In our last study in Genesis, we saw humanity's condition in Noah's day. It was an era when rebellion reigned.
After reading of the events of the first handful of chapters in Genesis -- creation, the fall, Cain's line, and Seth's line -- the reader would naturally wonder if humanity would turn to God. Would people allow God's governance in their lives? Would they seek him and enjoy him as God? Would they worship him?
The answer is a bold and total NO. People were corrupted, and their corruption was complete.
But there was one, a man named Noah, who found grace:
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8, ESV)
This is a note of hope! Though humanity is broken and depraved, there is one who found grace in God's sight. This leads us to the story of Noah, the book of his generations.
Let's read:
Noah And The Ark (6:9-22)
Noah And His Era (6:9-12)
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
The Corruption Of Humanity
Right away, Moses presents us with a contrast. First, there is Noah and his generations (9). We're told Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation (9). He walked with God (9).
We don't know the spiritual condition of Noah's sons. The text never presents them as godly like their father, but Shem, Ham, and Japheth would become the fathers of great people groups, and, as Noah's sons, they would survive the cataclysm of the coming flood (10). But I'm getting ahead of myself.
After reading of Noah, we are introduced to a contrast. The earth was corrupt in God's sight (11). We already know this from the information given earlier (6:1-7). It was a place filled with violence, with destructive forces and ideologies which destroyed its inhabitants (11). And, notice, three times humanity is described as corrupt -- First, in God's sight (11). Second, in the sight of anyone who could have seen or beheld their state (12). Third, in their interactions and way on the earth (12). Mankind was completely lost, tarnished, broken, and corrupted by sin.
We might think we live in times of evil and chaos, but this pre-flood, antediluvian time seems to be much worse. It was as if no one even had a chance. All human offspring, new generations of children, would be subject to the terrible corruption of their forbearers. Everyone born was doomed to spiritual death. There would be no new godly generation. Society had been completely and thoroughly corrupted, like never before.
This corruption was the finalization of an earlier development in the story:
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, ESV)
It is important to note what God saw. It was the greatness of the wickedness of man God saw. The idea is that humans had corrupted their way on the earth through their wickedness (12). It was as if humanity was beyond repair, at a level of brokenness never before seen.
One reason we have to catch this is because of various misunderstandings about the flood. Some have thought the flood God's response to the worship of other gods. Some have speculated carnivorous eating habits led God to judge the earth. Some think hybrid creatures, the Nephilim we studied previously, led God to destroy the now polluted human population. And the flood certainly didn't occur because of, like many near eastern flood accounts attest, overpopulation or unwanted noise. No, the flood came as God's judgment for unparalleled wickedness.
Depravity & The Gospel
This description from God calls to mind the doctrine of the depravity of man, described in detail in places like Romans 1-3. And, during Noah's day, depravity had run its full course. Mankind was completely ruined.
Remember, one of the things God saw in Noah's generation was widespread violence (11, 13). This was likely something more insidious than constant wars and fights. It likely included disruptive doctrines, which devour and ruin, causing violence to who we are as humans. It's not hard to imagine messages which lead to killing innocents in the womb or telling elementary-aged children their true gender might not be their biological one floating around Noah's world. Violence.
Remember, though, how depravity is always embedded in the context of grace. Here, Noah found grace. And in Romans 1-3, the most powerful treatise on depravity found in Scripture, the context is the gospel of grace.
In other words, the gospel can transfer someone from God's wrath to God's blessing. It can take us from truth suppression to truth reception. It can take you from a darkened morality to enlightenment concerning God's desires and will. Even in the depths of depravity and brokenness, the gospel reaches in and offers us salvation. There is always hope.
Righteous In The Midst Of Evil
But, please note how Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation (9). Though his generation was darkened and depraved, wanting nothing to do with God, Noah walked with God like Enoch before him (9, 5:24).
And though we don't know the full details of Noah's knowledge of God, we can deduce that he conformed to the requirements God had given him. Whatever he knew of the Lord, he submitted himself to that revelation.
