Noah
Noah (Hebrew: נֹחַ, Greek: Νῶε)[1][2] is a righteous man recorded in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament.[3][4] He built the ark according to God’s instructions, and when God judged the wicked with a great flood, Noah’s family and the animals that entered the ark survived, allowing life on earth to continue. In the New Testament, Noah is referred to as the “heir of righteousness.”[5]
| Noah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Family | 10th generation descendant of Adam Father: Lamech |
| Occupation(Features) | Built the ark according to God’s command
Received the title “heir of righteousness” |
Historical Background
After Adam and Eve were created, many descendants were born. Among them were righteous people such as Enoch. However, as generations passed, humanity grew increasingly corrupt, and by the time of Noah, the world was filled with wickedness.[6]
Life of Noah
Birth
Lamech, a ninth-generation descendant of Adam, became the father of Noah at the age of 182. The name Noah means “rest,” “comfort,” or “consolation,”[7] and was given with the hope that he would bring relief to people who labored painfully to obtain food.[8][9]
Construction of the Ark
God saw that the earth was filled with human wickedness and that the thoughts and intentions of people’s hearts were continually evil. He regretted having made mankind and resolved to wipe out humanity along with every living creature that breathed on the earth. Yet Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his generation, and he walked faithfully with God. God revealed to him His plan to destroy the sinful world with a flood and commanded Noah to build an ark.
God gave detailed instructions on the material, dimensions, and method of construction of the ark. The ark had three levels—upper, middle, and lower—and was a huge vessel about 137 meters (300 cubits) long, 23 meters (50 cubits) wide, and 14 meters (30 cubits) high.[10][11] The construction period of the ark is estimated to have ranged from several decades to as long as 120 years.[12] While Noah built the ark in preparation for the flood, people did not repent of their sins, but were only preoccupied with their everyday affairs. Only Noah, by faith and reverence for God, prepared the ark.
God provided precise instructions regarding the material, dimensions, and construction of the ark. It was to have three levels—upper, middle, and lower—and was to be an enormous vessel measuring about 137 meters (300 cubits) in length, 23 meters (50 cubits) in width, and 14 meters (30 cubits) in height. The construction period is estimated to have taken several decades, possibly up to 120 years. During that time, while Noah prepared the ark in obedience to God, the people around him did not repent. Instead, they continued in their daily routines, indifferent to God’s warning.[13] Only Noah, with faith and reverence, made preparations for the coming flood.
The Great Flood
When Noah finished building the ark, God said to him, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” God instructed Noah to take with him his family, along with pairs of every clean and unclean animal and every kind of bird. When Noah obeyed and entered the ark with his family and the animals, God Himself shut the door of the ark. As God had declared, the flood came seven days later. This occurred in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month. The fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
Rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. The waters rose and lifted the ark high above the ground, and it floated on the surface of the water. Eventually, the waters covered even the highest mountains.[14] Every living creature that moved on the land—birds, livestock, wild animals, all creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind—perished, except for Noah’s family of eight (Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives) and the animals that were in the ark.[15]
God’s Covenant
After forty days the rain ceased, but the waters still covered the earth. God remembered Noah and all the living creatures in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth so that the waters began to recede. On the seventeenth day of the seventh month—150 days after the flood began—the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to diminish, and on the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, on the first day of the first month, the waters had dried from the earth’s surface. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry. God then commanded Noah to bring his family and all the animals out of the ark. Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of the clean animals and clean birds, offered burnt offerings.[16] The LORD accepted the sacrifice and blessed Noah and his family, commanding them to be fruitful, increase in number, and fill the earth.[17]
In Eden, God had given humanity plants and fruits for food, but after the flood He permitted them to eat living creatures as well.[18] God also promised never again to destroy all life with a flood, and as a sign of this covenant He set the rainbow in the clouds.[19]
Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950. His three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—became the ancestors of nations that spread across the earth.[20]
Timeline of the Great Flood
The events of the great flood recorded in the Bible can be arranged chronologically based on Noah’s age as follows:
| Noah’s Age | Date | Event | Related
Scriptures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600th year | 2nd month,
10th day |
・Noah and his family entered the ark.
・God foretold that the flood would begin in seven days. |
Ge 7:4, 7–10 |
| 2nd month,
17th day |
・The flood began.
・The fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens opened. |
Ge 7:11–12 | |
| 2nd month,
17th day + 40 days |
・Rain fell for 40 days.
・The waters rose, and the ark floated on the surface. ・All the mountains were covered. ・Every living thing on the land died. |
Ge 7:12, 17–22 | |
| 2nd month,
17th day + 150 days |
・The waters flooded the earth. | Ge 7:24 | |
| 7th month,
17th day |
・150 days after the flood began, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. | Ge 8:3–4 | |
| 10th month,
1st day |
・The waters receded, and the tops of the mountains became visible. | Ge 8:5 | |
| 10th month,
1st day + 40 days |
・Noah opened the window and sent out a raven.
