Genesis Chapter 7
Heavenly Father, as I come before you today. I thank you for my brothers and sisters, reading this right now. I pray that the rain you shower them with; will bring them peace and clarity. May you reign over them with your grace Lord. May you part the way, of every obstruction in their lives and restore them with your glory, in the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!
Welcome back Brothers and Sisters, to The Heartfelt Studies. I hope you're doing well. Here's to a new week and a new chapter, so lets jump into Genesis Chapter 7.
THE FLOOD
God instructs Noah to get onto the Ark with his family and the animals. God reminds Noah of his faithfulness to God. That his loyalty, his trust and obedience has not gone unnoticed and that he has seen Noah's choice of righteousness, within his generation.
God, sees and hears all, so even when we're unable to reach out to him or we start pulling away, he will find his way to us. God, will give us time and mercy, to correct our ways, to come near to him and to stay committed to him, but we should never take advantage of his patience and mercifulness.
Genesis Chapter 7, verses 2-3:
What's interesting here, are the seven pairs of two types of animals, God instructs to go onto the Ark; clean and unclean. We are unable to see right now, how Noah knew which animals were clean and unclean, but we know he found a way, to adhere to God's wishes.
Why seven pairs? God, still wants the Earth, to reset in an orderly fashion. He wants this phase to be perfect, and seven is the number of completion and wholeness.
Sometimes in life, we can feel unworthy, but God reminds us, that through repentance and obedience, he can replenish us and make us new again.
Genesis Chapter 7, verses 3-5:
God also requests that there are seven pairs of birds; consisting of male and female, in order to keep the offspring alive on Earth. We know birds are clever species and when I looked into this further, birds can see the magnetic field. Therefore, God instructing Noah to save them, is also a way for the birds to help guide Noah in the right direction to where there is life on earth.
Here we see, that God reveals to Noah the time-frame in which he will send in the flood. So seven days from their conversation, the rain will pour continuously for forty days and forty nights, causing the flood to wipe out every living thing from the earth.
When we think about it; forty days and forty nights is a long time, but this period of hardship, is a test of faith. Noah has been constantly tested, but continues to trust the process. God’s covenant still stands and that helps Noah to endure all that he has faced and will continue to battle with, with the trust, faith and grace, he has been carrying.
Genesis Chapter 7, verses 6-9:
Noah was five hundred years old when he became a father and now he is six hundred years when the flood covers the land. In-between that time, God has shown us what grace can do. Six hundred and still going strong in doing God's work, is beautiful to see and shows us the divine protection, God never fails to provide.
What's different here, is this phrase: They came [motivated by God] into the Ark. This tells us that although God, blessed Noah with the task of gathering the animals onto the Ark for safety, God also never leaves Noah alone during this trial. God is always on hand and attends to the needs of his children, by providing what may seem to us something little, but to God, something great.
Genesis Chapter 7 verses 10- 12:
In Noah's six hundred years on earth and on the seventeenth day of the second month, God released the rain and the floodwaters came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
Six hundred is a long time, but it’s a significant number, which represents spiritual growth and understanding and surely is ideal for Noah, as his understanding in God’s word and promises increases and his faith forever grows despite the challenges that arise. The second month in the Hebrew calendar is called Iyar which means blossoming; so I expect, we are going to see greater things unfold for Noah.
Genesis Chapter 7, verses 13-16:
On the day of the flood; Noah, with his wife, his sons and their wives, enters the ark. God reminds us that when he blesses us, we can also be a blessing onto others. Here; the grace that covers Noah extends to his family and that is such an amazing thing to have in life.
On the Ark they had with them; every wild animal, all livestock, every creature that moves along the ground and every bird with wings, according their kind. As we know, all of the animals came in pairs and all that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, just as God had commanded Noah, for it to be.
Once all the animals were on board with Noah and his family, the door to the Ark, was shut by God.
When God shuts the door, this was his confirmation of the covenant he made with Noah. He promised to keep him safe and he did. God reminds us, that when he shuts a door to certain things in our lives, he knows it is for the best. We may want that door to remain open, because we’re comfortable walking through them, but God knows some things have to end, in order for something greater to come our way. He is a God of his word and he shows us that he is has the ability, to protect us and save us, just as he did with Noah.
Genesis Chapter 7 verses 17-19:
So just like when God shut the door on the Ark, the downpour of rain, was so mighty and torrential, it was like the heavens opened. The phrase forty days and forty nights, constantly pops up and when I looked into this further, the number 40 signifies the testing of faith and the hardships, which we know Noah had to face.
And just like life, after we shut the door on certain situations, it feels like we're swimming through a flood; because of the emotions, the changes and the thoughts we have to process. For forty days and forty nights of trials, we will definitely be renewed and transformed.
The other key phrase here is; The waters prevailed so greatly and were so mighty and overwhelming on the earth.
Although the waters were showing signs of power, the Ark floated against its destruction and where it overwhelmed the earth; it's showing us that there was no piece of land, that was unaffected by the flood..
This is our reminder, that as long as we wear the Armour of God; we will stay afloat and we will rise above every battle and challenge, that comes our way.
Genesis Chapter 7, verses 20-24:
Here is where life on earth takes a turn, as the waters prevails over the mountains (fifteen cubits deep, which is 22 feet), causing every living being (birds, creatures of the sea, livestock and mankind) to lose the breath of life.
We can only imagine what the people were feeling when they saw the flood and the emotions Noah were going through, knowing what was about to happen.
The depths of the flood was precisionery to God's plan, that nothing and no one, would survive the disaster, apart from Noah, his family and the chosen animals, because God's promises are never broken.
We are reminded again that the flood, wiped out every living thing from the surface of the earth. The repetition, shows us how great the impact of mankind's sin (unrepentant and continuous disobedience).
Again, we're reminded that anyone and anything that was not on the Ark with Noah, would not survive. This can be uncomfortable and questionable, but we see that God executed his authority as creator and judge, to bring justice to mankind.
The power of God’s grace and mercy, is never to be taken lightly nor for granted. God is not of disorder but of peace, and we will see what happens after the one hundred of fifty days (five months), that the waters continued to flow over th earth and the Ark finally becomes at a standstill.
THOUGHTS
I can’t believe, we have come to the end of Chapter 7! It reminds me of the importance of holding onto faith, because no matter how little it is; it can carry us a long way, especially when the Grace of God covers it. We should never take for granted what God gives us and we should never underestimate the impact of disobedience, because all that we have, is through the divine favor he blesses us with.
If you have anything to share with me, then let me know in the comments.
Catch you back here soon Xx