01-34 The Flood
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Genesis 7:17-24
Genesis 7:17-24
Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations (Myth—given substance)
An English doctor once found writing short stories more to his liking than writing prescriptions. After numerous rejections, Beeton’s Christmas Annual decided to publish the doctor’s murder tale in 1887. Although Dr. Conan Doyle was paid a miserly amount for his story (A Study in Scarlet), that single mystery launched one of the most successful literary careers in history: You know him as the arrogant, impatient, and brilliant Sherlock Holmes. It is read by devotees around the world, and today, Holmes continues to be studied, analyzed, appreciated, and imitated. As one said, he’s the greatest detective who never was. People quiz each other’s knowledge about him. They accumulate Sherlock memorabilia—and he never existed. A total fabrication continues to be the object of intense devotion.
So it is with “myths.” A myth is a story. Sometimes it expresses a worldview thru the story-telling of an historical event which explains a practice, belief or phenomenon…other times a myth surrounds a person or thing having only an imaginary existence.
Paul told Timothy to not pay attention to myths.
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
Paul also referenced a time when people
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
The existence of LJC is not like that of Sherlock Holmes since He is a true historical person. This is not a myth, the Bible is not mythical—filled with fictional accounts as many seem to believe today.
I was reading a brief article by a man named Robert Cargill (Forget about Noah's Ark; There Was No Worldwide Flood): in it he was explaining why he rejects a global flood. For starters, he believes the flood narrative was written by at least 2 individuals.
“Most scholars will point out that the biblical flood story is actually two flood epics intertwined into one.” You remember last week I briefly discussed the “Documentary Hypothesis”—this is the fruit of higher criticism which leads to a denial of biblical authority.
Cargill also appeals to his understanding of science to reject the flood: not enough water on the earth to have covered the earth (and only 1.7% of water is underground).
He concludes by saying:
Simply put: there is no evidence whatsoever for a worldwide flood. In other words, it's impossible. There is not enough water in the earth's atmospheric system to even come close to covering all of the earth's landmasses.
It is time for Christians to admit that some of the stories in Israel's primordial history are not historical. It is ok to concede that these stories were crafted in a pre-scientific period and were designed to offer ethical answers to questions of why and not questions of how. Christians and Jews must concede that the Bible can still be "inspired" without being historically or scientifically "inerrant."
His offering of “science” is dubious but his presupposition about the Scriptures not being inerrant is what keeps him from submitting to God’s revealed truth.
One of the strongest assertions of the inerrancy of God’s Word (without error in original documents) comes from the teaching if LJC. Jesus built the doctrine of His 2nd coming upon the historical reliability of Noah, the Ark and the flood.
Matt 24:37-39—majority discount flood narrative as mythological
(Notice how Christ introduced His affirmation of Noah and Flood Vs 35) So do we join the critics who cannot accept the reliability of the story or do we believe Christ?
Some suggest Jesus was only using the prevailing belief in a flood to make a point. It has been suggested that He Himself did not believe in a flood but took advantage of contemporary beliefs.
John Wenham Christ and the Bible, shows how that view is impossible. “The future Judge is speaking words of solemn warning to those who shall hereafter stand convicted at his bar…And yet we are to suppose him to say that imaginary persons who at the imaginary preaching of an imaginary prophet repented in imagination, shall rise up in that day and condemn the actual impenitence of those his actual hearers.”
If there was no flood, then everything Jesus taught goes out the window.
The Gk word “flood” is kataklusmos (cataclysm). The root means “to inundate with water” and today a cataclysm is a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition.
This is a very apt description of the event described in Gen 7—and probably more so than what we have thought about before. I doubt that I’ll have all your questions answered today but my prayer is that you’ll be built up in the Word of Christ as we walk thru our vv together. I want to look at 4 descriptions about the flood that help us to embrace the authority of God’s Word and to live it out with greater faithfulness.
1. The Date of the Flood
1. The Date of the Flood
vs 11
There are specific details pertaining to the date the flood takes place and we can with have confidence in the reliability of God’s Word on this matter.
Following the genealogies of ch 5—we know that Lamech became the father of Noah 1056 years after creation—with the view that genealogies were “closed” and that there aren’t any gaps (confirmed in Luke 3).
32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
So 500 years later Noah began having children—S, H, J. (actually J,S,H birth order) since Shem has a child at 100 and his son Arphaxhad is born 2 years after the flood (11:10) making Shem 97 when the flood begins. Shem is listed first because he is the one thru whom the Messianic line will proceed.
Noah’s 600th year is 1656 after creation. Now if you adhere to James Ussher’s dating system which puts creation at 4004 B.C. then you’re at 2348 B.C. (1656 after creation). Moses is even more specific—in the 2nd month on the 17th day (important to help determine precisely how long Noah and his family will be on the ark).
