Jump Start # 1803

Genesis 7:16 “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.”

This week we have been looking at Noah and the flood. Skeptics are unable to believe in the flood account. They either dismiss this as a localized flood or more so, myths and fables that have been shared among different cultures that eventually made it’s way into the Bible record. Both theories are easily dismissed. Both lack faith in what God can do. Both are attempts to discredit the Bible.

There are literally dozens and dozens of flood stories from around the world. Although most differ in detail, there is a common thread found in all of them. A family, with some animals, are saved in a boat. Instead of believing that someone edited these stories and put them in the Bible, the opposite may be more true. The Bible story really happened and as cultures spread, so did the story and in time, each place added their own little twist to the original. Fossil evidence, inverted rock strata, formation of coal beds throughout the world, and the internal proofs for the word of God all point to the truthfulness of what happened. Jesus believed in the flood story. He referred to it in His teachings. If the flood didn’t really happen, then what other pages of the Bible didn’t really happen? That’s where the skeptics want us to go. They want us to rip apart the pages about a judgment, an eternal Hell and just live carefree however we please.

In the section of Genesis seven, where our verse today comes from, twice a reference is made to an exact day.

• In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, ON THE SAME DAY all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the sky were opened (7:11)
• ON THE VERY SAME DAY Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark (7:13)

Our verse shortly after says that God closed the door. It was God who closed it, not Noah.

The impression I get is that Noah and his family entered the ark. The door was closed. Then the skies let loose. Sometimes, through artwork, we may get the idea that it was sprinkling and Noah and the animals were making their way into the ark and some people were gathered around chit-chatting. That thought isn’t supported by the text. Noah got in. The door was shut. Then it rained.

Two important thoughts here:

First, God closing the door. Did Noah stand just inside the door to get one final look? What went through Noah’s mind? As far as we can tell, God didn’t tell Noah how long he would be in the ark. Every single person Noah saw, aside from his family, would die. He would never see them again. Noah was a good man. I expect he had friends. The door was closed.

That expression takes us to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew. The foolish ran out of oil. The groom came, the wedding celebration began. The door was shut. The foolish showed up and couldn’t get in. The banged on the door wanting entrance, but it wasn’t granted.

I expect when the waters came forth, that people made it to the ark and pounded on the door. Did Noah hear that? What feelings that must have raced through his mind. Noah had preached as he built the ark. No one believed. No one changed. No one listened. I expect he was laughed at and ridiculed. People probably poked fun of the ark. But what a difference, once the door was shut and the waters came. Will it be any different when Jesus comes? People laugh, mock and ridicule what Jesus stood for. People have no time for Jesus. But a day will come, much like the flood, and then it will be too late.

Second, this section of Genesis tells us that “all the fountains of the great deep burst open.” Water came from above and below. The “bursting open” is what amazes me. From the ocean floors, from within the land, water didn’t trickle out, it burst out. Thinking this out, it sounds like massive earthquakes took place. Looking at a globe, the continents look like puzzle pieces that are so shaped that it appears that they fit together. In the creation account, in Genesis 1, we read, “Then God said, ’Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear” (9). The waters below the heavens are not in ONE PLACE today. We have the seven seas. There are massive lakes all around the world. There are islands. Could the bursting open imply the moving of land? If so, the landscape after the flood looked different than the land before the flood. Peter says the first world was destroyed by water. He then refers to the present world. If all this is true, Noah’s ride in the ark may not have been a smooth luxury ride. Violent earthquakes would cause large tsunamis, rapid death and a display of God’s judgment upon a sinful world.

Modern picture books about the ark shows animals sticking their heads out of windows, everyone is smiling and it’s just a pleasant boat ride. Don’t think so. I’m sensing some scary moments, a lot of praying, and a lot of wondering what was on the other side of that door.

It’s hard to imagine that massive door. God closed it. On the inside, was faith, righteousness and life. On the outside, was terror, condemnation, and death. One door separated life from death. Which side of the door a person was on, made all the difference. It was not a matter of getting in the right line. The choices in life, determined which side of the door one was on. Noah chose God. The world didn’t. Noah chose to live righteously. The world didn’t. Noah walked with God. The world walked in their own ways. Then a door was shut. Inside, life. Outside, death.

That image is exactly what is taking place today. We are, by our choices, either on the inside with God or on the outside with the world. The world is having a blast. Partying, laughing, indifferent to a massive door that separates them from the righteous. The pleas to come to Christ are ignored. Too busy. Having too much of a good time. Dancing with Satan, the fun will someday stop when the Lord closes the door. Then it will be too late. It will be too late for sermons. It will be too late to go to church. It will be too late to “find God.” It will simply be too late. On one side of the door will be life. On the other side will be death. The story of Noah will be repeated. Instead of water, it will be the fires of judgment.

Which side of the door are you on?

Roger