Great Bible Stories: Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-9)

Noah and the flood is one of those classic Bible stories that you hear about from the beginning of your life. Noah's Ark toys, puzzles, and books abound in Sunday School nurseries. I think this inclines us not to take this story really seriously, but this is a mistake.

Have you ever actually read the story in the Bible? Like many, when you read the actual story it's not all of the happiness and butterflies they make it out to be in Sunday school. The real story of Noah is a story of God's righteous anger on the world and the way he destroyed it, completely, saving only one man and his family.

The Story
Genesis 6:5 says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth...and the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth..."

The story begins in a bad place. Man has multiplied on earth, and God's people are marrying into the families of unbelievers. There is great wickedness, and God is preparing to wipe out the whole world.

But there is one man, Noah, who is righteous (Genesis 6:9), and God spares him, instructing him to build an ark. Keep in mind that this is the middle of the desert; there would have been no reason to build a boat. Noah was probably ridiculed by his neighbors, but he kept steadily on in spite of this.

God spares Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, and two of every animal on the land. And then the floods come.

"The flood continued forty days on the earth...and all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind."

This is a horrific scene: everyone and everything, drowning in this terrible flood of judgement that God sent.

The Good News
At last, the flood subsides, and Noah is able to send out birds from his ship to find land. Once on land, he builds an altar to the Lord and makes a burnt offering. God promises that He will never again curse the land with such destruction.

"I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

And this is part we all know: God sends the first rainbow as a sign of His promise to Noah.

What We Can Learn 
So what can we learn from this incredible story?

• God is just. He will punish the wicked, but He will always spare the righteous, like He spared Noah. His judgement is perfect, unlike the flawed judgement of human government and law. 
• God is faithful. Genesis 8:1 says, "But God remembered Noah and all the beasts...that were with Him in the ark." God will never leave us. He guides us everywhere, at all times, and He always keeps His promises. 
• Evil will ultimately be destroyed. Satan can never prevail against God. Evil will always be destroyed in the end, and truth and right will prevail.
• Do what God tells you to even if you are ridiculed for it. Sometimes what God commands will seem crazy, like building a boat in the middle of the desert, but there is always a good reason for it. You may be made fun of, but never, ever stop believing what he tells you.

What do you think? Do you like the story of Noah? Have you ever read it in the actual Bible? What do you think of the lessons I've drawn from the story? Tell me in the comments below!