The date of the flood, then, is 1656 from creation or 4370 years ago. Now, I realize that doesn’t mesh with what is referred to as “science” today. The scientific world relies on the principle of “uniformitarianism” which believes “the present is the key to the past.” This is the mantra of mockers:
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
The flaw in their thinking is that they are “willingly ignorant” of the supernatural and special creation by the spoken word of God and the cataclysmic, global Flood. What is claimed to be scientific evidence of an earth that is billions of years old is really the expression of ignorance of what Peter is declaring. The present cannot be the key to the past b/c in divine providence God works to preserves His creation bringing all things to His intended goal. This means that we can perceive “laws of nature” which are the normal principles and processes of the universe. But God is not bound to these “laws” and that He is the sovereign Creator and sustainer—He has the authority and power to suspend these laws in order to work miracles—which is what the Flood represents.
2. The Duration of the Flood
2. The Duration of the Flood
As you will note, there is perfect precision in the details surrounding the length of time that the earth is flooded with water—and that Noah is on the ark. There are debates as to whether Moses was using a Mosaic Calendar (according to when God delivered Israel from Egypt), or a civil/agricultural calendar and does the flood begin in Spring (May) or in the Fall (October). The details that Moses describes are in relation to Noah’s life (when his child is born, when the flood begins—all with respect to Noah’s life).
God’s final reprieve—7 days (Gen 7:4)
The Flood begins: 600, 2 month, 17 day (Gen 7:11) the “very” same day Noah entered the ark (7:13)
Rains continue 40 days and 40 nights (Gen 7:12)—result is the ark “floated” on surface of water (tops the mountains by 15 cubits—at least 22.5’—7:20)
Water prevailed for 150 days (Gen 7:24) (110 plus 40 days of rain)
Water begins to “recede steadily” (8:3) at the end of the 150 days [7:24]
Ark rests on mtns of Ararat (8:4) 7th month 17th day (after 5 months on the ark).
Mtn tops become visible—10th month 1st day (8:5). The ark would rest on the mtn before it would become visible—obviously it is taking more time for waters to recede—than to cover the earth.
Noah sends out raven—after 40 days (from mtns visible—(8:6-7) did not return b/c found food and place to nest.
Noah sends out dove—7 days (8:8) it returns
Dove sent dove again—7 days (8:10-11) returns with olive leaf
Dove sent again—7 more days (8:12) did not return
Noah’s birthday (601—1st month 1st day)—Noah removed covering and earth was dried up (8:13)
Noah disembarks—56 days later (2nd month 27th day) (8:14)
The total time on the ark was 1 year and 10 days. Now if calculations are based on 360 day year it was 370 days total.
3. The Depth of the Flood
3. The Depth of the Flood
How much water actually flooded the earth? This is a point the critic makes when he denies the flood was global—there isn’t possibly enough water in the earth’s atmosphere to flood the entire earth (that mtns would be covered).
19 The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
Moses uses a Heb idiom for a violent downpour when he says “floodgates of the sky were opened” (7:11). In our atmosphere at any one time, there is about about 3100 cubic miles of water. The atmosphere moves tremendous amounts of water all over the earth’s surface. But this represents only .001% of all the water in earth’s hydrological system. If all that water poured down on earth it would amount to 4.14”. If it were to rain that amount over 40 days it would equal 4/1000” per hour—hardly a violent downpour.
There have been significant rainfalls in history.
1862 Cherrapunji, India it rained for 31 days and brought 366”=1/2” in/hr
1911 Philippines, 79” in 63 hours—just over 1”/hr
2017 Hurricane Harvey proudced 25.6” over 14000 Sq Mi. over 24 hrs.
Monsoons have been known to produce 22”/hr. Even at that rate for 40 days only adds up to 1760’—would barely wet mt Ararat (17K’)
Something else had to be going on to produce water that would cover mtns by 22.5’.
Sources For Water
Sources For Water
Moses reveals that there were 2 sources for the water that would cover the earth.
7:11 “fountains of the great deep burst open”
The phrase carries a bit of mystery with it but the terms used are very important. “Deep” is the same term used in Gen 1:2
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
When used in its 36x in the OT it refers to a place that is immeasurable and unknowable. It is generally connected with water (oceans, springs). This is how it is used now in Gen 7.
“fountains” always refer to a flow of water from an opening. Together with deep, involved here, is a source of water that flows under the surface of the earth. The final term is translated “burst open” (split, broken up). In Heb it expresses the forcefulness of a splitting action. It was used of the hatching of an egg, the splitting of wood or wineskins, the break thru of a military assualt…but especially the splitting of the earth.
This happened when Korah rebelled and the earth split open to swallowed all those who were joined to Korah (Num 16). At Christ’s 2nd coming the Mt of Olives will split in 2 from east to west (Zech 14:4). There is a tremendous amount of energy that goes into this kind of earth splitting force.
The flood wasn’t a gradual rising of water but a sudden (like switch) all the fountains of the great deep exploded—all over the earth (simultaneously). This is the 1st source of water.
