peter speaks of, who "were brought safely through water."

Shem comes first in the usual formula of "Shem, Ham, and Japheth" not because he was born first, but because of the spiritual purpose that gave him that position... Japheth, as the eldest, had the honour of birth. Ham has his own recognition, for rising early to political place and natural power. But the honour Godward was reserved for Shem, though he is named last elsewhere.

That ark, floating peacefully over the dark depth of waters, was a type of Christ, and of the believer in Him. The waves of judgment buried the old world and man with it. Only one object remained — the ark, the vessel of mercy and salvation, riding in safety and triumph over the waves... It all hinges upon this one question: "Am I in or out of Christ?"

He directs the ark to be made. For what end? The preservation of the creatures which needed the ark. So He orders that two of every kind be taken into the ark. It is simply God the Creator's way of keeping the creature alive, despite the judgment about to fall. It has nothing to do with moral relationships. So here we only hear of pairs which enter.

In relation to His place as Creator, God preserved two of every sort. In relation to His own moral government, He would have seven taken into the ark — seven animals of each clean sort. Of the unclean, just enough would be there to preserve what He had made. So in the one case we have what was needed in general. In the other we have what was special, and it came from the relationship in which man stood with Jehovah. This shows at once that these wonderful communications are not merely earlier and later legends, put together by a much later editor who tried to make something complete by stringing together what did not really fit. On the contrary, it is the Spirit of God who gives us the various sides of the truth. Each one falls under the name and style of God that suits the matter in hand.

I think there was a seven days' sermon. From east, west, north, and south, the hand of God gathered the animals. The people must have thought it strange when those beasts went in. They were wiser than men. They obeyed the call of God. Men would not obey then, and many still will not. These creatures knew the call of the Creator, and they went in safely, but man paid no attention. Oh, sinner, what a state you are in! Think of it — the very creatures are a testimony against you. They all came to a place of safety. Have you?

Some of every sort are carried with Noah from the place of death into the ark of salvation. There are the "eight souls," as Peter calls them. But with them go what is left of the beasts of the earth, small and great, winged birds and creeping things. All are housed and redeemed together with Noah.

The beasts, clean and unclean, went into the ark, and so did the birds of the air. This gives us the hint that creation will share the blessed effects of salvation. The later prophetic word, and Romans 8:19-23, tell us of a coming deliverance of groaning creation.

Clearly, the ark is Christ. The flood it saves through is the judgment of the whole world, which perished in it. Those who are preserved come through to a new world that rises out of the waters. There the sweet savour of accepted sacrifice secures a lasting blessing.

From east, west, north, and south, the hand of God gathered the animals. The people must have thought it strange when those beasts went in. The animals were wiser than men. They obeyed the call of God. Men would not obey then, and many still do not. So God says, "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand" (Isa. 1:3). These creatures knew the call of the Creator, and they passed in safely, but man paid no attention.

Some of every sort are carried with Noah from the place of death into the ark of salvation. Peter speaks of the "eight souls." But with them go remnants of the beasts of the earth, small and great, winged birds and creeping things. All are housed and redeemed together with Noah.

What does He do then? He directs the ark to be made. For what end? The preservation of the creatures which required the ark. So He orders that two of every kind go into the ark. It is easy to see why this fits. It is simply God the Creator's way of continuing each creature, despite the judgment about to fall. It has nothing to do with moral relationships.

The words "in whose nostrils was the breath of life" included man and beast. All go together in that way of speaking. Then at the right time God takes Noah with his family, and all enter the ark, "and the LORD shut him in."

The beasts, clean and unclean, taken into the ark, as well as the birds of the air, give us the hint that creation will share the blessed effects of salvation. The later prophetic word and Romans 8:19-23 tell us of a coming deliverance of groaning creation.

All perished outside the ark: all must perish outside Christ. It did not matter how close a person was to the ark, he was either shut in or shut out. He might have helped to fell the trees or even build the ark, but once the door was shut he was shut out.

