Have You Built Your Ark? (Part One)

 Genesis 6 -8. Most of us know the story of Noah. The people of his time had become corrupt and he was the only one that God found favor in. God decided to destroy the rest of the civilization that lived at that time, He would save Noah and his family and so He commissioned Noah to build an ark because He was going to send flood waters to do this. He gave Noah the specifics of how to build the ark and what to use to do so. And God sent animals to the ark so that they would be saved along with Noah and his family.

I wonder just what the people thought about as Noah built this massive structure. Did they think he was a lunatic? Perhaps they snickered at him as he walked by him. Maybe some openly laughed at him and ridiculed him. How long did he endure them making fun of him?

The bible doesn't say exactly how long it took for him to build the ark. Some scholars estimate that it was about 120 years. He was 500 years old when it is first mentioned in Genesis 5:32 and 600 when the flood waters came. Genesis 7:6. However long it was, that is a long time to be laughed at by the people that were to be destroyed.

However, Noah stood his ground. He finished the ark as God instructed and the animals came and Noah's family went on board. There was 8 of them. Noah, his wife, their 3 sons, and their 3 wives were the only ones that God saved out of the evilness that had gone on since He created the world.

Once the flood waters started the people surely had quit laughing. Their mockery turned into terror as it got deeper and deeper and people began to drown.

It is a common belief that Noah and his family were on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights. However, the source I found (which is below) say that they were on it 370 days. Over a year. 370 days would be a long time to be out on a boat as it were. Even 40 days would be enough for me.  With all those animals. Wow. Could you do it? I guess we all could if our lives depended on it.

Eventually, though the flood waters began to recede and the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat. And the waters continued to recede. Noah sent first a raven and then a dove out to see if there was dry land anywhere. The raven came back because it did not find any place to land. After that, a dove was sent out and it came back. And then a second dave went out and it came back. When the second dove came back it brought an olive leaf and Noah then knew that the land was drying up. A few days later, Noah sent another dove out and it did not come back and so Noah knew that it had found dry land.  When God told Noah it was time to leave the ark, he and his family and all the animals disembarked and what did Noah do? He built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings of animals and birds to God.




God was so pleased with this that he gave Noah a sign that he would never again destroy all living things. What was this sign? Most of us know. Do you? Come back tomorrow to find out.


Thanks for coming by Friends. Is the story about Noah in the bible just a kids Sunday School story or is there something more to it that kids and adults can take something away from it to apply to our own lives in this generation? And what if anything does it have to do with a new year that will happen in just 2 more days?

Well, there is more to it and yes it does have something to do with not only our generation and 2019. But what? I hope you will come back tomorrow to find out the answers to those questions. Until then God bless!

Today's sources: What are some of the most common questions about Noah's Ark?