Preparing the ark

• Why did God destroy the world He had created?
• Humans were going to destroy themselves. God believed that extreme measures and a new beginning were necessary (Genesis 6:5-7). He chose Noah to warn everyone and offered a means of salvation: the ark (2 Peter 2:5; Genesis 6:8, 13-14).
• “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Genesis 6:22). God is offering His grace to us too, and He’s expecting a response of faith and obedience.

The Flood: end and beginning

• How are Creation and the Flood similar?
• [1] The waters are divided (1:6) => The waters come together (7:11); [2] God created the animals according to their kind (1:21, 25) => God preserves the animals according to their kind (7:14); [3] God brought the animals to Adam (2:19) => God destroys the animals because of humans (6:7).
• God had to destroy everything He had created so humankind could have a new beginning. God will also destroy this world to make a new Creation, free of sin (Isaiah 65:17;
  Revelation 21:1).

“God remembered”

• Had God forgotten about Noah?
• God hadn’t actually lost His memory. “God remembers” means that the right time for something has come (Genesis 19:29; 30:22; Exodus 2:24; 1S. 1:19).
• Once the Flood ended, Noah opened the window of the ark (Genesis 8:6). He sent some birds to study the current state of the earth (Genesis 8:7-12). He trusted God, and he also took action to confirm his faith.
• Noah still waited for God’s command before exiting the ark, even when the earth had already dried up (Genesis 8:15-18).

The covenants of the Flood:

• A covenant of life
  • What was God’s covenant with Noah?
  • “Build an ark, and I will save you from the Flood.” This is the same covenant God makes with us: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
  • God fulfilled His covenant, and Noah responded with an act of gratitude, a burnt offering (Genesis 8:20).
  • Although Moses did not mention it in that verse, the animals that could be eaten were the clean ones (Genesis 7:2; 8:20).
• A covenant of preservation
  • What are humans expected to do in this new covenant?
  • This is a unilateral covenant. God’s the one committing. It is a gift of grace for humankind that we’ll remember every time we see a rainbow.
  • God gave humankind a second chance, a “new creation.” He also committed to preserve life on Earth (Genesis 8:22).