Noah & The Flood

Did it really happen that way?

Intro:

A. Newspaper headline parody

B. The Bible story of Noah and the flood is one of the most incredible stories ever told.

1. Flood Facts -

i. Source - “"All the fountains of the great deep were opened up and the windows of heaven were opened." (7:11-12).

ii. Extent- "And the water prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered...” -7:19

i. Length - The waters “prevailed” over the earth 150 days (7:24). They increased and decreased another 74 days (7:11-8:5)

ii. Total time in the ark - 371 days.

iii. Size of the Ark - By modern estimates it was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. With three levels it would contain approximately 95,700 square feet of space (equivalent to more than the area of 20 standard college basketball courts.

iii. Flood Chronology - The Chronology of the flood (Based on a table in the Genesis commentary by E. F. Kevan in The New Bible Commentary published by Eerdmans).

iv. Forty days in which the rain fell -------------------------------------------------------------- 40

v. Another 110 days the water "prevailed"---------------------------------------------------110

vi. Another 74 in their "going and decreasing" (KJV).
This was from the 17th day of the 7th month to the 1st
day of the 10th month (8:5). There being 30 days to a
month, the figures in days are 13+30+30+1----------------------------------------------- 74

vii. 40 days before Noah sends out the raven (8:6-7)---------------------------------------- 40

viii. 7 days before Noah sent out the dove for the 1st time (8:8).
This period is necessary for reaching the total and is given
by implication from the phrase "other seven days" (8:10)------------------------------- 7

ix. 7 days and the dove sent out a second time (8:10)-------------------------------------- 7

x. 7 days more and the 3rd sending out of the dove (8:12) ------------------------------- 7

xi. Up to this point 285 days are accounted for, but the next
episode is dated the 1st of the 1st month in the 601st year.
From the date in 7:11 to this point in 8:13 is a period of 314
days; therefore an interval of 29 days elapses-------------------------------------------- 29

xii. From the removal of the covering of the ark to the very end
of the experience was a further 57 days (8:14) ------------------------------------------ 57

TOTAL -----------------------------371

C. Can it possibly be true? And what is there to learn from it?

I. Did Noah Exist?

A. Nature of Genesis 1-11

1. Clearly told as an historical narrative, not as a fable.

2. Doesn't have "once upon a time" nature to it.

3. In fact, not just the account of Noah but all of Genesis’ relation to the other books of Moses (as well as the rest of scripture) is inseparable. Genesis is tied to Exodus in that it explains the origins of the nation of Israel found in Egypt. All Old Testament discussion of the nation of Israel is rooted in the Genesis account of Abraham and the covenant God made with him.

i. The Abrahamic promises, first made in Genesis 12:1-7, are the outline of the rest of Scripture, encapsulating God's scheme of redemption.

ii. Without a Genesis, the Bible would make little sense. It includes the following origins: Universe, order and complexity, solar system, atmosphere and hydrosphere, life, man, marriage, evil, language, government, culture, nations, religion and the chosen people.

4. Genesis stories are regarded throughout the rest of the Bible as true historical events just as much as the Israelites taking Canaan or Peter preaching on Pentecost. No distinction is made. These writers refer to Noah and the flood as real events.

i. Job - Job 22:16; Chronicles writer (Ezra?) - 1 Chr 1:4; Isaiah - Isa. 54:9; Exekiel - Ezek. 14:14; Hebrew writer - Heb 11:7; Peter - 1 Pet. 3:20; Jesus - Matt 24:38; Luke 17:27.

5. Either Genesis is a true account of our beginnings or we throw out the whole Bible. Genesis is the foundation of all true history. To reject the existence of Noah means rejecting all the rest of the Bible as reliable and trustworthy.

