QT 7/31/2025 Gen 7:1–10, Immense power, and yet sometimes we have to wait …

Genesis 7:1–10 (ESV) —

1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

 

NOTE: There are many arguments for and against Noah's flood in today's age. Leupold says the flood is "… an entirely adequate explanation for geological formations of every kind, as they are now to be observed." There is evidence of a diagonal strip of marine limestone located on Mount Everest between 25,000 feet and 27,000 feet(Constable). Personally, I doubt there were mountains (or at least not very tall) prior to the flood. I believe the flood created the mountains. The 40 days of rain is probably how long it took to empty the vast water vapor that made up the earth's atmosphere. The crust probably sat upon a large water barrier that opened up during the flood (7:11 and 8:2). The climate was most likely temperate, so gathering the animals would not have been impossible. Indeed, a supernatural hand could have made everything possible. It is not clear what the clean and unclean animals were during that day. Using the later Jewish definition, pigs would have been unclean and goats clean. But we don't know the answer, so it is possible that domesticated animals were gathered in groups of seven pairs, while "wild" animals were gathered in pairs. As for storage of food, a partial hibernation would have solved much of those problems. It is a giant event, completely orchestrated by God a year in advance, so it is assumed he also acted supernaturally in other areas besides just changing the entire climate and the face of the earth. I can't imagine what was happening to the geological plates under all that water pressed up against the outer mantle.

 

So what? Other than the incredible power of God to change a planet. He did not do it instantly but did it through a combination of natural change and supernatural power. Sometimes, that is the way he works in our life. Everything seems to happen naturally, but there is that one little incident or miracle that changes everything. Did it happen by coincidence or was it God's quiet hand? In one sense it doesn't matter because God has promised to bring good out of the events in our life (Rom 8:28). His definition of good is different than mine, so I must trust that what he is doing / allowing is good. He will bring it to good.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I trust God?
2. Do I wait on him or do I try to change things naturally? Certainly, life requires prudent action on our part, but what is prudent and what is getting our sticky fingers involved to make things go a certain way?

 

PRAYER: Father, this is a hard balance. I must trust and sometimes that means I must wait. But how long do I wait before it is time to ring the phone and check up on something? Father, I am in another of those situations. The person said he would get back to me in a day. It has been two days. I think I will wait until next week and in the meantime pray for your will.