・The raven flew back and forth until the waters had dried. ・He also sent out a dove, but it found no place to perch and returned. |
Ge 8:6–9 | |
| 10th month,
1st day + 47 days |
・Noah sent out the dove a second time; it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. | Ge 8:10–11 | |
| 10th month,
1st day + 54 days |
・Noah sent out the dove a third time; it did not return. | Ge 8:12 | |
| 601st year | 1st month,
1st day |
・Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. | Ge 8:13 |
| 2nd month,
27th day |
・The earth was completely dry and Noah came out of the ark with his family.
・He built an altar and offered burnt offerings to God. |
Ge 8:14–22 |
Lessons
Salvation Before Judgment
The history recorded in the Old Testament serves as a shadow of what would later be fulfilled in the New Testament.[21][22] The judgment that God brought upon the sinful world in the days of Noah foreshadows the last judgment that will come upon the world at the end of the age.[23][24]
Before bringing destruction, God revealed to Noah the way of salvation. Noah obeyed God’s word, built the ark, and thereby saved himself and his family.[25] In contrast, the people of that time continued in their daily routines—eating, drinking, and pursuing pleasure. Even when the flood suddenly came and the waters covered the whole world, they did not realize what was happening until they perished.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Just as God prepared the ark as a refuge in Noah’s time, He prepares a place of salvation for His people before the last judgment. God proclaims the Passover in Zion[26][27]—the place where God’s feasts are celebrated—as the sign for escaping disaster, and He commands His people to flee there without delay.[28]
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
In the same way that Noah was saved by preparing the ark according to God’s word,[5] those who listen to and follow God’s word today will receive salvation. Whoever seeks the spiritual ark of salvation—Zion—and remains there until the end will be saved.
Absolute Obedience and Blessing
The dimensions of the ark that Noah built according to God’s command are thought to have been comparable to a modern ship of about 15,000 metric tons.[29] Even with today’s advanced shipbuilding technology, constructing such a vessel would take years. In Noah’s time—without machinery, tools, or transport equipment—the ark had to be built entirely by hand. The volume of wood required is estimated at approximately 3,190 m³, equivalent to the load of about four hundred modern 5-ton trucks. Considering that a 35-year-old pine tree over twenty meters tall weighs about 350 kg, simply harvesting and moving the timber would have been a monumental undertaking.[30] For this reason, most biblical scholars estimate that Noah spent between forty and one hundred and twenty years building the ark. Bringing into the ark all kinds of animals, including fierce beasts, would not have been easy. Yet Noah did everything exactly as God commanded. This was possible because he had absolute reverence for God and unwavering faith in His word. As a result of his obedience, Noah saved himself and his family in the great flood.[25] Likewise, those who revere and obey God’s word receive blessing and salvation.[31]
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
See also
External links
- Church of God Official Website
- Noah’s Ark and Salvation, Christ Ahnsahnghong Official Website
Related videos
- Sermon: God’s Preparation & Our Preparation
References
- ↑ Strong's Hebrew: 5146. נֹ֫חַ, Bible Hub
- ↑ Strong's Greek: 3575. Νῶε, Bible Hub
- ↑ "Genesis 6:9".
- ↑ "Genesis 7:1".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Hebrews 11:7".
- ↑ "Genesis 6:1–5".
- ↑ Naming Noah, Hadar Institute
- ↑ "Genesis 5:29".
- ↑ "Genesis 3:17".
- ↑ "Genesis 6:13–16".
- ↑ How Big Was Noah’s Ark?, Ark Encounter
- ↑ Roaa Saber, How Long Did It Take Noah to Build the Ark?, IQRA Network, October 21, 2024
- ↑ "Matthew 24:37–39".
- ↑ "Genesis 7:19–20".
- ↑ "Genesis 7".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|확인date=(help) - ↑ "Genesis 8".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|확인date=(help) - ↑ "Genesis 9:1".
- ↑ "Genesis 9:3".
- ↑ "Genesis 9:11–13".
- ↑ "Genesis 9:18–19".
- ↑ "Isaiah 46:10".
- ↑ "Ecclesiastes 3:15".
- ↑ "Luke 17:26–30".
- ↑ "2 Peter 3:6–7".
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "2 Peter 2:5".
- ↑ "Isaiah 33:20–24".
- ↑ "Exodus 12:1–14".
- ↑ "Jeremiah 4:5–6".
- ↑ Noah's Ark: Was It Possible?, United Church of God, August 5, 2003
- ↑ The Impossible Voyage of Noah's Ark, National Center for Science Education, Creation/Evolution Journal, Volume 4, No. 1, Winter 1983
- ↑ "Deuteronomy 28:1–8".