6. Disregard Genesis and there is no credible account of the origin of this universe. "Give up creation as a space-time, historic reality and all you have is something that just stands there, autonomous to itself, without solutions and without answers. Once one removes the createdness of all things, meaning and categories can only be some sort of leap, with or without drugs, into an irrational world. Modern man's blackness, therefore, rests primarily upon his losing the reality of the createdness of all things." - Frances Shaeffer, Genesis in Time and Space, pg. 30.

II. Non-biblical evidence of Noah’s Flood.

A. There is evidence outside of scripture of such a flood as described in Genesis.

B. Other Flood Traditions

1. Almost every significant culture studied has a flood tradition inits history. Whether Egyptian, Greek, East Indian, Chinese, American Indian. The similarities are striking. It would seem to indicate a common source.

C. Scientific evidence

1. A universal flood does offer a plausible explanation for the present geologic record. It is just a matter of being willing to consider the evidence in a different light from the traditional ideas of modern geology.

2. The modern geologic column with its fossil record has two alternate explanations

i. That the layers of rocks and its fossils were formed over billions and billions of years by the same kind of processes we see occurring today. This is the classic uniformitarian view.

ii. That the present geologic and column with its fossil record were laid down suddenly and catastrophically by a cataclysmic flood of “biblical proportions.”

3. Both explanations or models take the same facts and interpret them differently. The universal flood interpretation does not reject factual data in its explanation. In fact I believe the facts fit the “flood” model much better than the “uniformitarian” or evolutionary view held by most today. The differences between the two explanations are not over the facts, but over the interpretation of the facts. There is plenty of scientific and geologic evidence for a universal flood like the one described in Genesis. If you are interested in further reading I would be glad to point you toward good scientific material on the topic.

D. I believe there is an obvious conclusion to the fairminded individual - Yes, Noah was real! Not only did he exist but his example teaches us so much about how we should live our lives in our modern world.

III. Who was this man?

A. A descendant of Seth, his great grandfather was Enoch, a man of notable piety and loved by God (5:22-24; Heb. 11:5).

B. His grandfather - Methuselah, oldest recorded man (5:25-27).

C. His father - Lamech, apparently a righteous man who gave his son a name meaning "rest" or “comfort.” (5:29).

D. He was a man loved by the Lord for his righteousness (6:8)

E. His character and strength of faith are incredible.

1. Picture what he faced for 120 years in building the ark. (Quote from character studies - His Divine Commission.

2. We need his example because our times are not unlike his. When we may be tempted to say, “What’s the use of trying to do right” - remember Noah!

IV. We can learn from him how we should live in wicked times. Examine the times in which he lived and compare them to today.

A. A Uniformitarian Philosophy of the World - 2 Peter 3:4. “From the beginning all things continue the same.”

1. Those of Peter's day reflect what was no doubt the same attitude of Noah's day. Those in Noah’s day no doubt said, "There has never been such a flood!"

2. And they were right. Today people say the same thing as predicted by Peter. There is not going to be a judgement by a deity. There never has been and there never will be such a catastrophic event.

3. Modern evolutionary theory is rooted in the idea that no such great catastrophe ever occurred but that basically the events of nature we observe have been the same from the "beginning".

1. That is the geological doctrine of Uniformitarianism developed by Lyell and others that says - the geologic processes we say at work today are the same geologic processes that have always been at work.

4. However, such views are wrong according to scripture and the flood is the key to undermining that philosophy. The evidence is there - God will judge!

B. Lustful and Materialistic.

1. Jesus in Matt. 24:38; Lk. 17:27. Cf. Gen. 6:1-6.

i. Their lives centered upon pleasure. Hedonists (pleasure and personal happiness is the sole purpose of life).

