Genesis 7
by Pastor David Groendyk
After preparations for the great flood of judgment are complete, God sends Noah and his family into the ark and closes the door behind them. They were in the ark for approximately one year, and chapter 7 mentions the first half of that year while the waters on the earth were at their deepest and all living flesh died. Chapter 8 begins with a great hope in just the first three words, but for now, we’re stuck in the ark floating atop the waters. Two New Testament passages come to mind when thinking about Genesis 7.
The first passage is Hebrews 11:7, which says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Imagine what it would’ve been like for Noah to have faith in God’s words and obey him during the events of Genesis 6–7. Imagine the ridicule and violence he might’ve endured from the people around him as he witnessed to them about God and the impending judgment and as he built a massive boat in the middle of a landlocked region over the course of certainly months and maybe years. Imagine the long days of sitting in the boat and looking out the window at nothing but water as far as the eye can see for eight months. In this way, Noah exemplifies faith. He believed God’s words about the coming flood and the promise of hope afterwards even though all of those events were unseen. Trusting God’s words even when we can’t yet see the fruition and fulfillment is the essence of faith (see Heb. 11:1).
The second passage is 2 Peter 3:1–15 in which Peter compares the day of the flood to the final day of judgment that we’re awaiting. Both in Noah’s day and in ours, there are scoffers who mock and doubt that any sort of judgment is actually coming. Both in Noah’s day and in ours, the judgment is sure to come, it catches everyone off-guard, and it wipes out everyone who has not believed in God’s words. Both in Noah’s day and in ours, it appears as though the Lord is slow to keep his promises, but he is simply being patient and giving people the chance to repent. Both in Noah’s day and in ours, God’s people look forward with great hope to a new creation where righteousness dwells. We’re meant to see through Peter’s letter (both in 2 Peter 3 and in 1 Peter 3:18–22) how we Christians are in the exact same situation as Noah. Worldwide judgment for sin is coming, and only those who have found refuge in the resurrection of Jesus will be saved from it. What sort of people ought we to be in light of this reality? We ought to live lives of holiness and godliness, characterized by hope and trust, while standing firm in the truth that we have heard and believed though all the world mocks and scoffs. The Bible anticipates that it will be hard to keep the faith while we live in a world that seems to continue on completely untouched and unaffected by the spiritual realities of God’s existence and Jesus’s death and resurrection. But, most assuredly, the day will come when all things will be revealed, and we will get to live in the new heavens and new earth in which true righteousness dwells. Until then, be diligent to believe the things that are unseen, and be diligent to live a holy life pleasing to him.