Let your mind recall Noah when you feel it is impossible to walk with God in our modern world. In the midst of all that brokenness and depravity, Noah held on to his integrity. He walked with God.
Believers today are called to walk with God like Noah, rejecting the depravity they see around them and feel inside them. To commit to Jesus in this generation will require pain. It's going to be difficult. We do nearly everything differently than our society. Money. Sex. Singleness. Marriage. Family. Priorities. Entertainment. We are a different people, and that difference creates a measure of pain. And it requires commitment and sacrifice. Noah was that kind of man.
Constructing The Ark (6:13-22)
13 And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
Ark's Dimensions
Before thinking about the judgment God said he would bring, let's consider the boat God told Noah to build.
First, we should note he was told to build an ark (14). This word has no relation, in the Hebrew, to the ark of the covenant Israel would put inside the tabernacle. Instead, it is a word that comes from the Egyptian word for palace. So we should see this a more of a floating dwelling palace or barge, not a steerable ship.
The focus of the dimensions are there to help the reader appreciate Noah's meticulous obedience to God, but they also demonstrate the seaworthiness of the ark. Based on one cubit equaling eighteen inches, Noah's ark would be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall (14). If it was flat on the bottom, the total displacement would be 43,000 tons and would cover one and a half football fields. It is comparable to a small cargo ship in today's world.
This was a massive ship, especially for ancient times. From the records at our disposal (2500-500 BC), it appears that even the Egyptians only had ships with a maximum length of around 170 feet, and they still had to navigate within sight of land. Noah's ark, by comparison, was massive.
Now, in a moment we will consider some ancient legends which talk about a major flood. In those stories, arks or boats are constructed to save people. But their arks are not presented as seaworthy vessels. Some are cubed or ziggurat shaped. This means only Genesis describes a boat which could actually float.
And, though we learn the ark had a roof, door, and three decks, we aren't given all the details and particulars of the boat (16). One can surmise these were the basic directions and that Noah and the workers he hired to help build the ark finished it out as they saw fit. Pens for the animals, lodging for Noah's family, and storehouses for feed would all be necessary.
God Would Judge
Before moving on, though, we should consider some statements from God. He said he'd determined to make an end of all flesh because of their violence (13). Then he said he would bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven (17). It is a severe word of judgment that concludes with: everything that is on the earth shall die (17).
And, though the text highlights the salvation of Noah time and time again, the judgment of the wicked is also a major theme of the text. In other words, while the emphasis is on the fact God saved Noah and created a new righteous order with a small remnant, we also notice God judged the earth.
So the story carries an ominous and fearful tone. It is far from the children's nursery imagery of animals and an ark and a rainbow. It is the terrible judgment of God upon a humanity so depraved it was killing itself.
The Bible presents God as the judge of the whole earth. As its creator, he is the only one qualified to discipline and punish. Only he can determine how far is too far.
Still, though we know about the flood, it is often strange for modern Christians to consider God's role as Judge. Isaiah spoke of God's work of judgment as his strange and alien work (Isaiah 28:21). Christians know of God's love and grace, so judgment does indeed seem alien. But it is part of God's nature, and we should not be caught up in the error which says God is incapable of judgment.
J.I. Packer, Knowing God: The certainty that there is no more to be said of God than that he is infinitely forbearing and kind — that certainty is as hard to eradicate as bindweed. And when once it has put down roots, Christianity, in the true sense of the word, simply dies off. For the substance of Christianity is faith in the forgiveness of sins through the redeeming work of Christ on the cross.
In other words, the Father let the Son experience judgment for humanity. Belief in Jesus saves us from God's judgment. If God does not judge, why did Jesus die?
The Ark's Significance
But what else would the reader learn about God from this passage? Not only does he judge, but he provides a vessel or instrument for salvation.
This is what God has done. He has provided the cross! It is our wooden structure that provides for our salvation. And, unlike the ark, it's capacity is limitless. It can house everyone.
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, ESV)
"This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3–4, ESV)
And the cross is God's instrument of salvation.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them."