If the ark had not risen and floated above the waters, it would have been no use at all — if it had stayed under the waters, it would have been a huge coffin. Our blessed Jesus did sink down to the lowest depths; He died, the Just for the unjust. But He rose again for our justification, and so the ark floating in safety to Ararat is a true picture of the risen Christ.

Nothing shows the believer's perfect security in Christ better than these words: "the LORD shut him in." Who could open what God had shut? None. The family of Noah were as safe as God could make them. No power — angelic, human, or demonic — could burst open the door of the ark and let the waters in. The very same hand that had opened the windows of heaven and broken up the fountains of the great deep shut that door.

He knew that God had poured out "all" the judgment, and that those very waves had lifted him into a region of cloudless peace. He floated in peace on the very water that judged "all flesh." He was put beyond the reach of judgment; and put there, too, by God Himself.

"Male and female of all flesh went in as God (Elohim) had commanded him. And the LORD (Jehovah) shut him in" (verse 16). In this verse we have Elohim and Jehovah used. God, as Creator, had commanded Noah. Jehovah had announced the judgment, and the ark being prepared represented the patient and merciful Jehovah. And now, as the hour of mercy was past, Jehovah shut the door. He who had given an open door shut it at last.

Elohim is "God" in His sovereign dealing, as in creation. Jehovah is "the LORD," in His unfolding of special relationship... Take one verse (Gen. 7:16) to burst the bubble: "as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in." Two writers! because the name "Elohim" expresses care for the male and female animals, while the special concern as "Jehovah" shows in shutting Noah in.

"The LORD shut him in." The hand of the Lord gave its own strength and security to Noah's condition. It is not too bold to say that all within the door of the ark were as safe as the Lord Himself. The Lord returned, we may say, to His own heavens, to His throne which stands for ever. Noah remained on the earth, in the place and day of judgment. But Noah was as safe as the Lord.

Remember, the Lord's own hand shut Noah and his family in the ark (Gen. 7:16), which was made judgment-proof outside and inside (Gen. 6:14). God Himself secured the door. None could enter, and none could get out. "The LORD shut him in." God took charge of the door — safety — while Noah looked out of the window above — communion.

The decisive step for each was when they planted one foot on the ark, and lifted the other off the earth that was under judgment. It was either both feet in, or both feet out... Once inside the ark, "the LORD shut him in." When the Lord shuts, no man can open — not even Noah himself, had he wished to do so. The shut door secured salvation for the eight souls, and ensured destruction for the world of the ungodly.

Those who refused to enter the ark through the preaching of Noah could not get in after the door was shut. They might seek, and seek with all their heart, begging and pleading, as they saw the waters rising on the earth, but it was too late.

"Forty" appears to be the number of trial, or of endurance put to the test. So it was with Moses, Israel, Elijah, Jonah, and Ezekiel (for Judah). So too with the beating the law allowed for a wrongdoer, which was not to go past a set limit. So here, and so in the Lord's temptation.

The ark was borne up. And that which was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark. A happy and blessed thing for those in the ark.

Notice that this testing of things, while it destroys everything else, lifts the ark up on the face of the waters. Judgment vindicates and exalts Christ and all who are connected with Him.

The flood waters brought destruction on the ungodly world. They also lifted the ark, so that "it rose high above the earth." This may remind us that the salvation of God has a lifting effect at all times. Today above all, we are called to set our mind "on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2).

The passengers in that vessel, so wonderfully guided and protected, did not need their eyes for steering. They were not to look out on the solemn judgment taking effect around them. Meanwhile the waters, which were the grave of the world, floated them above the world's mountain tops up to the blue heavens, growing calmer as they rose. What a season for them — shut in by God, with God!

The water was the instrument of God's judgment in destruction. Those in the ark were saved through it, but only because they submitted to God's word and were secured by the ark. But the ark was a picture of Christ, not of the church, as some wrongly imagine. No church existed then; and even if it had, it could not have saved.

Those very waters of death destroyed all beneath them. Yet they carried safely on their surface this representative man, and those saved with him. We must only keep in mind that this is a figure of death and resurrection... Noah was taken from among the dead and placed on Ararat: Christ was taken from among the dead and has gone into heaven. All perished outside the ark: all must perish outside Christ.

