•To understand the widespread violence that had developed, the exceptional person noted by God, and His assessment with commands that follow; to assess the ark.

•Genesis chapter 6 records the worsening of culture from the prevalence of sin, including actions among men choosing women in a manner that was an affront to God.

•The Master Chef and Overseer renders judgment, stating a deep regret that He made men. He numbered man’s years left before He would wipe out all living things by means of a worldwide flood.

•The Lord took note of the righteousness of Noah and instructs him to build an ark that will house his wife, sons, and their wives along with representatives of every ‘kind’ of living thing.

•The technical details are specific for the ark, as it would keep the people and living things alive during the Genesis Flood and be the means by which the earth would be repopulated.

1.Verses 1-5 are God’s view of a situation that was wrong and evil. It is not man’s judgment of the situation; it is God’s. The description is very brief, noting that special men (or some believe fallen angelic creatures) began marrying whomever they wanted. The choices were presumably based on beauty and whim. Whatever the details were of the selective breeding, God’s conclusion of the whole culture is clear in the seven verses. There was no hope. God lays down His limit: He will not contend with man forever. What was the limit He stated?

2.Note the last sentence of verse 4 and the whole of verse 5. What is God’s conclusion of relationships that were arising at this time? In the same verses, note the title of “mighty men” or men of “renown”. By this time, men that were considered the best among men were, according to God, the worst among men. The corruption of sin in men’s hearts virtually reversed what was originally created “good”.

3.Note that verses 5-8 are in the first person. God speaks clearly and straight to the point. Also note that God has the perfect ability to see inside us. He not only sees actions, He sees thoughts. He knows each person. Only one finds favor: Noah. Note verses 6 and 7, because the depth of God’s disfavor and disappointment is expressed. It must be precisely accurate because it is Scripture.

4.🦕 CT? Verses 9-22 divert the attention from the general population and conditions to one particular person (Noah) and his interaction with God. Judgment, which will take the form of a worldwide catastrophe, is defined by God. Find the verses and check the words for each of the following questions:

a. What is the statement God makes about the culture of the time?

b. What is the action He will take that He explains to Noah?

c. What is the action He commands Noah to take?

d. What are the characteristics of the ark?

e. How thorough will His judgment be with respect to life on the surface of the earth?

f. What or who will be in the ark?

g. What is Noah’s level of obedience as a result of the instructions?

1.The volume of the ark is sufficient to house the estimated 16,000 ‘kinds’ of creatures that dwelled on the face of the earth (and breathed through nostrils, which only vertebrates do—Gen. 7:22). ‘Kinds’ is more general than the species we see today. For instance, we have hundreds of types of dogs, but they are all dogs. Wolves, dingoes, coyotes, etc. are different species, but the same created kind. They can generally interbreed.

2.The shape of the ark has been examined by several studies. It is a near-ideal shape to weather large waves. It needed not to go anywhere but only to float.

3.The primary construction material was wood. This has also been studied. Experts have stated it would work. Furthermore, it provides some flexibility, which is key to the survival, for instance, of many sea-going ships in heavy seas but also of airplanes in turbulence.

4.Other issues, such as size of the decks, reasonable placement of different kinds in different locations, storage for food, and space for Noah’s family to live do not appear to be critical issues for a vessel of this size.

5.There would be room, too, for some of the larger types of animals, including some of the kinds of dinosaurs, which were probably not taken on board fully grown. In any case, though, most vertebrates, including many dinosaurs, were rather small. [Research note: how did the animals fit?]