Memory Text: Genesis 9:16 KJV “And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”

Sunday, October 29 For All Flesh Is Come Before Me
Genesis 6:1-13 Holman “1 ¶ When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. 3 ¶ And the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” 4 ¶ The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterwards, when the sons of God came to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. 5 When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, 6 ¶ the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 Then the LORD said, “I will wipe off the face of the earth: man, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky––for I regret that I made them.” 8 ¶ Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 ¶ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth. 13 ¶ Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.”
Genesis 6:1-2 POOLE’S COMMENTARY Daughters were born unto them; so doubtless were sons also; but their daughters are here mentioned as one principal occasion of the sin noted in #Ge 6:2, and of the following deluge.
Genesis 6:2 COMMENTARY BY JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.
Genesis 6:5 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE the desires of the mind overwhelmed and lost in the desires of the flesh, their souls no longer discerning their high destiny, but ever minding earthly things, so that they were sensualized, brutalized, and become flesh….the very materials out of which perception, conception, and ideas were formed, were all evil; the fountain which produced them, with every thought, purpose, wish, desire, and motive, was incurably poisoned….. How great must the evil have been, and how provoking the transgressions, which obliged the most compassionate God, for the vindication of his own glory, to form this awful purpose! Fools make a mock at sin, but none except fools.

Monday, October 30 Noah and the Gospel of Grace
Genesis 6:8 NKJV “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
Genesis 6:8 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY Noah did not find favour in the eyes of men; they hated and persecuted him, because both by his life and preaching he condemned the world: but he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and this made him more truly honourable than the men of renown.
This is what the Bible says about the life and character of Noah.
Genesis 6:9 KJ21 “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Genesis 6:22 KJ21 “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
Hebrews 11:7 KJ21 “By faith Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
2 Peter 2:5 KJ21 “and spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the Flood upon the world of the ungodly;”
What do the following verses tell us about the faith a true believer has?
Genesis 6:22 MKJV “Noah did so, according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”
Genesis 7:5 MKJV “And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.”

Tuesday, October 31 The Flood
What knowledge did Noah seem to have about clean and unclean animals?
Genesis 7:2-3 NRSV “2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth.”
Genesis 7:2 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE So we find the distinction between clean and unclean animals existed long before the Mosaic law. This distinction seems to have been originally designed to mark those animals which were proper for sacrifice and food, from those that were not.
Genesis 7:8 NIV “Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground,”
Genesis 8:20 MKJV “And Noah built an altar to the LORD. And he took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”
What evidence can you find in the following to indicate the Flood was worldwide?
Genesis 7:7-24 NRSV “7 And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives 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. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came on 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 The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 ¶ On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind—every bird, 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. 17 ¶ The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; 20 the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 ¶ And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings; 22 everything on 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, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days.”
Genesis 7:11 COMMENTARY FAMILY BIBLE NOTES the waters rushed up from the sea, and poured down from the heavens.

Wednesday, November 1 The Lost Generation

Thursday, November 2 Covenant and Renewal
How did Noah express his thanks to God? How did God respond?
Genesis 8:20 NRSV “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”
Genesis 8:21-22 NRSV “21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."”
Genesis 9:8-19 Holman “8 ¶ Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 “Understand that I am confirming My covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you––birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you––all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I confirm My covenant with you that never again will all flesh be wiped out by the waters of a deluge; there will never again be a deluge to destroy the earth.” 12 ¶ And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh: water will never again become a deluge to destroy all flesh. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh on earth.” 18 ¶ Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.”
Genesis 6:11 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY The rainbow appears when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing; God then shows this seal of the promise, that it shall not prevail. The thicker the cloud, the brighter the bow in the cloud. Thus, as threatening afflictions abound, encouraging consolations much more abound. The rainbow is the reflection of the beams of the sun shining upon or through the drops of rain: all the glory of the seals of the covenant are derived from Christ, the Sun of righteousness. And he will shed a glory on the tears of his saints. A bow speaks terror, but this has neither string nor arrow; and a bow alone will do little hurt. It is a bow, but it is directed upward, not toward the earth; for the seals of the covenant were intended to comfort, not to terrify.

