Session 4: Noah & the Flood
- Teresa
- Aug 18, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 14, 2020
Genesis 6-10
Many generations have passed since the time of Adam and Eve, and humans have multiplied and increased in number. Unfortunately, many of them behaved wickedly and were violent. This grieved God and made him want to remove all the men and creatures on earth.
There was however one good man who loved God dearly. His name is Noah, who was a descendant of Seth and Adam. God asked him to build an Ark and take a pair of each type of creature with him. Read or watch the story of Noah.
Video by Crossroad Kids on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yzN0fUxjkQ )
Discussion
What does God ask Noah to do? How does Noah respond?
He asks Noah to build an ark. (Check out Genesis 6:11-17. God is really specific on how the ark should be built!). Later he asks Noah to take seven pairs of all clean animals, male and female, as well as every sort of food that is eaten, and bring them onto the ark.
Noah is obedient and does exactly as God says, even though others must have laughed at him for building an ark in the middle of dry land. He trusts God completely.
Reflect: Were there times when you found it difficult to do what is right, because you were afraid of being laughed at?
Do you remember how long it rained for, and how long they had to live on the Ark?
It rained for 40 days and nights. You'll see that 40 is a number we will come across often. Do you remember where else you've seen the number 40 in the bible? It usually refers to a period of trial and testing.
And even though it stopped raining, the flood lasted for more than a year. Can you imagine what it would be like to live on a boat for more than a year?
What was the first thing Noah did when he disembarked from the ark?
He built an altar to worship God and thank him.
Reflect: Do we remember to always thank God first for everything?
God made a covenant with Noah after the flood. What did He promise Noah?
God promised that he would never again destroy all life on earth again as he did with the Flood.
The covenant is usually a 2-way promise/agreement. While God promises Noah that He would never again destroy all life, He also commands Noah and his sons in Genesis 9 to:
be fruitful, multiply and rule over creation (same things as what he asked Adam and Eve to do when they left the Garden; and
Do not eat meat that still has blood in it (new rule)
Do not kill. Anyone who kills a person will be killed himself (new rule)
The rainbow is a sign of their covenant.
Fun fact: Did you know that Noah lived until 953 years old? He was already 500 when he had his sons, and the flood started when he was 600 years old!
The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Ja'pheth. Genesis 9:19 says that "from these [sons] the whole earth was peopled". Genesis 10 goes on to talk about the nations descended from Noah. We will continue to follow the story through the family line of Shem:
Shem -- Arphach'shad -- Shelah -- E'ber -- Pe'leg -- Re'u -- Se'rug -- Na'hor -- Te'rah -- Abram (who later becomes Abraham).
In the next session, we will meet Abram, who is the great(X8) grandson of Noah.
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