Lesson 15
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THE GENERATIONS OP NOAH
IN OUR STUDY of the flood, three things must be stressed:
a. The purpose of the flood was to destroy all flesh. Cf. Genesis 6:7, 13, 17; 7:4, 21-23; also I Peter 3:20.
b. The cause of the flood was the sinfulness of man. Cf. Genesis 6:5, 11-13.
c. A thoroughly representative remnant was saved. Cf. Genesis 6:8; 7:1, 7, 9.
Note also the extent and the duration of the flood. The language which is used to describe the flood is the same comprehensive language which is used to describe creation in Genesis one.
GENESIS 6
Verse Nine [Gen. 6:9]. Again note the phrase, "walked with God." Enough is said to show that, although Noah was a sinner, yet God could declare him just.
Verse Eleven [Gen. 6:11]. Note the constant repetition of this terrible fact.
Verse Fifteen [Gen. 6:15]. A cubit is about eighteen inches. Note the proportions of the dimensions.
Verse Seventeen [Gen. 6:17]. The sense of the original is: "I am about to bring the destroyer (and the nature of this destroyer is) waters upon the earth." The word "waters" explains the kind of destruction which God is bringing. Note again the purpose of the destruction.
CHAPTER SEVEN, Verses Eighteen to Twenty [Gen. 7:18-20]. Note the repetition of the word "prevailed." Let the student read Chapters six to ten without interruption, noting the graphic vividness with which the account is told. Let him note how the repetition makes the narrative more vivid. Verses Twenty-one to Twenty-four [Gen. 7:21-24]. Read II Peter 2:5 as a comment upon these verses.
CHAPTER EIGHT, Verse Four [Gen. 8:4]. Mt. Ararat is a mountain in Armenia.
Verses Twenty to Twenty-two [Gen 8:20-22]. The phrase, "cursed the ground," in verse twenty-one does not refer to the curse of Genesis 3:17. It means that God will never again destroy all flesh by a flood as He had just done. From henceforth, while the earth remaineth, things will go on naturally. The reason for this regularity of nature being continued is given to us in the latter part of the verse. The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Because, this is so, it is evident that no judgment, such as a flood, will change the nature of man's heart. Hence, nature will continue in regularity. The student should study diligently the following references: Jeremiah 31:35 ff.; 5:22; 33:20 ff.; also Psalm 19; 89:37; 119:90 ff.; 148:6.
CHAPTER NINE, Verse Three [Gen. 9:3]. Here definite permission is given to man for the first time that he may eat flesh.
Verses Four to Seven [Gen. 9:4-7]. God alone has the disposal of life, and man is to show proper reverence for it. If a life is slain, it is the image of God, even though this image is perverted by sin.
Versus Eight to Seventeen [Gen. 9:8-17]. Read Isaiah 54:9 as a commentary upon these beautiful verses. The token of the covenant is the rainbow. The very clouds which had brought destruction to the earth formed the background against which the rainbow was produced. The rays of the sun which produced it remind us of God's grace. Verse thirteen may be translated: "I have set my bow in the cloud." It is quite probable that God used an already existing phenomenon and grave it a new significance as a token of His covenant with Noah.
Verses Seventeen to Twenty-nine [Gen. 9:17-29]. Why is it that Canaan is cursed and not Ham who had done the evil deed? It may be that, since Ham had sinned against his FATHER, so he was punished in one of his SONS, and it may be that Canaan was most like his father Ham in respect to his sensual nature. But of this we cannot be sure. Verse twenty-nine brings the history of the antediluvians to a close.
EXERCISES
- What three things must be stressed in studying the flood? Give Scripture references,
- Is there any indication that the flood was of wide extent ?
- What is the exact sense of Genesis 6:17?
- In Genesis 8:21, what does the phrase "curse the ground" mean?
- Why will God not curse the ground again?
- Let the student outline the story of the flood, making a list of each kind of repetition that he finds in the narrative.
HYMNS FOR STUDY
No. 112: "Jesus, The Very Thought Of Thee."
No. 415: "As The Hart When Noon Is Burning."