It was for God now to carry out His word of judgment: whether or not He caused His wind to blow, the waters flowed. It was no question of His ordinary regulation according to the laws He impressed on creation. His word is final. Man must learn that He is, and that He punishes, even in this world where He sees fit, the wickedness that goes too far.

For forty days the flood poured out from beneath and from above, and it bore up the huge structure of the ark on the face of the waters. The waters rose so high that "all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered."

Did Noah have any anxiety about the billows of divine judgement? None whatever. How could he? He knew that "all" had been poured out, while he himself was raised, by those very outpoured billows, into a region of cloudless peace. He floated in peace on that very water by which "all flesh" was judged. He was put beyond the reach of judgement; and put there, too, by God Himself. God Himself had invited him in: "Go into the ark, you and all your household." Once he had taken his place there, we read, "And the LORD shut him in." Here was full and perfect security for all inside.

The deluge which came, a flood of waters covering everything, so that the end of all flesh came, is a type of the death of Christ. In His death judgment was passed and carried out on all flesh. The waves and billows rolled over His innocent head. He passed through death and judgment for us and has made Himself our perfect ark, our hiding place. In Him we are lifted above the judgment waters.

Notice that this testing of things, while it destroys everything else, bears up the ark (Gen. 7:18) on its face. Judgment vindicates and exalts Christ and all who are connected with Him.

The flood waters, which brought destruction on the world of the ungodly, had the effect of lifting the ark high above the earth. This may serve to remind us that the salvation of God has an elevating effect at all times. Today above all, we are called to "set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Col. 3:2).

The door of the ark was in the side, but the window was above. It is nothing new to say that this is faith's outlook. The passengers in that wonderfully guided and protected vessel did not need their eyes for steering. They were not to look out on the solemn scenes of the judgment taking effect around them. Meanwhile the waters, which were the grave of the world, floated them above its mountain tops up to the blue heavens, growing calmer as they rose. What a time for them — shut in by God, with God! And what a preparation for beginning that new life which they were to start in the world beyond the flood!

Noah did not suspect the ark. He did not busy himself feeling its timbers, to see whether they were keeping the water out. He had no doubt about that. He had no pump in his ship, if I may use the figure; and I may say it, since, plain as it is, it glorifies Jesus in the security He gives the sinner.

Noah, and those with him, escaped the judgment by passing through the waters of judgment. Christ has passed through death and is risen. The believer is clear of judgment, because he has passed through the judgment in the Person of his substitute. Noah came into a new world, free of judgment. In the same way, Christ is risen and beyond judgment. This frees the believer's conscience from all dread of the judgment he deserves. He sees that he is as clear of all his sins before God, and of their judgment, as Christ Himself.

Language could hardly be clearer than Scripture is on this point. Words cannot be plainer than these in pointing to a worldwide flood. Scripture separates the world that then was from the earth that now is, and faith can easily accept God's statement. It was a miracle. Covering all the high hills in one district only, without the water flowing to other parts, would need just as great a miracle as covering the whole earth. God, the Creator of all things, could easily form the water needed to cover the whole earth, and afterwards disperse it into its elements.

I believe the flood was all over the earth, wherever man was... Suppose Mount Ararat, fifteen or sixteen thousand feet high, in northern Armenia, was covered. If the waters were not all around it, and far beyond it too, they would have run off and covered somewhere else. There had to be a miracle either way. To me the flood was completely universal, and Scripture plainly means it so, because the aim was to destroy the world that then was. God puts an end to the whole system of the world. This judgment of the earth and all that was on it was as complete as the coming judgment by fire will be. God says He will never do it again; the next time it will be by fire.

Many have argued that man alone was the guilty creature, so destroying all mankind would have fully met the case. That might have been so if God had pleased. But He has taken pains to tell us that He destroyed all cattle, beasts, and creeping things too; and we must believe Him. Man was the head of creation, so everything was caught up in the consequences of his sin. There had to be a new start, pictured in the death and resurrection of Noah in the ark.

