Teaching Notes: On Genesis 7

Teaching Notes are Bible studies we taught before GraceLife Ministries began publishing articles online in 1995. Some were presented as sermons, others as group studies.

Our hope is that these older studies will be a blessing to you in your life and ministry. Please use them in any way God leads you.

These teaching notes are from a series of studies about the Book of Genesis. 

[These notes are from a study from almost 45 years ago.]

Genesis 7:1-4

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Seven days before the Flood (mabbūl), God instructed Noah and his family to go into the Ark with all the animals.

Noah was to take in seven of every kind of clean animal, male and female; two of every kind of unclean animal, male and female; and seven of every kind of bird.

There is no explanation of what a clean and unclean animal was. However, Noah must have understood who they were or soon learned as they entered the Ark. The seventh animal and bird were probably sent in for the purpose of sacrifice at a later time.

God explains that in seven days from their going into the Ark He would send rain (matar) on the earth for forty days and nights wiping every living creature from the face of the earth.

It may have never rained up to this time. The mist and rivers may have been all that was necessary to grow beautiful vegetation.

Genesis 7:5-10

And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

Again we see the faith and obedience of Noah. It was probably a difficult thing to enter the Ark knowing that the whole family of man, including brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and friends would die. But Noah was a man of faith. It was probably difficult to sit in the Ark on dry land and hear the mocking of the people (or possibly the too-late cries). But Noah was a man of faith.

Noah and his wife, his sons and their wives, all entered the Ark to escape the judgment of God. The animals that God had chosen came to Noah and entered the Ark. After the seven days, the flood waters came.

Genesis 7:11-12

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

These verses explain where the flood waters came from. All the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the flood gates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. This happened in Noah’s six hundredth year, on the seventeenth day of the second month.

Genesis 1:6-8 says that God separated water by an expanse called “sky.” If it was an equal division, then there may have been some thirty to forty thousand feet of water. Scientists think that the oceans were ten-thousand feet shallower before the Flood.

7:11 brings into play two basic laws: hydrodynamics and gravity. The springs of the great deep bursting forth would have pushed billions of tons of water up and over the land wiping out everything in its path.

The law of gravity would have brought the thousands of feet of water down to earth in a great rain. These actions of trillions of tons of water over a period of forty days (six weeks) would have totally changed the entire face of the planet while killing every living thing.

Genesis 7:13-16

In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

Previous verses are restated with the addition of “and the Lord shut him in.” This was God’s judgment and God’s salvation. It may have also been important to Noah and the family psychologically. They didn’t shut their fellow humans away, God did it.

Genesis 7:17-24

And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

The Flood covered the world and the Ark floated. It wasn’t made to get anywhere, just float. The mountains were covered by water plus 20 feet. This would be necessary because the Ark would have a draft of about 15 feet. God provides for everything.

Everything and everyone on earth died, except for those in the Ark. The way in which God flooded the earth explains a lot about geological observations. I think it also explains fossils, sediment layers and pre-Flood beasts found dead in their tracks. This would explain why mastodons were found in polar regions with food still in their mouth. Their meat was still good to eat. Something had frozen them quick-solid. The only things that didn’t die that weren’t on the Ark were marine life: whales, fish, etc.

The waters flooded the earth for 150 days (five months). The waters apparently reached a certain depth and then remained there for about three-and-a-half months.

Next Time

We will look at Genesis Chapter 8 in the next part of our special series.

[Thank you for reading these teaching notes from almost 45 years ago. My prayer is they will be a blessing to you and your life and ministry.]