Man had become so wicked within the 1200 years after the birth of Seth that God regretted creating him. Genesis 6:1-7 says: (1) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, (2) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (3) And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. (4) There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (5) And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. (7) And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Adam was alive for most of these years. He was 130 when Seth was born and he lived another 800 years after that. Chapter 5 tells us of some of the people born during his lifetime. Below is a timeline of Adam's age when these births occured:
Adam-130 Seth is born
235 Enos is born
325 Cainan is born
395 Mahalaleel is born
460 Jared is born
622 Enoch is born
687 Methusaleh is born
874 Lamech is born
Unfortunately, Noah was born 136 years after the death of Adam. I'm sure he heard many stories about Adam and Eve and the beautiful Garden of Eden.
It is difficult for me to understand how so many people who knew the first humans ever created and heard their stories could still turn their backs on God. But, that is what sin does. It blinds your eyes and deafens your ears to the truth.
Because Noah was a righteous man, God decided not to destroy everyone and everything. He wanted to give them another chance. So He told Noah to build an ark. Specific instructions were given for the construction. First of all it was to be built of gopher wood. This must have been the best wood to withstand the turbulence of the storm. Next, it had to be a specific size: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. According to my Nelson's Student Bible Dictionary a cubit is equal to 18 inches. So, it would have been 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. However, according to The Bible Story by Arthur S. Maxwell (first copyright listed 1953) - "It was to be 600 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 60 feet in height-almost as big as some of the ocean liners today. The United States, pride of the U.S. merchant fleet, is 990 feet long, 101 feet 6 inches wide, and 122 feet from keel to top. It has 12 decks and a crew of 1,000. In war it could carry 14,000 soldiers." I'm not sure who is right, but the important thing to remember is that was a big vessel. Its purpose was not only to save Noah and his family and every species, but also anyone else who repented. It also had to be pitched within and without with pitch. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary I found online, pitch is "a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars". This was probably to keep it waterproof.
Exactly when he started building we are not told. He was 500 years old when his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born and he was 600 years old when they entered the ark. During this time I am sure he probably kept telling people that God was going to destroy the earth. Day after day, year after year he kept repeating his warning but no one believed him. Even when the animals were going into the ark without being forced they still didn't believe. The animals listen and obey God and so should we. This is evident in their "instincts". The birds fly south for the winter because God tells them it will be too cold for them to stay where they are. Bees feed some of the larvae royal jelly so they will become queens and be able to produce more bees. The other larvae become workers so they can gather honey and take care of the hive. God knows all this is necessary so He tells them what to do. Clean beasts and fowl were used for sacrifices. That is probably the reason there were more of these than others.
Once everyone was inside, an unseen hand closed the door. People were probably still laughing until the waters started to rise. They scrambled upon rooftops, climbed trees and mountains to escape drowning. I can almost hear them begging Noah to open the door and let them in. I'm sure it broke his heart knowing what was happening to them but he couldn't open the door. God closed it and only He could open it.
After 5 months the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. Three months later the tops of the mountains could be seen. Noah waited 40 days and opened the window. He sent a raven and a dove out. The raven didn't return because it probably found food and didn't need the food in the ark. Ravens are scavengers. They eat just about anything including human garbage. One of the things they eat is carrion (the carcass of a dead animal), so it probably found dead corpses of men and beasts floating upon the water or lying on the mountaintops.
However, the dove found no food because they are vegetarians and so she returned. He waited another seven days and sent her forth again. This time she brought an olive leaf. Olive trees grow in the lower hills, so this meant that these hills were dry and had trees and other plant life growing on them. Another week passes and he sends the dove out again. She doesn't return so he knows the ground is dry and it is time to leave.
They have spent one year in the ark. Upon leaving, Noah builds an altar and offers a sacrifice from every clean beast and every clean bird. This was to say "thank you for taking care of us." This should be an example to us. We should thank Him every day for all that He has done, is doing, and will do. God set the rainbow in the sky to remind us that no matter how bad the storm He will always bring us through. It is also a reminder that He will never destroy all creation again with a flood. Look at the rainbow - you cannot send an end. It is like He is encircling the earth with His love.
Noah and his family must have been heartbroken when they saw the destruction that had occurred. I know firsthand the mysteriousness of a flood. My home was flooded by Hurricane Frances and a week later by Hurricane Ivan. Our refrigerator was turned on its side but the stove and sofas remained where they were. Outside, the large propane tank was ripped out of the ground and the push lawn mower that was beside it and the cheap grill were left. We have no idea where the tank went. This was from Frances. When Ivan struck everything remained the same.
