Shut In, or Shut Out

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon

Genesis 7:16

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

I. SHUT IN.

1. Separated from the world. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; but to Noah the dance and the viol, the feast and the revel, called in vain. He could not now hoard up wealth, nor seek for fame among the sons of men. He was shut out, too, from all their possessions; even from his own farm he was now expatriated. Blessed is that man who, whatsoever he hath, hath it as though he had it not; he sets no store by earthly things, and does not lock up his soul in his iron safe. He is shut out from the things which rust and corrupt, so that they are not his god nor his treasure.

2. Shut in by God.

(1) Very close shutting, so as to keep out the water.

(2) The door was shut very fast, to prevent the entrance of enemies from outside.

(3) This divine shutting in of Noah was very necessary; for I suppose that no one else could have moved the gigantic door upon its enormous hinges. It was probably too massive to have been stirred by Noah or his united family.

(4) And the Lord did this not only necessarily, but graciously. I call your attention to the change of the names in the text — a very significant change indeed: "They that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him; and the Lord" — that is Jehovah — "shut him in." Elohim, as the Creator and Preserver, takes care of living things to preserve them; but the Lord, even Jehovah, the covenanting God, interposes in great mercy to protect His chosen servant. It was Jehovah who entered into solemn league and covenant with His servant Noah that He would preserve him in the ark, and float him into the new world in it; and as Jehovah, the Covenanting One, He shut him in. There is no security like that which is given us by the covenant of grace.

3. Shut in with God. In verse 1 we read, "The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark"; and this clearly shows that the Lord was in the ark already. Oh what a joy it is to know that when a soul is buried to the world it lives with Christ. God is in Christ Jesus, and we are in Christ Jesus, and thus we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus.

4. Next, notice that Noah's happiness was all the greater because he was shut in the ark with all his family. This is a great joy, to have all your household brought unto the faith of Christ.

5. Noah and his household were shut in, to be perfectly preserved, and then to come forth into a new world.

II. SHUT OUT.

1. Who they were.

(1)  A people that had been preached to.

(2)  A people who had been prayed for.

(3)  A people who had, many of them, been associated with Noah in his work.

2. What they did.

(1)  Took delight in earthly things.

(2)  Did not believe.

3. What came of it. Door shut. No hope.

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