What was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark. A happy and blessed thing for those in the ark. And who is safe now? Those who have believed Christ; those who have trusted Him in the simplicity of faith. I see those eight go into the ark, and by and by I see them come out on resurrection ground.

The passengers in that wonderfully guided and protected vessel did not need their eyes for steering. They were not to look out on the solemn judgment taking effect around them. Meanwhile the waters, which were the grave of the world, floated them above its mountain-tops up to the blue heavens, growing calmer as they rose. What a time for them — shut in by God, with God!

God never destroys without warning. So a hundred and twenty years' notice was given of the coming ruin... The flood reached everywhere: "all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered" (Gen. 7:19). The ancient book of Job refers to this worldwide ruin twice (Job 12:15; Job 22:16). The Son of God confirmed it during His ministry, and so did the Spirit of God in the letters of Peter and to the Hebrews. It is sheer folly to doubt the fact.

Next we have the prevalence of the flood described in language that is both simple and impressive, yet entirely free from the realistic details of horror that modern writers enjoy. The effect was complete over everything that breathed on the dry land and over bird life.

It is useless for the writer of "the Genesis of the Earth" to move the disaster to the low lands of the Euphrates and the Tigris. There a flood of fifteen cubits would barely touch the earth as a whole, or the people living on it. This is to overlook or disbelieve "the mountains of Ararat" (Gen. 8:4), where the ark rested as the waters were going down. Its chief peak stands 17,000 feet above the sea, and that may give some idea of the appalling fact. The account reaches beyond Ararat: if even its highest peak lay far under the water, what about the rest of the earth?

Scripture could hardly be more explicit on this point... The words could not be plainer: they mean a flood over the whole world. Scripture marks off the world that then was from the earth that now is, and faith finds it easy to accept God's statement. It was a miracle. Covering all the high hills of one district only, with no water flowing to other parts, would take just as great a miracle as flooding the whole earth. And God, the Creator of all things, could easily make the water needed to cover the whole earth, and scatter it back into its elements afterwards.

The ark was borne up. And what was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark. A happy and blessed thing for those in the ark.

The flood waters brought destruction on the world of the ungodly. Those same waters lifted the ark up above the earth. This can remind us that God's salvation always has a lifting effect. When the waters rose higher and higher over the earth, no flesh was in sight, and nothing was left but death. God had said that the end of all flesh had come before Him, and now that word came true. Everyone was either under the waters of judgment or inside the ark. The ark rode between the waters surging up from beneath and pouring down from above.

Many have argued that man alone was the guilty creature, so destroying all mankind would have been enough. God could have done it that way, if He had pleased. But He has taken care to tell us that all cattle, beasts, and creeping things died. We must believe Him. Man was the head of creation, and everything shared the consequences of his sin. So there had to be a new start, pictured by the death and resurrection of Noah in the ark.

The flood swept away the ungodly and brought judgment and death on the world. The waters carried the ark up, and it rested at last on the cleansed earth. So it taught the lesson of life for God's people on the other side of judgment and death. The new earth came up out of the waters of death. Noah and his family had been saved through those waters. They set their feet on dry land as people risen from the dead.

So divine judgment cleared the world before the flood of its many and open evils. That judgment stands as a witness and a warning of another judgment hanging over the inhabited earth. There were two witnesses then, first Enoch, then Noah. Both announced the judgment about to fall on the ungodly while they were still living here. So it will be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:30).

Was the flood universal? Scripture could hardly be clearer on this point… The words of Genesis could not be plainer: they mean a flood over the whole world. Scripture sets the world that then was apart from the earth that now is, and faith finds it easy to accept God's statement. It was a miracle. And it would take as great a miracle to cover all the high hills of one district only, without the water flowing to other parts, as to cover the whole earth. God, the Creator of all things, could easily form the water needed to cover the whole earth, and then disperse it into its elements again.