They remained faithful and He helped them rebuild their lives and repopulate the earth. He will do the same for us today if we only rely on Him. Until next time remember Psalm 118:24-This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Leigh
Adam was alive for most of these years. He was 130 when Seth was born and he lived another 800 years after that. Chapter 5 tells us of some of the people born during his lifetime. Below is a timeline of Adam's age when these births occured:
Adam-130 Seth is born
235 Enos is born
325 Cainan is born
395 Mahalaleel is born
460 Jared is born
622 Enoch is born
687 Methusaleh is born
874 Lamech is born
Unfortunately, Noah was born 136 years after the death of Adam. I'm sure he heard many stories about Adam and Eve and the beautiful Garden of Eden.
It is difficult for me to understand how so many people who knew the first humans ever created and heard their stories could still turn their backs on God. But, that is what sin does. It blinds your eyes and deafens your ears to the truth.
Because Noah was a righteous man, God decided not to destroy everyone and everything. He wanted to give them another chance. So He told Noah to build an ark. Specific instructions were given for the construction. First of all it was to be built of gopher wood. This must have been the best wood to withstand the turbulence of the storm. Next, it had to be a specific size: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. According to my Nelson's Student Bible Dictionary a cubit is equal to 18 inches. So, it would have been 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. However, according to The Bible Story by Arthur S. Maxwell (first copyright listed 1953) - "It was to be 600 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 60 feet in height-almost as big as some of the ocean liners today. The United States, pride of the U.S. merchant fleet, is 990 feet long, 101 feet 6 inches wide, and 122 feet from keel to top. It has 12 decks and a crew of 1,000. In war it could carry 14,000 soldiers." I'm not sure who is right, but the important thing to remember is that was a big vessel. Its purpose was not only to save Noah and his family and every species, but also anyone else who repented. It also had to be pitched within and without with pitch. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary I found online, pitch is "a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars". This was probably to keep it waterproof.
Exactly when he started building we are not told. He was 500 years old when his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born and he was 600 years old when they entered the ark. During this time I am sure he probably kept telling people that God was going to destroy the earth. Day after day, year after year he kept repeating his warning but no one believed him. Even when the animals were going into the ark without being forced they still didn't believe. The animals listen and obey God and so should we. This is evident in their "instincts". The birds fly south for the winter because God tells them it will be too cold for them to stay where they are. Bees feed some of the larvae royal jelly so they will become queens and be able to produce more bees. The other larvae become workers so they can gather honey and take care of the hive. God knows all this is necessary so He tells them what to do. Clean beasts and fowl were used for sacrifices. That is probably the reason there were more of these than others.
Once everyone was inside, an unseen hand closed the door. People were probably still laughing until the waters started to rise. They scrambled upon rooftops, climbed trees and mountains to escape drowning. I can almost hear them begging Noah to open the door and let them in. I'm sure it broke his heart knowing what was happening to them but he couldn't open the door. God closed it and only He could open it.
After 5 months the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. Three months later the tops of the mountains could be seen. Noah waited 40 days and opened the window. He sent a raven and a dove out. The raven didn't return because it probably found food and didn't need the food in the ark. Ravens are scavengers. They eat just about anything including human garbage. One of the things they eat is carrion (the carcass of a dead animal), so it probably found dead corpses of men and beasts floating upon the water or lying on the mountaintops.
However, the dove found no food because they are vegetarians and so she returned. He waited another seven days and sent her forth again. This time she brought an olive leaf. Olive trees grow in the lower hills, so this meant that these hills were dry and had trees and other plant life growing on them. Another week passes and he sends the dove out again. She doesn't return so he knows the ground is dry and it is time to leave.
They have spent one year in the ark. Upon leaving, Noah builds an altar and offers a sacrifice from every clean beast and every clean bird. This was to say "thank you for taking care of us." This should be an example to us. We should thank Him every day for all that He has done, is doing, and will do. God set the rainbow in the sky to remind us that no matter how bad the storm He will always bring us through. It is also a reminder that He will never destroy all creation again with a flood. Look at the rainbow - you cannot send an end. It is like He is encircling the earth with His love.
Noah and his family must have been heartbroken when they saw the destruction that had occurred. I know firsthand the mysteriousness of a flood. My home was flooded by Hurricane Frances and a week later by Hurricane Ivan. Our refrigerator was turned on its side but the stove and sofas remained where they were. Outside, the large propane tank was ripped out of the ground and the push lawn mower that was beside it and the cheap grill were left. We have no idea where the tank went. This was from Frances. When Ivan struck everything remained the same.
They remained faithful and He helped them rebuild their lives and repopulate the earth. He will do the same for us today if we only rely on Him. Until next time remember Psalm 118:24-This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Leigh