Genesis 6:16, commentary and pictures

God Himself gave exact directions for every detail of the ark, which Noah as master-builder was to follow without substituting human wisdom or skill. It was to have a single window finished a cubit above and set at the top so light came from above into all its separate rooms, a single door set in its side, and lower, second, and third stories standing three stories high. It was an immense wooden vessel built to float and ride the waters, more like a house than an ordinary ship, with tall curved sides, ribs, beams and scaffolding towering above the men who built it on open ground. All human labor was done to make the work perfect, yet only God's miraculous power could preserve the ark and its occupants through the storm. In pity and long forbearance God provided it as a refuge open to all who would believe, repent and enter, but only eight persons heeded and were saved while the disobedient multitude who refused were swept away, and Noah's obedient preparation by faith on dry land is the pattern for readiness for the coming of Christ.

Ark's Design and Construction

God Himself designed the ark and gave exact, explicit directions for every particular of its construction, a structure of strength and durability beyond human wisdom to devise, with Noah serving as master-builder under Him. Human plans and skill could not replace those divine directions, and those who built were given wisdom to do His will. The vessel was immense and enormous, made of wood and constructed like the hull of a ship so that it could float upon the water and ride the waters. Yet in some respects it more nearly resembled a house than an ordinary vessel.

It was to have a single window finished a cubit above, placed in the top rather than in the sides, with no windows along the sides. Light was thus admitted from above, entering through the window above and reaching down into the separate apartments and compartments for animals so that the different rooms were all arranged to be lighted. Its door was to be set in its side, with only one door. It was to be made with lower, second, and third stories, standing three stories high.

Its side was tall and curved, framed with closely spaced ribs and long bands. Building it was great labor, requiring upright supports and scaffolding, long logs and beams, and many workers laboring on open ground, with the hull towering far above the men working at its base. All that human labor could do was done to make the work perfect. Yet construction alone could not protect the vessel through the coming storm, and only God's miraculous power could preserve it and His servants upon the waters.

Building Work and Witness

The directions for the window, the side door, and the three stories belonged to the time before the Flood, when human life was long and human gifts, inventions, and skills were great but perverted, and when violence filled the earth because a gifted people had forgotten God. Wickedness had grown to fearful proportions, talented men of skill and knowledge left God out of their plans and councils, became corrupt in imagination and wise to do evil after Adam's transgression brought disobedience to law, and God was about to speak in determined language, clothe Himself with vengeance, and arise to punish bold transgression. That corruption was harmful as an example to those born afterward, and for one hundred and twenty years warnings were sent through Noah that judgment would surely be fulfilled, while the people used the probation to ridicule, caricature, criticize, laugh, talk of science and laws of nature, and call his earnestness fanaticism until patience was exhausted and the end of all flesh was declared.

Noah carried out the directions with the help of his own family and of others instructed by him. Methuselah with his sons and grandsons received instruction from Noah and helped build, and besides them many others lent help, with skillful men at hand to accomplish the immense work and with carpenters employed during the building. The building was done after Noah had warned them that a flood was coming, as God's message and instruction in view of the wickedness of the world.

Many who helped build did not believe the startling warning, did not cleanse themselves from wrong principles, did not turn from wrongdoing, and did not overcome temptation to do and say things contrary to the mind and will of God. Working on the vessel alone did not make them righteous, for faith would have been shown by accepting the message and living in reverence and love for God, and their incomplete reform ended in apostasy. Some carpenters employed by Noah believed the message but died before the Flood, others of his converts backslid, some chose corrupt company and perished in the waters, so that the righteous were few and only eight lived to enter.

Noah and his helpers were constantly at work preparing the immense boat on dry land through a probation of one hundred and twenty years given in mercy and love, warning and entreating while declaring coming judgment and urging repentance, belief, and refuge in the ark. The message was reality to him, power attended his words as the voice of God through His servant, connection with God made him strong amid popular contempt, universal wickedness and disobedience, and extraordinary pride and unrighteousness, and he would not be tempted by universal scorn heaped on God's law and on the builders to have less reverence and love for that law. He and those who died in the faith preached all the more earnestly in proportion to the ridicule and scorn, while solemn warning fell for one hundred and twenty years on ears that judged the Flood impossible by human wisdom, until men who had once been convicted drew away in rebellion, resisted mercy and the convicting Spirit, and became the boldest scoffers.

The work of building was itself a public example that Noah believed what he preached, so that faithful building work preached sermons and, like his preaching, warned the people. Every blow struck on the ark was a warning message, a call to repentance and a note of warning to the world. In the same way faithful work done in the spirit and love of God convicts and converts hearts, and is watched and directed by God through word, Spirit, and providence.

When the ark was finished it was stored with goods, and cattle with all other living creatures, obedient beasts and fowls, came two by two and were housed inside. At God's bidding Noah and his family went in through the door set in the side and God Himself shut them in with an invisible hand. They were kept enclosed for one week with no rain as a trial of faith, while wicked men mocked and their unbelief was fully revealed. Then rain fell slowly and afterward in torrents until the waters reached the tops of the highest trees, swept the old world into the deep, and left not a living being or dumb animal outside alive, while the ark floated safely on the troubled waters.

