Do You Hear Me?

Genesis 7:11-14 (NASB):

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. ¹² And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³ On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.

Have you felt as if no one was listening to you? I have to confess that occasionally my mind will be wandering while my wife is talking. Just when I snap back to reality I hear, “Did you hear anything I just said?” It can be frustrating when you have something important to say, only to be tuned out by everyone around you.

Noah understood what that was like. For many years Noah built the ark and preached righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). His preaching, however, was met with no repentance. The wicked population of earth ignored God’s warning. The time of opportunity for repentance ended when Noah was 600 years old (whoa, that is old). The ark was completed. God instructed Noah and his family to enter the ark, bringing with them all the pairs of creatures to be rescued (Gen. 7:1-10). They had one week to get everyone and everything on board before the floodwaters erupted. God Himself shut the door on the ark, emphasizing His sole, ongoing, superintendence of both the judgment and rescue operations.

Here is an important spiritual truth: God always move on time-on His time.

Note the specificity of the flood’s beginning point: in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month. It was a day like none other from the time of creation. The floodwaters came from below and above. The “sources of the watery depths” (“fountains of the great deep,” KJV, ESV) refers to underground springs, rivers, and reservoirs of water that simply burst forth to the surface. Meanwhile, God also opened the “floodgates of the sky” (“windows of heaven,” KJV) so that unrelenting rain fell in deluge after deluge.

The language used in this verse denotes a sudden, unexpected event. Noah warned people of the coming catastrophe for many years prior to its arrival. Yet no one took him seriously. In New Testament times, Jesus pointed to the lack of preparedness by people in Noah’s day as a picture of how spiritually ill-prepared many will be found at Christ’s return (Matt. 24:36-44). Once God’s judgement has begun, it is too late to prepare for it.

In verse 12, the phrase “40 days and 40 nights” reflects that 40 is a significant number in Scripture. It is associated with several key events in the life of God’s people. For example, Moses stayed 40 days and 40 nights with God on Mount Sinai when he received the tablets of the law (Ex. 24:18). Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights prior to his temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2).

Forty days and nights of uninterrupted rainfall, together with the water bursting forth from underground, was enough to submerge even the highest mountains 20 feet below the surface (Gen. 7:19-20). Such a phenomenon was no problem for the Creator who formed the earth and separated it from the waters above and the waters beneath (Gen. 1:7).

God instructed Noah and his entire family in verses 13-14 to enter the ark seven days before the start of the rains. Noah obeyed God and entered the ark with his wife, his sons, and his son’s wives-a total of eight individuals. Although they did not know how long they would live in the ark, they trusted God.

Here is a second spiritual truth: people left to themselves cannot overcome sin. Unchecked sin leads to greater wickedness.

In His justice, God declared judgment upon sin and sinners. Disobedience to God leads to sure destruction. In His grace, however, God rescues people who love Him and are faithful to Him. If you are struggling with sin today, look to Christ. He is the only One who can rescue you.

Applying the Scriptures:

Noah’s experience in building the ark, waiting for the rains, and entering the ark was a test of faith. What kinds of tests of faith do Christians face today? How do these test compare to Noah’s test?

Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,

Dr. Bryan Cox