The 2nd source: floodgates of the sky. Now, as I mentioned, today there is not enough water in the atmosphere alone to cause the amount of water the Flood requires. Creationists have supposed that a “water vapor canopy” is being described:
6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
A water canopy would have held sufficient water to add to the waters that came from below the surface of the earth. A canopy would explain what was going on in Eden:
6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.
Henry Morris III:
“With torrential rain smothering the atmosphere and soaking the ground, and sub-surface water bursting from its confines, the surface of earth would be quickly torn apart. The explosions from the fountains of the great deep would blow enormous rents in the continental plates, allowing magma from earth's core to erupt. Molten rock gushing into water would generate scalding steam that would add its own energy to the roiling mixture of water and debris.
As the waters of the sea surged to fill the emptying chasms of the fountains of the deep, tsunamis would be generated that would crash against the coastlines, further eroding and dragging continental surface material back into the oceans. Strong rip currents and undertows would rapidly develop, and along with the crashing tsunamis would quickly extinguish any coastal settlement or city within a few hours.
As the flood continued, the land surface was either being eroded away from the advancing and receding waters, or sucked down into the oceans or the gaping maws of the exploded fountains of the deep. There is nothing “tranquil” about this catastrophe.”
Both of these were the sources for the water that would cover mtns by 15 cubits. The study of plate tectonics could explain what happened during the initial bursting forth of the great deep. Scientists have espoused the theory of originally 1 land mass that has slowly separated into the 7 continents we see today—thru plate tectonics. That actually may have happened much more suddenly thru the 1 even of the flood as huge, unimaginable forces ripped the land masses apart. The topography of the earth’s crust which varies from 3-30 miles thick, would have been greatly affected by the deposits of sediment as the flood water receded, and the mtns we have today (Bitterroots, rocky Mtns, Alps, Mt Everest, etc) would have emerged while all these forces were at work to produce the flood, along with the weight of the water and as it receded into the oceans and in-land lakes that we see today—you have an reasonable explanation of how the waters cover the mtns (lower than today), and where all that water went.
6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
4. The Destruction of the Flood
4. The Destruction of the Flood
Secularists often denounce the teaching of the Bible regarding the flood, claiming it to be a myth. If they do concede that there was a flood they will adamantly stress that it was a local flood only. This has a great deal to do with what is offered by scientists as the evolutionary history of the earth. They believe that fossil layers shows a sequential appearance of life over millions of years. Unfortunately, this thinking has crept into the church and many Xns have subscribed to the idea that the flood in Noah’s day was a local flood not a global flood. This is fairly recent in terms of church history—where it used to be that believers took the account at face value—meaning they understood it to be universal/world-wide. There is a resource I use weekly in my studies (TSK—an extensive cross-reference tool that is extremely helpful). Sometimes this work promotes interpretations that I don’t agree with—and Gen 7 is one. In vs 19 the “all” is described as a figure of speech—Hyperbole/exaggeration: when more is said than is literally meant.
Take note of the frequency of this Heb term (kol) 8x in vv 19-23. all, every: vs 23 “only Noah.” God has revealed in a very clear way, the universality of the flood.
Jesus affirms this in His own teaching:
37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 “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, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Peter, also, understood this to be global: world…destroyed (2Pt 3:6);
20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
Of all the earth, only 8 survivors. This had to be global and not local. The language Moses uses can only describe a global flood. It is violent, churning, and powerful deluge. You see the terms “waters” “increased” “prevailed” “more and more” “higher”. This is not something that would describe a local flood (even those which are catastrophic in themselves).
If this were local:
Why did God instruct Noah to build the ark when he could have simply gone to the other side of the mtn.
Why did God send the animals to the ark so they would escape extinction? Other animals would have been left if local
The physical property of water rejects the local flood since it prevailed 15 cubits higher than the mtns—water seeks its own level.
Most catastrophic to the local theory is that God would have repeatedly broken His promise in Gen 9:11-16 not to destroy the earth as He had done (with water) if this was only local. There have been untold local floods (happens yearly—all over the world).
This was a universal flood which was truly cataclysmic—destruction thru unimaginable forces. All humanity perishes except for 8 people—thru whom God has preserved the pure seed of the human race, ultimately resulting in the coming of Messiah to redeem sinners.
And what we’ll see in the next chapter is God’s enduring faithfulness. This is expressed thruout the Bible:
2 For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”
90 Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Despite the terrible judgment that brought destruction upon most of humanity, God’s mercy and grace shines forth showing His love for His creation. Evil/wickedness grieves the Lord. That we should turn from it and be clothed with the righteousness that belongs to Christ is God’s purpose for preserving Noah and his family.
We thank God for revealing to us this precious truth. The authority, inspiration and inerrancy of God’s Word truly provides the firm foundation for faith and that we should live in a manner that pleases Him.