Genesis 7
God’s Protection and Provision

Genesis 7

The Flood

1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. 2 “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; 3 also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” 5 Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him. 6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. 7 Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, 9 there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. 12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

13 On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. 15 So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh, which was the breath of life. 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him.

17 Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 21 All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; 22 of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. 24 The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Unpacking Genesis 7

In our last study, we looked at Genesis 6 and the opening account of the global flood. We saw that the level of sin in the world had reached a point where the best solution was simply to wipe mankind off the earth, except for Noah.

Chapter 7 shows God’s protection of Noah when the flood came. When we think of God’s “protection,” we generally think God will keep us from harm. However, Genesis 7 shows us that sometimes God’s protection means things may get more difficult as God brings us to the place He wants us to be. In those difficulties, we have the comfort of knowing God has not forsaken us. Like Noah, He knows where we’re at and will provide what we need.

God’s provision began back in Genesis 6, with God’s instructions to Noah to build the ark. Here in chapter 7, the ark is now finished.

In verse 1, the Lord tells Noah to enter the ark with his family. Verse 1 also reminds us Noah was the only "righteous man.” We briefly touched upon this concept in the last study. The word “righteous” in verse 1 first occurred back in Genesis 6:9 when it said Noah was a “righteous” man. The word “righteous” is an important principle throughout the Bible and occurs over 200 times in the Old Testament.

To be “righteous” means doing the right thing, specifically doing what God has said. Here we see Noah’s righteous character and obedience resulted in him listening to God and obeying Him faithfully.

Perhaps we are tempted to give excuses for why the same standard of Noah’s obedience to the Lord should not be applied to us. The fact is Noah’s world was a lot like ours. The people pursued their own will and ways and disregarded God. It was an unrighteous world. It was a tempting world.

When it comes to Noah’s obedience, we also need to remember that he wasn’t super young when he got to work! In fact, he was 600 years old when the waters flooded the earth! He could have said it was high time he rested on that rocking chair. But he didn’t. He got to work and stayed at it. Noah spent decades, maybe more than 100 years, building the ark. That is a long time to maintain faithful obedience to God. Yet, Noah’s faithful perseverance is what righteousness looks like.

Going on to verse 2, the Lord tells Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal for the ark. Now, that might surprise us if we are only familiar with the children’s story accounts of the flood. Most children’s stories say the animals came to Noah two by two. Here we see “clean” animals came seven by seven. Why?

Well, Noah and His family would have to eat, and the extra animals could be used for barbecues. Likewise, when Noah leaves the ark in chapter 8, verse 20, he offers some of every clean animal to the Lord as a burnt offering. Thus, the Lord provided Noah with what he needed to eat and for worship.

Going on in verses 8 and 9, the Lord miraculously brought the animals to Noah. He wasn’t out setting traps for beavers and the other animals; they just came to him by the work of God.

As for how Noah could fit all the animals on the ark, Genesis 6:20 speaks of animal “kinds.” A “kind” is different from an animal “species.” For instance, horses and zebras, and donkeys are all of one “kind.” Therefore, Noah only needed to bring one of each “kind” onto the ark, and that “kind” would have the DNA to later produce the rest of the species we have today.

Not only that, but more than likely, these animals were not full-grown. They were likely very young, probably even before reproducing ages. Young animals would be smaller, eat less, waste less, and be easier to manage. It is much easier to lead a baby elephant than a full-grown one. Suppose you are interested in learning more about how Noah might have gotten all the animals on the ark. In that case, I encourage you to look up the materials produced by the organization called Answers in Genesis. They have many maps and diagrams detailing how these challenges might have been resolved.

Going on in verse 11, the “fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.” In verse 18, the waters rose on the face of the earth to cover everything with 22 feet of water.[1] This was before the shifting of the tectonic plates, so there was no Mount Everest at this point, which is also why there are marine fossils on the top of Mount Everest.

As we reflect on what we’ve learned so far in Genesis 6 and 7, we recognize that the flood was a low point in the history of the world. It shows us the sinfulness of man and the judgment of God. It shows us that God is serious about holiness. It also shows us that although God is incredibly loving, He will deal with sin justly. Sin is that serious. This is what it looks like when sin receives its full and just penalty.

We also see God’s provision of grace. God graciously provided the salvation Noah needed. He graciously provided the animals for Noah. He graciously provided Noah with the information he needed for when to get onto the ark.

Extrapolating these principles forward to the cross, the ark reminds us that God has graciously provided what we need to be saved from His wrath. Noah’s response shows us what it looks like to believe God’s warnings and embrace His provision.

Like Noah, let each of us receive God’s gracious provision of forgiveness through the cross of Christ, and may each of us walk according to His Word.

Study and Discussion Questions

Listening to the Key Chapters Podcast on this chapter provides further insights into the following questions.

1. Read over Genesis 7 and circle every occurrence of the words “all” or “every.” How many times do these words occur in this chapter? What does this tell us about the totality of God’s judgment?

2. The study mentioned that Noah needed many decades to build the ark. Righteousness obeys over the long haul. Are there times when you obeyed God over a long period? Was that difficult? Why or why not?

3. How does a biblical understanding of “kinds” help us see how Noah could fit the animals in the ark?

4. According to the study, what stage of physical development were most of these animals likely to have been at when they came onto the ark? Why?

5. What does verse 2 tell us about the number of each clean animal? What are some possible reasons presented in the study for why there may have been so many clean animals brought onto the ark?

6. People often characterize the flood as the result of heavy rain. While rain contributed to the flood, what does verse 11 indicate was another key cause of the flood?

7. According to the study, how could the waters cover the mountains in verses 19-20?

8. What does Genesis 7 show us about God’s provision? What did God provide for Noah in this passage? What has He provided us for salvation?

9. For Noah to receive God’s provision of salvation from the flood, what would he have to do? In light of the salvation God offers to us through the cross of Christ, how might Noah’s response be similar to how we need to respond to God?

10. Have you accepted God’s offer of salvation? When and how?

11. Take a moment to reflect on the troubles and trials you have gone through in life. What did God provide for you in them? Why not take a few moments to thank Him for your provision, and praise Him for His loving grace?

[1] While the NAS says this was “15 cubits,” 22 feet is the converted measurement in the NIV translation.