God's Covenant
Though God would judge the world, he said he would establish his covenant with Noah (18). This is a major development. The serpent-crusher would come from Eve, through Seth, and now Noah's line (Genesis 3:15). And, as a result, Noah would bring his wife, three sons, and their wives aboard the ark (18).
Two Of Every Sort
But we quickly learn the ark was not only for Noah and his family. Two of every sort of land animals and birds were to be brought into the ark (19-20). They were to be male and female so they could reproduce after the floodwaters subsided, repopulating the earth (19). Every animal that couldn't survive the deluge of water was to be brought into the ark.
We will talk about how this might've occurred later on in our study, but some have suggested various ways God made all this possible. Rather than see Noah as a glorified animal collector, many see God helping him in the process. The text seems to allow for this when it records: two of every sort shall come into you to keep them alive (20). The God who spoke the animals into existence could also direct them into the ark.
Some have also suggested God could have put the animals into a state of hibernation while on the ark, enabling Noah's small family to care for such a vast array of creatures. Additionally, it has also been suggested that micro-evolution, the variations which occur within species, would've allowed Noah to take a much smaller amount of animals than we might imagine. Others have even wondered if God brought Noah young, less than fully matured, species, which would have allowed for more space. Others have suggested that, if God brought the animals to Noah, Noah would've been excused from transporting any animals God left behind (such as dinosaurs). Some have even drawn up the calculations of how many animals could fit into such a space, and it's surprising to see how much a cargo ship of the ark's capacity could've held.
22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
What Righteousness Looks Like
Here, Noah is contrasted with everyone else on earth. Though they rebelled against God and filled the earth with violence, Noah did all that God commanded him (22). This is the text's way of showing us what righteousness looks like. Noah meticulously built the ark according to God's specifications. Though a massive project, and though he would've stood out as strange for following God, Noah did everything God told him to do. Complete obedience.
Hebrews tells us Noah did all this by faith:
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." (Hebrews 11:7).
1. Reverent Fear
Hebrews says Noah's faith operated in reverent fear. He had come to respect the voice of God more than the opinion of others. His life would be a mockery, of course. Old, crazy Noah would be the source of great comedic material. They would say he was on the wrong side of history. Unfortunately, that generation would laugh until they could laugh no longer. But if Noah had thought highly of the opinions of others, he might not have embarked on the journey to build the ark.
2. Costly Obedience
And Noah's work, his faith, was costly. It is costly to follow Christ, and Noah serves as a beautiful template for the price believers pay to follow their Lord. Noah became a laughingstock and a punchline, and it was his simple and long obedience to God that made him one. He also would've had to hire workers, pay for materials, and donate his time to the task at hand. The ark would not build itself.
Though God could've spoken an ark into existence, He chose instead to build one through a man. Noah's life was spent building and preparing the ark. It cost him to place his faith in God, but in the end, it was well worth it to do so. Jesus said, "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" (Mark 8:35). Noah serves as an excellent illustration of such a life.
3. Impacts Others
But we must also consider the impact of Noah's work on others. The text in Hebrews tells us that he saved his household. Noah's family was saved through his crazy boat. I wonder if, as he built that boat, there were times Noah felt like a failure. I wonder if there were times he doubted. But I'm certain that when the boat began to float, he didn't feel like he'd failed, but that he'd made the right decision. His house was saved through his allegiance to God.
As people watched Noah's life -- I don't know much he spoke -- they should have become convicted over sin and given their own lives to God. Noah's construction project served as a pulpit to declare God's grace to the world. Repent! Turn from your error! Give your life to God!, the ark said. In building, Noah became "a herald of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). Years later, God relented from bringing judgment upon a repentant Nineveh. He might have done the same if Noah's generation had repented in like manner. Instead, however, Noah's presence merely solidified their position of rebellion to God.
Noah And The Flood (7:1-24)
Noah's Family Enters The Ark (7:1-9)
1 Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
Clean Vs. Unclean Animals
One new development in this section is the command for Noah to bring seven pairs of all clean animals and birds (2). The distinction between clean and unclean animals was familiar to the Hebrew reader, but also a surprise -- They'd think Noah knew about clean and unclean animals? Even before the Levitical and ceremonial law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, God had established some animals as clean?
