Topical Bible: Noah: Son of Lamech: Builds an Ark (Ship) and Saves his Family from the Great Flood

◄ Noah: Son of Lamech: Builds an Ark (Ship) and Saves his Family from the Great Flood ►

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Noah, a pivotal figure in the biblical narrative, is introduced in the Book of Genesis as the son of Lamech and the grandson of Methuselah. His story is primarily found in Genesis chapters 5 through 9. Noah is renowned for his righteousness and obedience to God, which set him apart in a world that had become exceedingly corrupt and violent.

Genealogy and Early Life

Noah was born into a lineage that traced back to Adam through Seth, a line noted for its faithfulness to God. Genesis 5:29 records Lamech naming his son Noah, saying, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed." This statement reflects a hope that Noah would bring relief and restoration to a world suffering under the curse of sin.

The State of the World

By Noah's time, humanity had become thoroughly wicked, prompting God to express regret over creating mankind. Genesis 6:5-6 states, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart."

God's Command to Build the Ark

In the midst of this moral decay, Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8). God chose Noah to be the instrument of salvation for the human race and the animal kingdom. He instructed Noah to build an ark, a massive ship designed to preserve life through the impending judgment of a global flood. The dimensions and specifications for the ark are detailed in Genesis 6:14-16, emphasizing its capacity and durability.

Noah's Obedience and the Great Flood

Noah's faith is exemplified by his unwavering obedience to God's command. Despite the apparent absurdity of building a large vessel on dry land, Noah acted in faith, as noted in Genesis 6:22: "So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him." His obedience is later commended in Hebrews 11:7, which states, "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family."

As the floodwaters came upon the earth, Noah, his family, and pairs of every kind of living creature entered the ark. Genesis 7:11-12 describes the onset of the flood: "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights."

The Covenant and Legacy

After the floodwaters receded, Noah emerged from the ark and built an altar to the LORD, offering sacrifices of thanksgiving. In response, God established a covenant with Noah, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood. The sign of this covenant was the rainbow, as recorded in Genesis 9:13: "I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth."

Noah's legacy is profound, as he is seen as a second Adam, a new beginning for humanity. His life exemplifies faith, obedience, and the importance of walking with God even in the midst of a corrupt world. Noah's story serves as a reminder of God's justice, mercy, and faithfulness to His promises.

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Genesis 6:14-22
Make you an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall you make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch.
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Genesis 7:1
And the LORD said to Noah, Come you and all your house into the ark; for you have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
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Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
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Matthew 24:38
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,
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Luke 17:27
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
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Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
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1 Peter 3:20
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
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