Village Schools of the Bible

Genesis: A Devotional Study
by Max Frazier, Jr

I never cease to be amazed at how much God teaches me from this book that we are so familiar with. Just shows the power of His Word. Our study this week will focus on
chapters 6 and 7 - part of the story of Noah.

Genesis 6

Key Words: "the Lord was grieved;" "his heart was filled with pain"

Key Verse: Verse 8 is a contrast between Noah and society (do we find favor with God?) and verse 22 describes the total obedience of Noah.

Purpose Statement: This chapter is a portrait of a corrupt society and a faithful man; of a verdict of destruction from God to that society, yet of mercy and deliverance to the man.

Outline: Noah's Call and His Obedience to God

I. The union of the sons of God with the daughters of men (vs. 1-4)
II. The response of God (vs. 5-8)
III. The story of Noah (vs. 9-9:29)
A. His family and his reputation (vs. 9-10)
B. The instructions concerning the ark (vs. 11-22)

Questions to Ponder: Who were the "sons of God" mentioned in verse 27?

Thoughts to Ponder: Seldom in the Bible do we read of God being in pain. But this text (verse 6) tells us that God's heart was filled with pain over the intense and continuous evil of the man that he had created. It seemed their sole purpose was to do evil. They turned those things that God had created for good (example - sex) into evil. When one reads these early verses one can picture our world today. Is God's heart filled with pain today? I think it must be.

As a child I often pondered how Noah could round up all the animals that were to go into the ark. But verse 20 relates that he did not round up any of them. They came to him. I image that was quite a scene in Noah's hometown when one day, out of nowhere, came two elephants and then two camels and then two giraffes. And two kangaroos just happened to hop by. As did Noah, so did the animal world - they all obeyed God.

Why did Noah find favor (grace) in the eyes of a God whose heart was filled with pain? In verse 9 we read where Noah walked with God. This is the same expression used of Enoch (Genesis 5:24). It is what God wants from each of us (Colossians 2:6). Second, in verse 22, Noah did everything just as God commanded him. When we are walking with the Lord we will then practice obedience. Walking and obeying always curry God's favor.

Genesis 7

Key Words: "obeyed;" "shut"

Key Verse: Verse 5 shares solid testimony of Noah's unquestioned obedience.

Purpose Statement: This chapter is a continuation of the account of Noah's obedience to God in preparation for the flood and of God's sparing Noah as the flood begins.

Outline: The Story of Noah (continued)

C. Instructions about the animals (7:1-5)
D. The gathering into the ark (vs. 6-10)

Note: this took a week
E. The floods come (vs. 11-24)

Questions to Probe: I wonder how Noah felt as he heard the door shut and the rains begin and he heard the pitiful pleas of the people from outside? Or perhaps the people responded in hatred to God (compare with Revelation 16).

Thoughts to Ponder: I imagine Noah created quite a spectacle that day as he and his sons began to load the ark with all the strange creatures that had arrived in town. It may have been almost a circus-like atmosphere as "crazy old Noah" loaded his boat, labeled perhaps by most of his neighbors as "Noah's Folly." Perhaps, some might have had a twinge of nervousness as Noah and his family walked up the ramp, but what could they expect from a "crazy man." Then God shut the door with a loud thud.

Two key statements are found in this chapter: verse 5 - another reminder that Noah did all that the Lord commanded him; and verse 6 - the Lord shut him in. I think there is a relationship between these two verses. Because Noah did obey all that God had said, it pleased God to close him safely into the ark. The blessings of safety followed the acts of obedience. When those first rain drops came, some began to wonder if Noah had not been right. But the rains persisted - day after day. Now it was no longer funny - it was deadly serious. They beat upon that ark door but Noah would not open it up. He couldn't because it had been closed from the outside. Finally, the knocking ceased and the only sound now was the beating of the rain on the hull of the ark. Oh, if the people had just heeded God's warning while there was still time! But, have we learned the lessons of the flood? I think not. The day will come when the Lord will come and so many will be left behind to experience the flood of God's judgment that will come upon the world.

Study Note: Verse 2 is the first reference to the differences between clean and unclean animals. We have to assume that God had given instructions to Noah as to how to classify these animals. It must have been quite a sight as they loaded the ark.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Man is a peculiar, puzzling paradox, groping for God and hoping to hide from Him at the selfsame time. (William A. Ward)

Genesis 4-5 Return to Table of Contents Genesis 8-9