Preschool
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
The Flood
Memory Verses
Primary
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).
Junior
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).
Background Scripture: Matthew 24:36-39; Genesis 7-8
Lesson Scripture: Genesis 7:11-24
Introduction
The flood was a cataclysmic event that forever changed our world. Most creationist flood models today talk about a violent sequence of events which took place during the time when Noah was in the ark. These events formed the geological landscape of today’s world. Their intensity and devastation were unprecedented as the antediluvian world was wiped clean and the world as we know it today was reformed by God. No matter where you look today, if you are observant, you will see evidence of the flood in the geology of the earth’s surface. No place in our world remains untouched by its actions. Mankind was in need of a reset. The flood was the direct result of the judgment of God upon a world that had forgotten Him and had become so deceived and deluded in their own lust for power and self-gratification that God had to take drastic measures to restore man’s faith and trust in a Creator God. Today, we live on the brink of another far worse calamity—the destruction of the world by fire and God’s final judgment of mankind.
Key Verse
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark (Matt. 24:38).
Lesson Scripture
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Studying the Lesson
The account of the flood offers us lessons on fundamental biblical themes such as God’s judgment, his grace, his covenant, and also the foreshadowings of Christ and salvation. It is a true account of a real worldwide event still visible on earth’s surface; it is symbolic of man’s depraved nature and God’s hatred for sin. Much effort is made to disclaim or try to limit the flood to a regional area instead of it covering the whole earth. By acknowledging a worldwide event and the possibility of an ark for the saving of mankind, one would also have to acknowledge all that goes along with the event. That is, that man is guilty before a just and righteous God and subject to his sovereignty and in need of a Savior.
The actual flood was sudden and catastrophic, yet it did not come without warning. The Bible tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness and indicates he spent approximately 120 years building the ark. “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years” (Gen. 6:3). Some interpret this verse as a prophecy from God saying He will allow 120 years for man to yet repent before He destroys the world. In the New Testament Peter tells us of God’s patience with man in the latter days as well. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Although the flood was a judgment upon mankind, it also demonstrated God’s grace. A means of escape was provided by the ark. Built by Noah under God’s direction, it is symbolic of the salvation God offers from the impending destruction of this present world.
Sometimes we forget that our faith is not a blind faith but is also an evidence-based faith. We can also believe salvation’s story because historical evidence tells us there was a real man called Jesus. He clearly stated He was God’s Son, He lived for a time on this earth, and then He died on a cross for our sins.
The account of the flood has never been disproven by science. Much time and effort has gone into researching the flood, proving it was an actual event. This refutes a belief called uniformitarianism, the geological doctrine that all of earth’s current processes and formations happened gradually over millions of years. This belief is religiously held to by the secular, scientific community and has been largely accepted by general society.
For Bible-believing Christians, not believing in the flood seems foolish. Why would some choose not to? All we need is to believe and have faith, right? Many have simply relegated the flood to the sidelines in favor of the prevalent millions-of-years theories. This belief does not include a God to which we are accountable.
Practical Truths for Today
When God finished the creation He did two things. First He gave the Dominion Mandate: be fruitful, replenish the earth, and subdue it. This mandate implied several basic principles for man: his care and cultivation of the earth, the role of stewardship over God’s creation as well as developing its resources through study and research. Even after the fall God kept this mandate in place, encouraging mankind to explore and use the creation for their benefit and honorable application. The second thing God did was to give man a moral law and tell him not to break it. When Satan came on the scene in the garden, he used the same method he still uses today. First he asked a question, “Hath God said?” Then he told a lie, “You shall not surely die.” And finally he brought an alternative belief, “You shall become as gods, knowing good and evil.” The last part of Satan’s argument against God’s command strikes at the heart of man’s fall. Satan implied that God was wrongfully withholding some good thing from man, namely that he could know good and evil and thus become like the gods. Man has been pursuing this goal ever since, to become like gods, his own autonomous authority, free from any moral obligations to a Supreme Being. Generation after generation has been plagued with the lust for power and dominion, bringing about a history of violence and war which has never ended. The pre-flood world had become so engulfed and saturated in this power struggle that God finally took drastic measures and destroyed all but a small remnant of mankind.
The sad events leading up to the flood serve as a warning to the age we live in. The twentieth century alone saw more war and bloodshed than all the centuries before combined. The two world wars, the ideological conflicts due to the rise of communism and fascism, technological advancements in warfare, and many civil wars and revolutions were all contributing factors.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Rom. 1:28). The flood was the culmination of many years of rebellion against the moral commands of God. The pre-flood worldview led men to eventually desire only evil continually. The final outcome was that all but a small remnant were deceived. The young, the old, the rich, the poor, the wise and the fool, all were deluded. They came to not only believe in but to live a lie, fully convinced that all was well. The story of mankind, especially as we near the end of time, is one of progression away from truth and morality toward a world of peace, plenty, and comfort through the medium of science and technology. It is the great, anti-biblical, story of devilish conquest, attempting to regain Eden without God. It is the struggle to recreate man, not in the likeness of God, but in his own utopian image, the image of technological power, free from God. Godless men promote a world with no clear definition of good and evil and no objective moral truth. As men seek to ground morality in anything but God, they reject conforming their minds, hearts, passions, and actions to a moral code created by the only moral Lawgiver. Increasingly, our world is becoming less of an appealing fairy story and more of a science fiction nightmare. As men race to satisfy their own lusts and desires, they choose to violate the clear commandments of God the Creator. This is not some surface reaction that came about in the last couple centuries but a deep-seated rebellion brought about by Satan from the very beginning. Looking at life from a naturalistic, humanistic, or materialistic viewpoint ends up eliminating God and replacing him with a series of many gods.
The flood serves as both a warning and a sure prophecy of the direction our world is heading. The danger, though, lies not in the environment around us, but in our own selves. Noah and his family were able to stand true to God in a world bent on destruction. How did he do it? What characteristics did Noah possess that gave him the ability to stand close to God and reject the shallow, flesh-pleasing world he lived in? The Bible says that Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation, and that he walked with God. The answer is in the kind of walk Noah had with the Lord. Noah possessed a faith that rested on a foundation that was deeper and older than the philosophy of his day, a faith with a venerable and firm anchoring point. He conserved a deeper and older wisdom, that which was rooted in the heart of God. As he built the ark, he moved with purpose and resolution against the grain of popular thinking.
We can become our own worst enemy by living only for the present, little considering the past and what it teaches us. The deeper wisdom of this world is not found in technology, in artificial intelligence, or in material pursuit. True wisdom is found in the soul who will acknowledge God and humbly follow Him in obedience. He alone will lead through both the flood and the fire. At best, we are depraved people, too easily caught up with this world. The Bible teaches us that our eternal destiny depends on our affections. What we desire and value most in this life tells us where our soul will go in eternity. What does the life you are living say about where you are going to spend eternity?
Questions
- How much study should be put into being able to prove the flood was an actual event?
- God’s call and Noah’s preaching went largely unheeded in the pre-flood world. Does this say anything about today’s world?
- Discuss how we can remain “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
- Discuss some anti-biblical philosophies found in today’s world that could be a stumbling block for the Christian or a means of self-deception.
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).