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13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in. ~ Genesis 7:13-16
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 7 where we are studying the flood that God brought upon the face of the earth because man's wickedness had gotten to be so destructive. You will remember the book of Genesis has an outline that includes four great events and four great people: Creation, The Fall of Man, The Flood, The Tower of Babel, and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. In Genesis 7, the flood and the obedience of Noah is front and center.
Again and again in this chapter, Noah’s obedience is brought up. Noah was an obedient man because he was a man of faith in the God of the Bible. Noah was told to build the ark and he built it. Even though it took him a long time, 120 years, and it took a lot of effort, Noah pressed on in His faith in the veracity of the God of the Bible. Then add to that, Noah probably endured a sizable amount of verbal abuse from the people who lived around him. Noah's faith in the promises of God was made veracious by his obedience. But, it was not Noah's obedience that made him right before God.
No one has or ever will be justified by our good works. Justification before God is an act, not a work or process. It is not a hopeful destination. Justification is God’s gracious, once-for-all gift to anyone who believes that God has told the truth. Justification is a gracious verdict from God declaring the believer to be righteous in and through Christ alone. It is only Christ's death and resurrection that makes us right before God and fully accepted by Him.
In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort."
Obedience is what leads to life, happiness, and a close and personal walk with God. On the other hand, there is disobedience which is what leads to loss, sadness, punishment, death, and condemnation. This is the reality of life in a fallen world. When we are not obedient, we only bring troubles on ourselves. When we choose to be obedient, life happens in a much different way. Someone once said, "Eighty percent of life is how we choose to respond to the twenty percent that happens to us." When we choose to be defined by God as evidenced in our obedience to His word, life will be more meaningful and purposeful.
In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in."
Noah did not slam the door shut, God shut it seven days before the first raindrop fell. The Lord shut the door from the outside because he was the protector of the ark and its precious cargo. While the sun was yet shining and the sky was blue, while the people around were still convinced that nothing was going to happen, God shut Noah in so that he could not get out. You can see how this pictures "the sealing of the Spirit" described in the book of Ephesians. When we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ we were sealed and kept by the power of God, safe in Christ.
The flood waters came in the second month on the seventeenth day of the month of October or November. It happened some time around the autumn equinox. While the world was sowing its next harvest, Noah was preparing for something different. While the world was probably worshipping the alignment of the heavenly bodies, Noah was worshipping the Lord. While the world was anticipating its next harvest, Noah was anticipating a flood that everyone else laughed at.
God closed the door to the ark and He sealed it from the outside miraculously. Without human hands, Noah and his family and the animals were all sealed in the ark. The whole world was behind them, never to be seen again as they had known it. The world was soon to be below them, and they were embarking on the most incredible journey of faith ever. Nobody had ever or before or since taken such an incredible journey as this. The biggest floating structure ever built, up to that time, rain they had never seen, the destruction of the entire planet. They were all apart of a floating zoo, guided only by God, and living in the hope of a better world and a new life.