It was for God now to carry out His word of judgment: whether or not He caused His wind to blow, the waters flowed. This was not His usual running of the world by the laws He set in creation. His word is paramount. Man must learn that He is, and that He punishes, even in this world where He sees fit, the wrongdoing that goes too far. He is patient, but He gave this early lesson to the ungodly, which they can only forget or deny at their peril.

Yet animals, creeping things and birds are included in this awesome destruction, for man's sin has involved the rest of the earthly creation. People may say that when they sin it is only themselves they have damaged, but man's sin always affects others too, even unreasoning creatures.

It is childish and sinful to complain about the destruction of the lower creation. The fall of its head, man, had already subjected it to futility. And now that man's wickedness called aloud for divine judgment, the birds and beasts share his ruin on earth. Yet even in this the goodness and the wisdom of God secure the victory in due time. The creation fell with the first man. What joy to know from God's word that all its groaning waits for the triumph of the Second man, when the sons of God are revealed!

The ark is Christ. The flood it saves through is the judgment of the whole world, which perished in it. Those it preserves come through to a new world that rises out of the waters. There the sweet savour of accepted sacrifice secures a lasting blessing.

The water lifted the ark. And what was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark. A happy and blessed thing for those in the ark.

Those who did not believe God's warning became the witnesses of its truth. The flood came and swept them all away. The waters of Noah did go over the earth, as surely as they shall go over it no more. A still more terrible destruction awaits it, however long it may seem to linger. By His word He keeps the present heavens and earth in store. He has reserved them for fire, for a day of judgment and destruction of wicked men. The one is as certain as the other. But we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Those who deny the soul's survival quote Gen. 7:22 (margin) as proof that "spirit" belongs to beasts. That is a mistake. The same phrase turns up in 2 Sam. 22:16, translated there as "the blast of the breath," and again it points to the nostrils: "the blast of the breath of his nostrils." The Genesis passage means the action of the breath on the nostrils, so clearly seen in states of excitement and fear: "All in whose nostrils was the breathing of the breath of life... died."

"All in whose nostrils is the breath of life" included man and beast; language like this puts them all together. Then at the right time God takes Noah with his family, and all enter the ark, "and the LORD shut him in."

"A living soul" means anything that lives by blood and breath. I say this because it says, "whereinsoever was the breath of life, died"; all animals were living souls. Man was one, and the animal was one. But there was an essential difference: God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living soul. That soul might be parted from his body, and the body return to the dust.

The flood lasted a long time and in the end covered even the high mountains, so all human and animal life would die. Of course this did not affect the life in the seas.

No words could be plainer than Scripture's here: this was a worldwide flood. Scripture marks off the world that then was from the earth that now is, and faith finds it easy to accept God's statement. It was a miracle. To cover all the high hills of one district only, without the water flowing to other parts, would need as great a miracle as to cover the whole earth.

It was for God now to carry out His word of judgment: whether or not He caused His wind to blow, the waters flowed. His word decides everything. Man must learn that He is, and that He punishes, even in this world where He sees fit, the wrongdoing that goes too far. He is patient, but He gave this early lesson to the ungodly, which they can only forget or deny at their peril.

The terrible waters of judgment roared over the earth. But those same waters of death destroyed all beneath them. On their surface they carried this representative man in safety, and those saved with him... All perished outside the ark: all must perish outside Christ. He might have helped to fell the trees or even build the ark, but once the door was shut he was shut out.

So God's judgment cleared the world before the flood of its widespread and open evils. That judgment stands as a witness and a warning of another judgment that hangs over the earth we live in. There were two witnesses then, first Enoch, then Noah. Each had his own marks, and both agreed in announcing judgment about to fall on the ungodly while they were still living here. So it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:30).

No words could be plainer. They mean a flood over the whole world. The world that then was stands apart from the earth that now is, and faith finds it easy to accept God's statement. It was a miracle. It would take just as great a miracle to cover all the high hills in one district only, without the water flowing to other parts, as to cover the whole earth.

