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Noah: Embarks on an Ark

Noah serves as an example of a godly man who served and obeyed God, yet who was not above temptation. We can learn from both the godliness and the sin of this great man.

Noah’s Background:  Like many of the characters from the early chapters of the Bible, Noah’s early life is a mystery. We know that his father was Lamech. The name Noah probably ought to be pronounced something like “No-ach.” The word means “rest” or “comfort.” His parents hoped that Noah would live up to his name and bring them comfort (Gen 5:29). He was ten generations removed from Adam (if the genealogical record is complete).
Other than the fact that he was born, nothing is said of Noah until he is 500 years old. He had three sons–Shem, Ham and Japheth. His wife is not mentioned by name.

Noah’s Life and Times: 

1. The ark: Noah is most famous, of course, for building the ark.

After receiving directions for the construction of the boat, Noah and his family apparently worked on it for the next 120 years. It perhaps did not take them this long to finish it, but it was 120 years between God’s order to build it and the flood.
The size and shape of the ark are described only in the most general terms. The word “ark” is an Egyptian loan word meaning “palace.” It was not unusual in ancient literature for a large ship to be called a palace. The English translation “ark” is taken directly from the Latin Vulgate (arca meaning “box”), based on the LXX, which uses the word “chest” to describe the ark.
The exact nature of the material from which the structure was made is unknown. The KJV and NASB say it’s “gopher wood” while the NIV states that it’s “cypress wood.” It may be that the term “gopher” describes the shape of the wood rather than the kind. In any event, the term is used without further comment; and like so many of the terms in this section, its meaning remains a mystery. This wood was then sealed with pitch.
For a wooden vessel, the size of the ark was enormous by ancient as well as modern standards. It would have been larger than the largest wooden ships in the modern period of sailing. By modern standards Noah’s ocean vessel is comparable to a small cargo ship, thus still of considerable size. *1 The ark was essentially a large rectangular box, 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It was three levels high and could carry the equivalent of about 500 standard railroad boxcars. There would be little problem housing the required animals, food and people on the ark.
God told Noah that his family and representatives from all the animals would also be boarding the ark. He was to take males and females “of every sort” of animal. One detail of the story that often slips by readers is that God told Noah to take seven clean animals, not just two. Plus, he was to take seven of each kind of birds. Only two of each unclean animals were taken, one male and one female (Gen 7:2-3). More clean (kosher) animals were needed for food and for sacrifices. God also told him to take all the food needed for the animals and for his family. Obviously, this was a huge undertaking.
When Noah was 600 years old, the flood started. All the animals entered the ark seven days before it started raining. Noah and his family boarded the same day the flood began. After all were on board, “the LORD shut him in” (Gen 7:16).
The floodwaters “prevailed” for forty days and nights. This was more than just a hard rainstorm. The Bible says that the “fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Gen 7:11). This implies that the waters under the earth and the waters above the earth (probably water vapor) deluged the surface of the earth. The flood waters kept on increasing until the whole earth was covered. The water was deep enough to cover even the mountains (Gen 7:19). Massive geological disturbances and volcanic activity also accompanied the flood.
All animal and human life, other than what was on the ark, died. After the forty days, the water continued to cover the earth for 150 more days. As God sent a wind to dry things up, the waters drained away and the ground came back into view. After seven months, the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (Gen 8:4). But it wasn’t until several months later that all the inhabitants exited the ark. Noah and the animals didn’t leave until God gave them permission (Gen 8:16-17). The time from the beginning of the flood to the exit from the ark was about a year.

1. Post flood life:  A new world and a fresh start awaited Noah and his family after the waters of the flood receded. The first thing Noah did after leaving the ark was to set up an altar and sacrifice some of the clean animals (Gen 8:20). This is the first altar mentioned in Scripture. God made a covenant (i.e., a contract or agreement) with Noah never again to destroy the earth with a flood. The rainbow became the symbol of this agreement, a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness to his promises.

God told Noah and his family, “Be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein” (Gen 9:7).
Noah became a “husbandman,” that is, a farmer.

1. Noah’s sin:  Noah planted a vineyard soon after leaving the ark. He probably had crops other than grapes, too. He made wine and got drunk. *2 The Bible says that while he was drunk he was “uncovered within his tent” (Gen 9:21). Note the similarity between the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Noah. Adam and Eve ate the apple and got in trouble; Noah drank the wine and got in trouble. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control, but the result of abusing alcohol is lack of control.

What is the problem with Noah being “uncovered” in his tent? It’s clearly sinful to be drunk, but what’s so bad about being unclothed, especially in your own tent? The word “naked” may imply shameful, indecent or improper behavior. Some Bible scholars suggest that Ham (or his son Canaan) was guilty of some kind of sinful activity here, but the text doesn’t say so explicitly. Perhaps the fact that Ham saw his father drunk and naked (maybe with his mother?) brought great shame and reproach upon Noah. But exactly what happened is unclear.
Ham apparently told Shem and Japheth what he had seen. In order to avoid further shaming their father, the two of them entered Noah’s tent backwards, avoiding the sight of their drunken, unclothed dad, and covered him up. When Noah woke up, he somehow found out about what Ham “had done unto him” (Gen 9:24). He then pronounced a curse on Ham’s son Canaan, and a blessing on Shem and Japheth. Canaan’s descendants populated the land of Canaan, which the descendants of Shem and Japheth eventually conquered.

1. Noah’s death: Noah lived after the flood 350 more years. His age at death was 950. The story of Noah ends with the simple expression “and he died” (Gen 9:29).

