Genesis 6-9
The Bible tells how, in the beginning, God created a wonderful world. It was full of beautiful plants and animals. The greatest creation of all was man and woman. God formed the man out of dust with his own hands. He breathed into him and he became a living soul. Then he made a woman to be his companion. They were named Adam and Eve. God planted a special garden for them to live in. He had a personal relationship with Adam and Eve and spent time with them in their new home.
God told Adam he could enjoy everything in this new world with one exception. The fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil should never be eaten. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and their perfect relationship with their Creator was broken.
Although some of Adam and Eve’s descendants obeyed God, most did not. God was sad when He saw how wicked man had become. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God said He would destroy all the people and animals on the earth.
Among all these wicked people, God saw a man named Noah who was still serving Him. God gave Noah instructions to build a huge boat called an ark. God planned to preserve humanity through Noah and his family. He also wanted to save a male and a female of all living creatures. This ark would provide safety for Noah’s family and the animals when God sent a flood to destroy everything.
God still desired that man would repent, so He waited many years before the flood came. During those years, Noah started building an ark that would take many years to complete. He preached to the people about God, but no one believed when he told them that a great flood was coming (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 2:5).
The day finally came when God invited Noah and his family to come into the ark. God also brought in the animals, some in pairs and others by sevens. When all were safe inside, God shut the door.
For forty days and nights it rained, and great fountains of water came out of the earth. Water covered the highest mountains, and every living creature on the earth died.
After one hundred and fifty days, the water went down, and the ark came to rest on a mountain. It took many more days before the earth was ready for Noah and the animals to come out of the ark. Three times Noah sent out a dove. The first two times it returned. When it did not return the third time, Noah knew the waters were down and it was safe to leave the ark. Noah’s family and all the animals came out to a clean, new world.
God promised Noah that He would never destroy the world with water again. The sign of this covenant would be a rainbow in the sky. Every time you see a rainbow, you can remember the story of Noah and the flood and the promise God made to man.
Although God promised not to destroy the world again with a flood, there is a judgment day coming at the end of the world when it will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:7).
Jesus came and died for your sins so that you can be saved. Jesus is like the ark. If you are safe in Him, you will not be destroyed with the wicked on the judgment day. He loves you and is waiting for you to come to Him. In John 6:37 it says, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”