Read the story of Prophet Noah here (Genesis chapters 6-9) and listen to what God is teaching you today.




What happened to the broken relationship between God and mankind?


Sin has entered the world (see previous study). What follows is suffering, death and a broken relationship between God and mankind and between men.

No matter how hard we try, we reap thorns and pain. Death, injustice and hopelessness fill the world. Mankind is nothing but slaves to sin and its consequence.

This is not the world God created.

The root of the problem is pride at the heart of the human soul. God Himself said no one is sinless (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-11). A sinful heart cannot save itself. An unholy people cannot be near to a holy God, because God cannot coexist with sin.

In Prophet Noah's time, God had given numerous opportunities for people to turn around from sin but people continued to refuse, God decided to bring justice through a flood that would kill all living things on earth.

But at the same time, God provided a way out.




God called Noah.

Noah was not perfect. He was also a sinful man like everyone else. But he chose to respond to God by obeying.

God's plan (not Noah's) was that through Noah, people and animals could find salvation.

So God commanded Noah to build an ark. Noah followed and obeyed. But the task seemed impossible! That's why God gave very detailed instructions. There was no way Noah could have worked it out himself. Only God knew what the future held.

The project cost Noah his reputation and consumed his life. And after building the ark, the only thing Noah could do was to wait and put his life completely in the hands of God.

While stuck in the ark, Noah's family also had no idea how long the flood would last. They could only trust God. There was no other choice. Both judgement and salvation were to be executed by God, not by man.

All people who did not enter God's ark perished. But those who chose to follow God's plan of salvation were saved.




The covenant for all generations


In Scriptures, punishment is never the end of the story for God.

God always takes the initiatives to repair broken relationships. God revealed a covenant to Noah-- His everlasting promise and agreement with all mankind.

“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... Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-15)

This covenant God had promised could only be possible if God dealt with the problem of human sin forever. We don't know yet at this point of the story how God would achieve this, but God would continue to reveal this plan to other future Prophets.




Your Response: Listen to God and Pray...

1. What is the significance of the flood, the Ark, and the covenant in the story?

2. What does God reveal about Himself and His relationship with His people in this reading?

3. Is God speaking to you? How would you respond to God?

4. Who can you share this story with?