Now, after the flood, Noah will offer sacrifices to God. So some regard the command to bring more clean animals as a way for God to preserve more of the animals Noah would sacrifice. It would've been a bummer to sacrifice the last bull and cow, for instance. So this might've been a way for God to protect the sacrificial portion of the animal population.
It's possible, though, this wasn't only about sacrifice, but diet. After the flood, God will expressly allow humanity to eat meat, but it is unlikely they started at that time. And the clean vs. unclean designations of animals, for Israel at least, had to do with what they could sacrifice, but also eat. They could eat clean animals. So it's possible Noah and his family brought an extra amount of clean animals to supplement their diet while on the ark. This is how nature -- and the cross -- works. Death begets life. But more on that when we get to Genesis 9.
Those Who Lived (7:10-16)
10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Textual Precision
Please note the precision in the text. Seven days after going into the ark, the flood came (10). It all happened during the six hundredth year of Noah's life (11). Right down to the month and day (11). This is not written like fiction.
A Deluge Of Water
Notice as well the deluge of water that came upon the earth. Rain fell upon the earth (12). But the foundations of the great deep burst forth as well (11). And the windows of the heavens were opened (11). This is descriptive of a rushing in of water from all directions.
13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
Story Of Salvation
Part of the reason we know this entire story is about Noah's salvation is because of the tedious way the text reiterates the details of Noah's deliverance. Noah's righteousness is again highlighted (1). His household's salvation is reiterated (1). The directions concerning the animals is repeated (2-4). Noah's obedience is mentioned again (5).
We again get Noah's age; he was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came (6, 11). Two and two, male and female, the animals went into the ark with Noah (9, 15). The reader might even grow impatient, seeing these details again. But all this repetition and reinforcement helps us know the story is meant to highlight Noah's (and humanity's) ultimate salvation.
This is especially highlighted by the detail the Lord shut him in (16). God closed the ark. Not Noah. It's a statement regarding God's decision to judge. We don't judge. God does. Right now, God has the door of salvation open to all humanity. But that door won't remain open forever. One day, judgment will come, and the door of opportunity will close. Salvation will no longer be possible. And, as long as someone is alive, the door is open. They can be saved.
Flood Legends
Now, this is as good a place as any to note that Genesis is not the only ancient literature to recount a flood narrative. There are hundreds of flood traditions in various cultures throughout the world. They differ from one another, but in most of them, a favored family is spared by means of a boat from death by a flood.
For instance, in the Sumerian creation myth, there is a story of a flood. In it, a hero is warned to build a boat. He does, and when floodwaters come, the boat floats down the Euphrates to an island, and they are saved.
In the Babylonian/Akkadian Epic Of Gilgamesh, a god named Enlil feels the need to control the overpopulation of the earth. After trying to curb the population through famine and drought, he finally decides to send a catastrophic flood. It happens without warning, but he does tell the Noah figure to build a boat.
There are similarities in these stories to the account here in Genesis. The flood comes as a threat to the human population. The hero figure is told to build a boat for salvation. Animals are aboard each boat. In the end, the hero figure sends out birds. The stories conclude with a sacrifice to God/the gods.
There are also differences. Genesis speaks of God, while the other stories mention several gods. The Epic of Gilgamesh details a cube-shaped boat, while Noah's ark was rectangular, the only seaworthy vessel in all the stories. The length of rain, the identity of the people in the boat, and the mountains they landed on are all different.
The question is: how are these ancient stories linked? While some scholars think Genesis borrowed from the Gilgamesh Epic, others think it the other way around. Probably, neither borrowed from the other, but instead derived their stories from the same historical event—an actual global flood. And I do wonder if the preponderance of flood myths throughout the globe is a clue that Noah's flood was universal, worldwide in nature.
