The Flood (Part 1)

Text: Genesis 7:1-24

Study Questions:

  1. Read the story. Take time to familiarize yourselves with the text. Share your first impressions. What do you find particularly interesting/noteworthy? What questions do you have regarding the text?
  2. Note the many allusions to creation in this passage. How many can you find? Why would the author want the attentive reader to be reminded of creation at this particular point in the narrative? Could there be more than one reason?
  3. Read verses 1-5. Why these additional instructions concerning the animals? Why the distinction between clean and unclean animals? Which groups of animals are specifically mentioned? Why these? Where else in the five books of Moses do these particular animals play an important role? What is the significance of this intertextual connection?
  4. Read verses 6-16. Note the repeated statements about humans and animals going into/entering the ark (vv 7, 9, 13, 15, 16). Why is this emphasized so much? Remember that they entered before the flood actually began. What was therefore the sole reason why they entered? How does this apply to us who are living at a point in history that Jesus compares to the days of Noah? (Matt 24:37-39) Is it enough to believe that a flood is coming? How can we “enter the ark”? What role does 1 Pet 3:19-21 play in all of this? Matt 7:24-27? How can we live this daily?
  5. Some people think the flood was only a local event. What evidence is there in the text for the universal scope of the flood? Which keyword occurring over 20 times in this passage is particularly significant in this regard? What difference does it make whether the flood was local or universal?
  6. Read verses 17-24. Appreciate the literary beauty of these verses. How does the author paint a picture with words? What climax does he work towards? Why?
  7. Where do you find the theme of salvation in this story? Where do you find Jesus?

    Infos about the text

    Keywords and -phrases

    • all/every (23x)
    • earth (14x)
    • Noah (12x)
    • day (9x)
    • waters (9x)
    • ark (8x)
    • seven (7x)
    • go in/enter (7x)
    • cattle (7x)
    • birds (5x)
    • animals (5x)

     

     

    • forty (5x)
    • flood (4x)
    • two (4x)
    • according to its/their kind (4x)
    • grow (4x)
    • heavens (4x)
    • clean (4x)
    • male (3x)
    • female (3x)
    • blot out (3x)

    Structure                 

    A Command to enter ark (7:1-10)

            B Beginning of the flood (7:11-16)

                   C The rising waters (7:17-24)

                        X God’s Remembrance of Noah (8:1a)

                   C’ The receding waters (8:1b-5)

            B’ The drying of the earth (8:6-14)

    A’ Command to leave ark (8:15-22)

     

    Context

    Genesis 6:9-22 and Genesis 8:1-22

    Terminological connections to 6:9-22

    God, Noah, wife, sons, Sem, Ham, Japheth, earth, birds, cattle, creeping things, flesh, flood, ground, cubits, all, take, go in/bring, make, heavens, breath of life, male, female, according to its/their kind

    Terminological connections to 8:1-22

    God, Noah, ark, animals, cattle, waters, earth, fountains of the deep, windows of heaven, rain, 150 days, mountains, forty days, face of the ground, seven days, wife, sons, all flesh, creeping things, birds, clean

    Intertextual Connections (selection)

    Creation

    Terminological connections: God, 7 days, waters, earth, ground, animals, male, female, according to its/their kind, dry land, breath of life, all/every,

    Thematic connections:

    Sanctuary/Temple

    Thematic parallels: the place of salvation can only be entered with clean cattle/birds

    Exodus

    Thematic parallels: announced by God, date given (Gen 7:11; Exod 12:41; 13:4), death by water, Israel/Noah’s family spared

     

    Jesus in the text (selection)

    So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” (Luk 23:47)

     And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” (John 12:32)

    After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. (Matt 3:16 – 4:2)

    For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matt 24:37-39)

    Further reading

    Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Chapter 7: “The Flood”, pp. 90-104