The Great Flood

Genesis 7             Review Activities for this Lesson

What do you think it was like to be in the great flood? How do you think Noah and his family felt when the rains kept coming down day after day? What would it have been like to have been shut up with so many animals for so long? Visiting a zoo should give us some idea about that!

Noah and his family knew the ark was a place of safety for them. Surely they would not have complained. They knew God was blessing them by saving them from the great flood outside. This week we will talk more about the flood.

The world had become so wicked that God was grieved in His heart. He decided to destroy all life from the earth. God said he would send a great flood - - so great that it would cover the whole earth. Only the good man Noah and his family would be saved from the flood.

The Lord told Noah to build an ark of gopher wood. This ark would be a huge boat, large enough for his family and their needs. Noah’s three sons (named Shem, Ham and Japheth), their wives and his wife would go into the ark with him. That made eight people in all. The ark would also be large enough for the males and females of all the animals.

The people who lived around Noah must have wondered why he was building such a big boat on dry land. If someone did that today, everyone would think he was crazy.

Not only did Noah obey God - - he was a “preacher of righteousness.” But the people would not listen to God’s Word. They just went about their usual business. They were like people today who think they have everything figured out for themselves and do not need God. Since a worldwide flood had never happened before, those in Noah’s time did not believe it would happen to them.

Parents should have handed down a knowledge of God to their children. But they had not. People were so wicked that God would have to punish them for their sins.

Soon it was time for Noah to go inside with his family and the animals. God said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation…For after seven more days I cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made. You alone have I seen to be righteous.” The Bible says “Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him…and it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.”

Maybe you have seen places that were flooded after a heavy rain. Sometimes we even see pictures where water comes up over the tops of cars and gets into people’s houses. It’s very sad to see this happen in a town or country. But the flood of the Bible was much worse than that. The whole earth was covered with water. All living things on the earth drowned except the people and animals with Noah. Inside the ark they were all safe. God had kept His promise to Noah.

After forty days and forty nights the rain stopped. But the water stayed on the earth for many months after that. Finally the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Then Noah tried to find out if the waters had gone down. He opened a window and sent out a raven, but the raven kept flying to and fro until the waters were dried up. So Noah sent out a drove to see what would happen. The dove could not find a place to rest so it came back to the ark. The Bible tells us “Noah put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.” This let Noah know there was still too much water on the earth for them to come out.

Seven days later he sent the dove out again. This time she returned with an olive leaf in her beak. When Noah saw the olive leaf, he knew the water was almost gone. So he waited another seven days and sent her out once more. This time the dove did not return.

Had the water finally dried up? Noah took the covering off the ark to look for himself. Yes, the water was finally gone and the earth was dry. Now Noah and his family could leave the ark.

How sad to think that so many people died in the flood because they did not believe God’s way is best. It is the way to happiness now and eternal life in heaven.

TALKING IT OVER

1. Many people do not believe that Jesus is coming back or that this world will be burned with fire. How is this like Noah’s time?
2. How would Noah have felt if his sons had refused to go into the ark?
3. Many fossils have been found far away from the animals’ homes. What does this suggest about the flood?

MEMORY VERSE

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not seen, prepared an ark for the saving of his household.” Hebrews 11:7

Credits
Text by Betty Belue Haynes, originally published in Bible Talk Times. Used here with the kind permission of the author. Users are free to reproduce for use, but not for publication.