Summer At Sea: Week 1 Day 2

Genesis 6:9-22 (ESV)

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

In today’s passage, God told Noah that the earth and all flesh “in which is the breath of life” (Genesis 6:17) will be destroyed. Not many chapters ago, in Genesis 1, God was creating the earth and every living creature in it, so how did we get here? 

Well, in the beginning, when the earth was formless and void, God hovered over the waters. He spoke light, order, and life into the watery chaos. Man and woman lived in the Garden of Eden, a place of delight where God walked among them. Then humanity decided to trust the serpent and themselves instead of God’s Word, ultimately choosing death over life. Generations later, here we are, at the time of Noah, where all flesh was corrupt in their ways and was going to be destroyed. God chose, however, to make a covenant with Noah, who walked with Him faithfully. God told Noah to build an ark. What Noah was to bring onto the ark reflects the creation narratives in Genesis 1 and 2. Into the ark went Noah and his wife (Genesis 2:21-25), his sons and their wives, every sort of bird (created day 5) and creature (created day 6), and every plant yielding seed, and every tree bearing fruit with seeds (created day 3); these were given to all living things as food as stated in Genesis 1:29. Even on the brink of destruction, there was hope, with the blessings of life, fruitfulness, and fullness being put into the ark to keep them alive.