2. Has there ever been a time when hedonism was more evident than it is becoming is our society?

i. Immorality is not just condoned, but glorified. And purity belittled and mocked!

ii. In a survey of young women, nearly 2,000 wrote to Glamour magazine to explain why they have chosen to maintain their purity. Many are afraid of getting AIDS or some other disease, and others fear getting pregnant. Some are avoiding betrayal and rejection. A number of them felt it was important to save themselves for their future husband. Some indicated that religion played a part in their decision. The common thread in many of the letters was the anger the virgins felt because of the way they are perceived by the culture we live in. One wrote, “Our society treats virginity like a disease.” Indeed, virgins today are more likely to be ridiculed than held up as examples worthy of imitation. (From Better Families Newsletter, Vol 17, No. 8, August 1993. Pub. by Family Concern16086 W. Ridge Tee Dr., Morrison, CO 80465.)

iii. Cf. living together, the flaunting of the homosexual lifestyle. The separating in our society of one’s morals from one’s ability to lead a company or a people.

iv. Hollywood glorifies such hedonism and so does much of our media.

v. But like Noah, we can still be righteous and exemplary lives despite the world's wickedness.

C. Utter disregard for the sanctity of marriage. - Matt. 24:38.

1. Marriage and divorce were evidently rampant. God placed the marriage bond above every other earthly relationship for the good of mankind. When that bond is taken lightly, families are broken, lives destroyed, and souls lost.

2. Dr. Diane Medved's observations.

i. From her Hollywood marriage counseling practice, Dr. Diane Medved decided to write a morally neutral book showing divorce to be just another option - a life choice no better or worse than staying married. But her extensive research brought her to one inescapable and irrefutable conclusioin, “I had been wrong,” she admitted. Her probing interviews and penetrating insights produce a different book, “The Case Against Divorce.” Dr. Medved, herself divorced, said that divorcing detracts from the stability of the overall society, deteriorates its values and is contagious. (From Better Families Newsletter, Vol 17, No. 11, November, 1993. Pub. by Family Concern16086 W. Ridge Tee Dr., Morrison, CO 80465. Ph.: 800.777.5536)

3. Jesus said, "What therefore God has joined together let no man put asunder." - Matt. 19:6.

4. Noah kept his marriage together, and apparently so did his sons. We must honor our marriage vows and trust God to carry us through the tough times of marriage. Young people make marriage a life long commmitment. You can do it despite the world’s views.

D. Widespread violence and corruption (6:11-12).

1. A society that forgets God soon becomes characterized by violence

and corruption.

i. Professor's comments - "Say what you will about Christianity. The fact is that wherever Christianity went, civilization flourished." God’s way brings order and purpose to society.

ii. Compare Paul's comments in Romans 1:28ff resulting from rejection of God (1:21ff).

iii. Our society with its drive by shootings, senseless killings, rape and violent crimes skyrocketing. It illustrates what happens when we forget God. But still if Noah and his family remain faithful, so can we!

E. In summary, they totally rejected God's Word.

1. How else can you explain the condition of the world in Noah's day?

2. The breakdown of society today is directly related to the forgetting and outright rejection of the Word of the Almighty God - Romans 1:21.

I. Can we survive in such a world?

A. Maybe you think I paint too bleak a picture. Truthfully, we don't want to gloss over the horrible practice of sin in our world. It is getting worse and worse.

B. But we must remember Noah survived and so can we. We can be faithful.

II. Remember these things about Noah

A. He remained faithful in evil surroundings

B. He was obedient even when appointed to a hard task.

C. Because he was obedient, God delivered him.

D. He was saved by an obedient faith!

E. He warned others of the coming judgment of God.

F. He was honored by God with a covenant. And he is remembered to this day for his faithfulness.

Conclusion:

A. Don’t ever give up! - 1 Cor. 10:13.

B. Seek God’s wisdom and God’s way - found only in His Word.

1. Listening to the materialistic and self-serving philosophies of our time only invites heartache and disaster both in our personal lives and for our nation.

C. In the middle of corrupt and chaotic conditions, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" and so will you and I if we will vow to be his child. Trust God and live for him. And God will care for you and save you.

D. Do what He says to do to be saved - Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:38; Acts 4:12.

Steve Patton

14314 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33613

sapatton@aol.com