The Flood: Genesis 7:1 - 7:24

In my last post, I talked about how God deals with evil.  I said that he is patient, and he graciously pursues us in our fallen state.  But, eventually God acts and he acts boldly.  In Genesis chapter 7, we see God act boldly to destroy evil by flooding the earth.  Let's consider some things in the way he brought this about.

In 7:1, God commands Noah to go into the ark and take his family "because I have found you righteous..."  In his commentary "Genesis", Derek Kidner notes that the "you" in this verse is singular.  There is a suggestion that Noah was righteous and that his family was blessed (and preserved) because of his righteousness.  There might also be an implication that perhaps Noah's family isn't so righteous.  Perhaps, after Noah is gone, there will be no righteous influence left on the earth.  If this is the case, God patiently (and dramatically) waited until the last possible moment before bringing the flood, giving mankind as much time as possible to repent and turn toward him.  But he acts before all is lost; before there are no righteous left to preserve.  

There is a lot of repetition in this section.  When you look at it, the story is practically repeated three times.  Once in 6:9 through 22 with a focus on God's plan and covenant with Noah, again in 7:1 through 7:12 with a focus on God's provision for the animals and Noah's family, and finally in 7:13 through 7:24 with a focus on the great flood and all the destruction that it caused.  It is interesting that Noah's obedience to God's commands is highlighted in each telling of the story (6:22, 7:5, 7:16).  Not only does this emphasize Noah's righteousness but also God's provision for the righteous.  I can't imagine this would have been an easy time for him, but God's purpose was to use the last righteous man on earth to preserve the living, not give him a comfortable life.

On a less theological note, I know many struggle over the nature of the flood.  Was it a large but local flood with the text describing the way things appeared to Noah?  Was it global with the entire earth covered in miles of water?  I don't really know.  Kidner notes that "Whole Earth" can also be translated as "Country" in Hebrew and that the language could be used to support either case.  We would do better concern ourselves over how passionate God is about dealing with evil and the provision he makes for those who love him and obey.