If the Genesis account is true, and believers think it is, then it makes sense other cultures would create flood legends and mythologies over time. These stories would become corrupted and distorted, to the point they barely resemble the Noahic account, but you might expect to find them throughout the world. And we do, in places like Mayan and Hindu flood legends. In other words, the widespread nature of flood legends throughout the history of the human race might be evidence a great flood actually occurred. For us, it is the Genesis record which is detailed and trustworthy, passed down from Noah's time to Moses', while the others are mere legend, piggybacking on and twisting the actual events.
Those Who Died (7:17-24)
17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
For now, note the height of the waters in relationship to the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits (or 45 feet) deep (20). As we'll see in a moment, there is some disagreement and debate about the meaning of this phrase, with some seeing it as a remark that even the mountains were hit with crashing waves, and others seeing it as the covering of the mountain peaks. But, for now, log this in your memory as we'll revisit it later.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.
Jesus' Warning
Jesus said his return would occur during a time similar to the days of Noah. He used the flood account as an analogy for the final judgment, in which everyone will be swept away, and only the righteous will enter into the kingdom.
"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37–39)
Jesus was likely highlighting the sudden nature of his return, judgment on an unexpecting world. But perhaps he was also indicating what the times would be like. In the days of Noah, the population was exploding, sexual perversion was rampant, demonic activity was present, and evil and violence were at an all-time high. Conditions then are found today.
And, as terrible as it is to consider the death of an entire world of humanity, the record of it serves as a gracious warning to all of us who remain. We must not let their deaths be in vain.
Peter, for one, would not let that happen. In a passage detailing God's ability to preserve a remnant, he said:
"If (God) did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones," (2 Peter 2:5, 9–10, ESV)
Come, Lord Jesus!
The Floodwaters Subside (8:1-19)
God Begins Restoring (8:1-5)
1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
But God
After so long in the ark, its inhabitants may have begun to wonder what would become of them. The rains had stopped, but the earth was still covered with water. As they floated, they might have felt doomed. But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark (1). God created a wind which helped the waters subside (1). All water sources were restrained, and the waters receded (3). 150 days later, the waters had abated, and the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (4). There is a modern mountain in Eastern Turkey, near Armenia, by this name, but it received its name long after the events in Genesis, so it's possible it's not the same mountain.
Global vs. Local?
This section serves as a good place to ask an important question: Was the flood of Genesis a global or local flood?
All through the text, the natural reading would lead one to conclude it is worldwide in nature. God saw the corruption of the earth, not a region (6:12). God determined to end all flesh (6:13). God told Noah to make an ark, rather than move to a different region (6:14). They were in the ark for a very long time, seemingly too long for a local flood. He had to rescue the animals, rather than let them flee to the surrounding regions, or let the flooded region become repopulated with other animals and species (6:19). Even birds had to come aboard, suggesting they could not outfly the coming disaster (7:3). God opened the fountains of the deep (7:11). Time and time again, the earth is referred to, not just some of the earth. All flesh is mentioned (7:16). The waters prevailed greatly on the earth (7:18). Even above the mountains (7:20). All flesh died (7:21). Everything on dry land died (7:22). God blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground (7:23). And, finally, eventually, the tops of the mountains were seen (8:5).
That last phrase is the reason I've placed this discussion at this point in our study. You see, every other phrase I just mentioned can be explained in an alternative way by those who see the Genesis flood as local in nature. In one sense, all the other statements are compatible with a flood only the known populated world experienced. But the most difficult phrase of all to take in a local sense is this one: the tops of the mountains were seen (5). In previous sections, it is possible to take the language as meaning the base of the mountains. Here, though, it is clear Moses meant the very tops of the mountains. Still, believers in a local flood think the horizon was obscured, and this signifies the sighting of land -- Noah finally saw the mountains on the horizon.
Given all the linguistic evidence pointing to a worldwide flood, why is it even a question? Well, since as early as the 18th century, geologists began to argue that the thick sedimentary rock layers on the earth were not formed quickly in a worldwide flood, but slowly over long ages. Even many Christian geologists have refuted the idea that the strata below came through a flood.