Well, James, it looks as though you are left here alone while those who are still wrangling over Daniel 7 have taken over this forum!

Come on, those of you who are sensible -- join in this discussion and leave the wranglers to themselves!

Just a few quotes from Patriarchs and Prophets regarding the people who were on the earth at this time. (Chapter 7 -- "The Flood).

"Had that long-lived people, with their rare powers to plan and execute, devoted themselves to the service of God, they would have made their Creator's name a praise in the earth, and would have answered the purpose for which He gave them life."

"Not desiring to retain God in their knowledge, they soon came to deny His existence. They adored nature in place of the God of nature."

Today again we have those who adore nature, but are not interested in the God of nature.

"They delighted in destroying the life of animals; and the use of flesh for food rendered them still more cruel and blood-thirsty, until they came to regard human life with astonishing indifference."

But then we have some good news!

"Amid the prevailing corruption, Mathusalah, Noah, and many others, laboured to keep alive the knowledge of the true God, and to stay the tide of moral evil"

We do not need to fear -- God is still in charge. This world is going mad -- but we do not need to fear. God hasn't promised us an ark to protect us during the end time. He is indeed our Ark -- we have no need to fear.

God bless,

Beryl

Beryl,

In a world filled with fear you have given us all a thought to cling to ... He is indeed our Ark.

It is my prayer that we as individuals remember his promises during the insanity which surrounds us day-to-day, and draw on His so that we may face the future in confidence.

Naomi

True, Naomi, He IS our ark, and it is only through Him that we can be saved. This old world is going from bad to worse, and, as I have been reading this chapter, the reality of the comparison between those days and our days has become so apparent.

"They reasoned, as many reason now, that nature is above the God of nature, and that her laws are so firmly established that God himself could not change them...The asserted that if there were any truth in what Noah had said, the men of reason [ like scientists today? would understand the matter."

Then came a striking paragraph -- "Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their evil deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterwards did from Nineveh."

What a forgiving God! There was no reason for a single antediluvian to perish! And His death has made it possible for the entire world to be saved -- if only they would!

God bless,

Beryl

Two more quotes from Patriarchs and Prophets".

Then "the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Water appeared to come from the clouds in mighty cataracts. Rivers broke away from their boundaries, and overflowed the valleys. Jets of water burst from the earth with indescribable force, throwing massive rocks hundreds of feet into the air, and these, in falling, buried themselves deep in the ground."

The power involved in this must have been awesome! The conditions within the ark can only be imagined as we fead further --

"The massive ark trembled in every fibre as it was beaten by the merciless winds, and flung from billow to billow. The cries of the beasts within expressed their fear and pain. But amid the warring elements it continued to ride safely. Angels that excell in strength were commissioned to preserve it."

It wasn't a smooth ride for the inhabitants of the ark. How their faith must have continued to be tested! I can only imagine the pleas that ascended to heaven! God doesn't promise us a smooth ride. He just asks us to have faith in Him.

I must say that I received a certain amount of satisfaction as I read this:-

"Satan himself, who was compelled to remain in the midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence."

Sounds to me as though God made sure that he could not escape from the earth just to "ride out the storm". I call that Justice!

Beryl

Thanks for your imput.

A few thoughts:

1. The huge rocks being thrown high in the area and burying themselves deep in the earth might mess up the precise rock table our evolutionist friends seem to believe in.

2. Some people feel that the gopher wood was an extremely hard wood. This may be one of the reasons Noah took so long to build the ark. Of course, the people before the Flood may have stolen a good deal of his building material, too (speculation).

3. The hardness of the wood may be a reason the ark was able to withstand the huge waves. Some models seem to indicate the ark was built much like a huge log.

4. God must have wanted Satan to feel the fury that God often unleashes when He "pours out His wrath". The devil never seems to learn - and never does if my reading of the last scene in this earth's history is correct. Of course, I'm expressing all this in human terms.