How should we understand the assertion that men like Noah and others lived so long? Some suggest that such numbers are symbolic, with important men living to a great old age. The greater you were, the longer you were said to have lived. However, as time goes by, we find other great men who did not live to such a great age. Others think that such statements of age prove the mythological character of these stories. However, other biblical authors don’t treat people like Noah as myths, but as real, historical people.
Probably the best solution is that prior to the flood, conditions existed upon the earth that were favorable to longer life spans. Some scholars believe a water vapor canopy surrounded the earth and filtered out the harmful rays from the sun. This vapor barrier created a greenhouse effect, creating high humidity and a warm climate world-wide. Also, because creation occurred not too long before this, many of the harmful effects of immorality (disease, genetic mutations, etc.) had not been incorporated into the human race yet. So there may be a variety of reasons people lived as long as Noah did.

Noah’s Spiritual Character:  Noah lived at a time of great wickedness. Genesis 6:5 and 11 describes Noah’s time in these words: “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…. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” In both actions and attitudes, the people of Noah’s time were utterly depraved. Unlike his neighbors, “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Gen 6:9). He wasn’t sinless, but he did walk with God in faith and obedience. By this time the wickedness of man had so prevailed that Noah and his family were apparently the only people who feared and worshipped God. One of the great statements of the Bible is found in Genesis 6:8 – “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” The reason God saved Noah was that he “walked with God” and did not corrupt God’s way. Thus, it is clear that Noah and his family were godly people. They were vastly different than all the other people of the time.
Noah must have had a close walk with God, because God told him directly that He was about the judge the world with a catastrophic flood (Gen 6:13). He further told him all the directions for building the ark, for getting the animals, providing the food, etc. God shut him in the ark and told him when to get out. Noah must have received much more instruction in the sciences of boat building and animal husbandry than what we have recorded in Genesis. God made a covenant with Noah (the Noahic Covenant), promising never again to destroy life with a world-wide flood.
Noah was obedient. Genesis 6:22 tells us that Noah did “according to all that God commanded him.” Noah obeyed God due to a sense of faith and reverence (Heb 11:7).
Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). For the 120 years or so that Noah was preparing the ark, he was also apparently preaching repentance to his neighbors. Unfortunately, none of them believed his message. Only Noah and his family were saved from the flood.

Lessons from Noah: 

1. God hates and punishes sin. The wickedness of man grieves God. It was the sinfulness and corruption of mankind that brought about the flood.

Application: we can expect God to react negatively to sin in our lives

1. God is gracious. Grace is showing favor and goodwill to those who don’t deserve it. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” God could easily have destroyed the whole earth, including Noah and his family. They were by no means sinless prior to or after the flood. But God graciously provided a means of salvation for Noah, his family and all the animals. Also, the ark was open to anyone who cared to enter it until God shut the door.

Application: God is still gracious and does not punish us to the extent we deserve. He has provided a means of salvation–Jesus Christ.

1. You can faithfully serve God even when surrounded by wickedness and corruption. Noah and his family were apparently the only true worshippers of God at the time, yet they continued to be faithful to God.

Application:  Stand strong for your faith even when you’re the only one.

1. God rewards obedience. We never find Noah rebelling against God’s instructions to him regarding building the ark or making preparations for the flood. Noah’s obedience resulted in his being saved from the flood.

Application: we should follow Noah’s example in obeying what God tells us to do.

1. People often ignore  or reject the message of salvation. For many years Noah warned his neighbors of the impending catastrophe, but no one heeded his message. Was Noah a failure? Not really. Success in God’s eyes is fulfilling your duty. You cannot control how people respond to the message. All you can do is faithfully proclaim it like Noah did.

Application:  tell others of their impending doom and the way of salvation; don’t get depressed if people don’t respond positively to the gospel.

1. Mankind is inherently depraved. Even righteous people give in to temptation. Very shortly after the miraculous salvation of Noah, his family and the animals, man once again falls into perversion and corruption. Note that Noah didn’t fall during a time of adversity, but a time of ease. It is often during such times that we are most liable to temptation.

Application:  We are prone to sin. Our own internal corruption kicks in even after spiritual high points. James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways.”

1. God can use fallen, sinful people to carry out his plan. Although we don’t see Noah’s sin until after the flood, we can assume that he was not sinlessly perfect before or during the flood. Yet God still used him for this great work.

Application: You don’t have to be sinlessly perfect to be of use to God. This is no excuse for sin. Neither should one excuse himself from service just because he fails from time to time.

1. Those who trust and fear God obey him. Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah believed God’s word and “moved with fear” in constructing the ark.

Application:  Those who claim to be saved must also be obedient.

1. Sometimes God’s plan is to bring his people through trouble rather than to avoid it. Imagine all the work and difficulty involved in Noah’s project. Enduring this was part of God’s plan. Noah did not escape the flood; God protected him through it. God’s will for us sometimes involves much labor and difficulty.

Application:  Try to see your problems as part of God’s will for you.

Conclusion:  We can learn much from the life of Noah. He serves as an example of a man who “found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” He walked with God even when those around him indulged in wickedness and violence. He preached the message of salvation to his neighbors. His obedience to the Lord’s commands resulted in the salvation of the human race and the animal kingdom. However, he was not above temptation. One moment of weakness mars his otherwise inspiring story. So we are warned by Noah’s example as well as encouraged by it.

Discussion:

1. What does the word “Noah” mean?  Rest, comfort
2. How many generations separated Noah from Adam?  10
3. Explain how many of each animal were on the ark.  7 each of clean animals, 7 each of birds, 2 each of unclean animals.
4. Where did all the water for the flood come from?  Some was underground, some was in the atmosphere
5. How long was Noah on the ark?  Just over a year
6. What was the content of the covenant God made with Noah?  A promise not to destroy the earth with a flood again
7. In what way did Noah sin soon after the end of the flood?  He got drunk
8. What lessons can we learn from the story of Noah?  See above list.