People in this camp take earth to mean the land or the ground in Genesis 6-8. They see no geologic evidence for the theory a canopy of water existed in the sky before the flood, nor do they see the evidence for flood geology. They believe there are problems related to the idea of a worldwide flood, such as fitting all the species on the ark, the presence of enough water to cover mountain ranges, and the disappearance of that water when the flood subsided. They ask, Where would the 630 million cubic miles of water go during the second 150 days? (Walton, Genesis). Even their study of the region around Mesopotamia causes them to conclude conditions there were perfect for a sudden, massive, localized flood. To them, the floodwaters extended as far as the eye could see, and the idea of a global flood is more of a centuries-old tradition without biblical or scientific evidence. There is even a group called the Affiliation Of Christian Geologists who reject the idea of flood geology.
Now, I'm sure you've heard of flood geology. It has been popularized by many Christians in recent years. To this camp, there is major evidence of a worldwide flood in the sedimentary rock layers below. They point to some of the following evidence:
Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level.
The apparent rapid burial of plants and animals in the strata.
Rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas: this claim says rock layers can be traced all the way across continents.
Sediment transported long distances, rapidly, by fast-moving water.
Rapid erosion, or even of no erosion, between rock layers; the erosion you'd expect to see millions of years, long ages, create is not there.
Many strata laid down in rapid succession:
Rocks do not normally bend; they break because they are hard and brittle. But in many places, we find whole sequences of strata that were bent without fracturing, indicating that all the rock layers were rapidly deposited and folded while still wet and pliable before final hardening. - Answers In Genesis
But, again, all this evidence is refuted by many geologists, including Christian geologists.
All that said, though some see the Genesis flood as very local, wiping out only a few towns along the river, and others see it as regional or even extending to the entire known world at that time, I still tend to see the flood as global. Some of my reasons are as follows:
The flood seems too long to have been localized.
The language of Genesis seems to point to a global flood.
The need for the waters of the great deep seems to require a global flood.
The need for an ark indicates a global flood.
The destruction of mankind was thorough, indicating a global flood.
God promised floodwaters would never again destroy humanity, which indicates the thousands of lesser floods since that time have not violated his promise.
The worldwide appearance of flood narratives in the history of various people groups.
Genesis traces all the people in the world back to Noah and his family (Genesis 9-10).
Peter's testimony:
"For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished." (2 Peter 3:5–6, ESV)
Jesus used Noah's flood as an example of the coming judgment (Luke 17:27).
Let me conclude this section by reminding you this debate isn't the purpose of this passage of Scripture. And the Bible often uses non-scientific language to tells its story. This is not a story about flood-geology or the age of the universe. This is a story of God's judgment. We must remember that fact.
Noah Waits (8:6-19)
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
Rest
The idea here is that the raven, as a bird of prey, would have lived off the carrion or flesh the flood left behind (7). So Noah sent out a dove who found no place to set her foot (8-9). Seven days later, Noah repeated the process, and this time she brought back a freshly plucked olive leaf, indicating the waters were subsiding (10-11). Finally, he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove (12). When she did not return, they took it as a sign the waters had subsided (12).
A theme in all this is the theme of rest. The ark rested in the mountain. The dove found no place to rest, or set her foot. Finally, she found a place to rest, and so would Noah and his family. The wrath of God had been satisfied. Man had a new start.
13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out.
How Long?
Throughout the passage, various time markers have been given. When it is all added up, we learn Noah and his family were in the ark for over a year, 377 days (7:11, 8:13-14).
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
Noah: A Savior Figure
In our next study, we will note how Noah responded to God once he left the ark (8:20-21). And how God responded to Noah by making a covenant with his man (8:22-9:17).
But for now, let us see Noah as a salvific figure. He was not the one who would crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). But he does point forward to that Savior, Jesus, the one who delivers us from the ultimate judgment of God. Let's believe in him and come into the safety of his ark, his cross, to deliver us from our sin, cleansing and forgiving us in the sight of God!