Verse 1

And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Contents

This is a very interesting Chapter, in that it enables us to look back and read the destruction of the old world, by water; as the scriptures teach us to look forward to the sure destruction of the world that now is, by fire, in the great day of the Lord Jesus. We here behold Noah and his household entering into the ark, on the seventeenth day of the second month, in the year of the world, 1656, before Christ's manifestation in the flesh, 2348 years, and in the six hundredth year of Noah's life. The fountains of the great deep are broken up from beneath; the rains descend from above; and forty days without intermission, the deluge continues to increase, until the highest mountains are covered, and the waters prevail, to the depth of nine yards, above the surface of the earth. All flesh is destroyed excepting Noah, and those who are with him in the ark; and the flood continues upon the earth for the space of one hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

This invitation to Noah, if we consider the ark (as scripture authorizes us to do, See 1 Peter 3:20-21) as a type of Jesus, will be best explained by those parallel passages, Isaiah 26:20; then Matthew 11:28 and then Revelation 22:17. The first of them, is the call of God the Father: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, etc. And what are those chambers, but the covenant of redemption, in Christ Jesus? The second is the invitation of Christ himself; Come unto me, and I will give you rest, etc. see also Isaiah 28:12; Jeremiah 6:16. And the third is the call of God the Holy Ghost; And the Spirit and the Bride say come, etc. proving the gracious part which that Eternal Spirit bears, in the work of redemption. Reader! is it not refreshing to the soul, to discover testimonies in every part of scripture, carrying with them such decided evidences to the truth as it is in Jesus? In this verse, also, God saith to Noah, Thee have I found righteous, etc. For the clear apprehension of this, consult Romans 4:3, and then compare it with Hebrews 11:7. No doubt but that the righteousness of Abraham and Noah was the same; believing in God, which was counted for righteousness.

Verse 5

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Sweet view, this, of Noah's obedience. In this act let it be observed, that the patriarch quitted house and land, and all that he had, to rely upon the Divine assurance alone, in the security of the ark. Is not this similar to the faith of the believer in the present hour, in renouncing all self-confidences and self-attainments, to rest for salvation alone on the righteousness of the Lord Jesus? And what greater authority than the command of Jehovah? Is not this the warrant?

Verse 16

And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

Observe the expression, Shut him in; then turn to 1 Peter 1:5

Verse 18

And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

Doth not this verse suggest, that as the ark arose higher and higher, in proportion as the waters prevailed; so, when the waters of tribulation abound, consolation also, by Christ, aboundeth? 2 Corinthians 1:5

Verse 24

REFLECTIONS.

WHAT a precious consideration is it to the faithful, that amidst all the judgments of God, upon the wicked, the Lord is never inattentive to the interests and safety of his people. Before the flood sweeps away the sinner, an ark sha11 be provided for the saint. Before that the wicked shall be driven, with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, Jesus will make up his jewels, and be glorified in them that believe. In that decisive hour, Lord, may it be my portion to be found in Thee. Reader! pause over this wonderful deliverance, in the instance of Noah and his family, and consider, whether in the ark, you do not behold a type of the Lord Jesus, preserving his church and people.

Doth not his Godhead appear in the fulness and all-sufficiency of his salvation? Is not the almightiness of his merits and death demonstrated, in bearing up the whole weight of redemption, when the wrath of God, like the torrents and tempests descending upon the ark, destroyed everything but this place of safety? And who doth not see, that in the blood and righteousness, the doing and suffering, of Christ Jesus, the eternal safety of the believer alone is found, O! for an ardent faith, to believe the record which God hath given of His Son.

Let us not dismiss the contemplation of this interesting subject, until that we have taken another and another view of the ark of safety. While God, as a kind Father, foreseeing the storm approaching, doth not think it enough to call his children from the field, but takes them by the hand, to bring them home into the house; so, the same mercy, which provides the shelter of the Saviour, provides help to the sinner, to embrace it. The call of grace, is not, to Noah, Go thou into the ark, but come; evidently teaching, that while God the Father hath so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son, for salvation, he gives also his Holy Spirit, to render that salvation effectual. Holy and Eternal Spirit! while thou kindly enablest me to hear the voice of entreaty, calling me to enter into the ark Christ Jesus; and while thou, as graciously, art pointing to Him, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Oh! add another blessing to the undeserved favour, and make me willing, in the day of thy power; work in me, both to will and to do, of thy good pleasure.

One word more, before we close the Chapter. As all are not Israel, which are of Israel; so, let it be remembered, that all who went into the ark, were not like faithful Noah. Men, by virtue of the profession of religion, may mingle with the people of God, may be found at ordinances, and, from their connection with them, may receive many temporal deliverances. Hence, we find Ham, among the household of Noah, in the ark; and Judas among the disciples of Christ. But all this is widely distinguished from the possession of the divine life. Tares may, and will spring up with the good seed. And we know who it is that hath said, Let both grow together until the harvest. But the hour is hastening, when a perfect discrimination shall take place, and then an everlasting separation will follow, between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not. My soul! be it thy earnest prayer to God, never to rest in a name to live, while virtually dead before him. Grant, dearest Lord! that, while fleeing to the Lord Jesus, as the Ark, for refuge, Christ may be formed in my heart, the hope of glory.