It is childish and sinful to complain about the destruction of the lower creation. The fall of man, its head, had already put it under futility. And now that man's wickedness called aloud for divine judgment, the birds and beasts share his ruin on earth. Yet even in this the goodness and the wisdom of God secure the victory in due time. For if the creation fell with the first man, what joy to know from God's word that all its groaning waits for the triumph of the Second man, when the sons of God are revealed!

It is interesting to see that, before the governmental act of judgement began, the chosen family and all with them were safely shut in the ark, the vessel of grace... God in grace saved Noah before God in government swept the earth with the broom of judgement. It is grace and government over again. Grace acts in salvation; government acts in judgement. We see God in both. Every atom of the ark bore the sweet mark of grace; every wave of the flood reflected the solemn decree of government.

Who can measure the delight with which the blessed God viewed the contents of that ark? They held vast promise for His praise — the spiritual family of the Ethiopian official, of Cornelius and of Saul of Tarsus. They held the thousands of burnt offerings, valued as pointing on to the unswerving devotion of Christ to the will of His God. Blessed indeed is that which "remained" despite the breakdown.

So nothing can weaken the force of the statement: God delivered the family of Noah from the judgment of the flood because of the faith of their head. It was not salvation itself, but it was a picture of salvation... So the grace of God brought the whole household out from under the judgment and set them on the new earth, because of the faith of Noah.

All perished outside the ark: all must perish outside Christ. It did not matter how near a person was to the ark, he was either shut in or shut out. He might have helped to fell the trees or even build the ark, but once the door was shut he was shut out.

So divine judgment purged the world before the flood of its many open evils. That judgment stands as a witness and a warning of another judgment, which hangs over the habitable earth. There were two witnesses then, first Enoch, then Noah... and both announced the judgment about to fall on the ungodly while they lived here below.

As to the flood itself, the account given (Genesis 7:11 — Genesis 8:14) is quite explicit, both as to its duration and its dimensions. The tremendous rain lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The waters prevailed from the 17th day of the 2nd month to the 17th day of the 7th month, when the ark grounded on the mountains of Ararat. … On the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was dry enough for the occupants of the ark to go out from it — one year and 10 days having passed from the start.

Clearly including the forty days of rain, the waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days (compare v. 11 and Genesis 8:4).

The writer of "Genesis of the Earth" tries in vain to move the disaster to the low lands of the Euphrates and the Tigris. There a flood of fifteen cubits would hardly touch the earth in general or those living on it. This overlooks or disbelieves "the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4), where the ark rested when the waters were going down. Its chief peak, 17,000 feet above the sea, may give some idea of the appalling fact.

It was for God now to carry out His word of judgment: whether or not He caused His wind to blow, the waters flowed. It was not a question of His ordinary regulation according to the laws He stamped on creation. His word is paramount. Man must learn that He is, and that He punishes, even in this world where He sees fit, the wrongdoing that goes too far. He is long-suffering, but He gave this early lesson to the ungodly, which they can only forget or deny at their peril.

And we read, "The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth" (Genesis 7:17). The ark was borne up. And that which was judgment to the world was safety for Noah. As the waters rose, what rose? This ark.

When "the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth," no flesh was visible, and nothing but death could be seen. God's word about "the end of all flesh" coming before Him came true. Now all were either covered in the waters of judgment, or in the ark. The ark rode between the waters surging from beneath and coming down from above.

The five months of floating on a shoreless sea would seem endless to Noah and his family. We can well imagine that they would feel that God had forgotten them. "But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark." … Yet at the end of 150 days the ark only grounded in the mountains of Ararat: there was still no land visible.

The flood of waters that came, covering all, so that the end of all flesh came, is a type of the death of Christ. In His death judgment was passed and carried out on all flesh. The waves and billows rolled over His innocent head. He passed through death and judgment for us and has made Himself our perfect ark, our hiding place. In Him we are lifted above the judgment waters.

Peter says, you like to believe that there was no flood, and I will tell you why. Because if you admit the flood, you admit the judgment of God on wickedness. And if you admit that judgment once, then it is more than likely He will judge a second time.