We are probably all pretty familiar with one of the well known Bible stories of Noah and the Ark, right?
Have you really taken time to think of what lessons we can learn and apply to our lives from the story?
Honestly, I probably never did until I heard a discussion about it recently. Come along with me so we can take a deeper look into the lessons and parallels we can reflect on this week.
I won’t reprint the whole story here but if you want to read the whole story of Noah and the Ark, it can be found in Genesis 6-Genesis 9:17.
Here are some key verses and parallels from the story to think about in relation to our lives:
Genesis 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
My footnote says that here righteous means honoring God, following Him in all we do, and if in positions of power and authority it is to be used to bless not exploit.
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us to live our lives righteously, loving God first and then others as ourselves?
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Genesis 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
This was said in relation to the building of the ark with all the measurements; bringing the exact people, animals, living creatures, and kinds of food into the ark.
Genesis 7:5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
This was said in relation to the actual time that the Lord told Noah to go into the ark, along with the clean and unclean animals.
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us to obey God when we hear His voice and not to harden our hearts?
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Genesis 7:16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
Isn’t it cool to think that God was so in control that He shut the door of the ark when the time was right?
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us to know that God does things in His perfect timing? When God shuts the door, you know it is the right time and you are safe inside! It is kind of like when you accept Christ into your life, you are eternally secure with and in Him.
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Genesis 7:17-18 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.
Can you visualize the amount of water on the earth after forty days and nights of continual rain along with a single ark being tossed and turned all over creation?
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us to ride the waves of the storms of life and trust the unknown to our God?
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us that just as the ark was a protection for Noah and his family, that God is our ark? The ark is even covering us in righteousness instead of our sins!
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Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
Isn’t it neat how the Bible says “God remembered Noah?” God had Noah and everything in the ark on His mind. Aren’t we always on God’s mind too? And doesn’t it show us how much God cares for all His creation?
Do you think this serves as a reminder to us that just as God sent a wind over the earth and then the water receded, He is still in charge of our lives? Isn’t the wind symbolic of the Holy Spirit that comes over us and makes things in our life work out bringing us peace?
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Genesis 8:6 After forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark….
My footnote relating to this verse as well as verse Genesis 6:16 suggests that there were probably a series of windows placed within 18 inches of the roof.
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to us to look UP to God, to trust Him and see our value from Him, not from the “things” or people around us? Look up, not around or even within us!
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Genesis 7:11-12 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month–on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 8:13 By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.
It is interesting to note that Noah and all the creatures were in the ark for more than a year! I’m not sure I ever really thought about that before. I do wonder what they did that whole time.
Do you suppose this serves as reminder to take time to rest and sit in the presence of God? When we rest, we can be filled with God’s grace and the peace that only He can give….a peace beyond all understanding.
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Genesis 9:12-13 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 generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Though the rain and the rainbow both appeared even before Noah and the ark, the rainbow now took on a new meaning symbolizing God’s covenant for all generation to come!!
Do you suppose this serves as a reminder to always have hope in our lives? Ultimately, all things will work out because God is in charge of all. What really matters is spending eternity with our God and Savior.
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I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13 (NLT)
Its interesting how you can reread Bible verses and get a new perspective on the reading that you had read many times previously.
Yes, you are right, Sandy! It is cool to see the Holy Spirit at work! 🙂 As always, thanks for faithfully reading and the blessing with your sharing. 🙂
Obedience and faith. They go together and we saw that with what Noah did. He can’t just believe in God and not heed His call. These are beautiful lessons we can apply to this day. Thank you!
Very true, Lux…obedience and faith! 🙂 Thank you for reading and your encouragement through the years! You are a blessing to me! 🙂