The Story of the Bible 7
Noah and the Flood—and the Continuation of the Promise (Genesis 6-9)
Most of us think our world is in pretty bad shape right now—full of vileness and wickedness. But there was actually a time when it was worse. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It was so bad that God was even sorry that He had even made the world, and especially man. So, God wiped this universal evil off the face of the earth. If you spit in God’s face, you ultimately suffer the consequences. And it’s tough if you don’t like it. You’re not God. Don’t mess with Him.
Well, almost everybody was wiped out. There were eight people worth saving: “Noah [and his family] found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” (Genesis 6:8).
We are all familiar with the story of the great flood. It happened. The collective memory of mankind—the history, legends, and stories that are passed down through countless generations of humans—tell us that something did indeed occur. Over 200 such “flood” stories are in the traditions and historical remembrances of various peoples around the globe. 200+ cultures don’t just happen to make up the same legend. There was a flood, and the Biblical story of it is the true one.
And because of Noah and his family God could fulfill His promise of salvation to you and me—that promise first recorded in Genesis 3:15. The Messiah would indeed come, and He would come through Noah—remember that Noah was in the genealogical line of Seth (Genesis 5). And it was only his family who survived the deluge.
But Noah had three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. From which of them would the promised Redeemer come? “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem” (Genesis 9:26). As we shall see, it was from Shem’s descendants (the Semites) that Abraham descended. And Abraham is obviously extremely important.