Refuge and Judgment

The window, the side door, and the three stories were commanded in pity, love, mercy and long forbearance as a refuge and shelter where the obedient could find refuge until the indignation was overpast. It was built in obedience to warning and was open to all who would accept it, believe the message, repent and reform, desire to be saved, and enter to find pardon and salvation. All were urged to find refuge in the immense boat standing on dry ground, so that those who perished had opportunity to escape.

Only eight persons, Noah and his family, heeded, believed, accepted the warning, entered and were saved, while the rebellious disobedient multitude refused to repent, rejected the warning with ridicule and scoffing, would not enter for salvation, were swept away and death was their portion. Noah believed, warned the people and sought to turn them from continual transgression, told the world they must find safety in the ark, and was faithful in his trust, but few heeded and only his family received it. Their unbelief did not prevent the flood.

God bore long with a world that refused to obey, giving in mercy a probation of one hundred and twenty years with entreaties, pleadings and warnings through His servant, warning that if evildoers repented not they would be swept from the face of the earth by a flood of waters to destroy the wicked. The solemn warning fell on ears that judged the flood impossible by human wisdom, and while God worked through Noah to draw men to Himself, men drew away in rebellion, resisting mercy and the convicting Spirit until many once convicted became the boldest and most defiant scoffers. After continual resistance and contempt Noah and his family entered and God's own hand closed the door, when mercy ceased its pleadings and no longer interceded for man.

The Flood fulfilled the prophetic warning that all who would not keep the commandments of heaven should drink the waters, exemplifying the truth of God's word in the reward of obedience and the penalty of disobedience. It declares God's verdict on those who reject His mercy and remain in rebellion, and shows that when transgression exceeds the bounds of long-suffering and the limits of grace God interferes in wrath to vindicate the honor of His law and repress unrighteousness. The unbelief, mockery and rejection of the message did not make it ineffective and did not prevent fulfillment, for though nearly all claimed to know more, closed ears to truth, explained it away by false science, branded the preacher a fanatic and laughed at his words as parables, the rain came, the wicked drank the waters that covered the earth and perished, and the ark floated safely on the troubled waters.

Faith and Obedient Preparation

Noah obeyed implicitly and did according to all that the Lord commanded in building the ark on dry land, preparing by faith a refuge from the terrible storm God told him would come upon the wicked inhabitants of the old world though destruction of the earth seemed unbelievable. The ark with its window, side door, and lower, second, and third stories was made exactly to God's directions as an act of faith while warning of the coming flood, and it became the place of refuge where Noah and his family were saved while those who rejected the warning were swept away. Building on dry land when no signs of such a flood had ever existed was a heavy cross requiring self-denial.

His obedience meant refusing to reason out a course that would save loss or inconvenience or avoid ridicule. He did not pick and choose among God's precepts and commandments what was agreeable and for present comfort and convenience while rejecting what required self-denial and would make him the subject of sport and derision of the godless. Genuine faith does God's will without consulting its own will and choice, and even at sacrifice and loss of friends, property, name, and life itself carefully and conscientiously walks in the path God has indicated as soon as His will is known.

His building illustrates that whoever enters the strait gate and travels the narrow path cast up for the ransomed will find obstacles. The world rubs hard against him, with opposition from Satan and his angels and from transgressors of God's law, earthly authorities interposing, tribulations, bruising of spirit, hard speeches, ridicule, and persecutions. Demands come to conform to laws and customs that would make him disloyal to God, and there God's people find the cross lying in the way to life.

Noah prepared the ark to be ready beforehand for what God had warned was coming. His work was preparation in response to knowledge of the approach of that event, and it gives the pattern for preparing for the coming of Christ when the signs of the times make known its approach, even though the exact day and hour are not known.

Faithfulness requires standing loyal and true even if the whole world opposes God's law. Nearly all thought they were right and Noah was wrong, claimed to know more than that faithful servant, closed ears to truth, explained it away by false science, branded him a fanatic, and laughed and mocked his words as parables, yet their unbelief did not prevent the flood and they drank the waters that covered the earth. Walking contrary to God's word stirs up rebellion and brings God's displeasure, while the flood in which the whole world perished and only a few were saved shows that the majority may reject a warning and that following the majority does not lead to safety.

Noah and his household trusted God's word while standing against a corrupt generation. Continual transgression of God's law brought the flood, while Noah and his family were saved in the ark by God's miracle because of their right-doing.

End-Time Parallels and Applications

The account is real history, with Noah as a literal person and the Flood as a historical event. The generation of his day lived without the influence of God's Spirit and prefigures the present age, whose human nature is the same. The wickedness of the world before the Flood is being repeated in this age, while calamities, earthquakes, floods, and disasters by land and by sea increase. Similar sins are increasing near the end, and God's judgment is certain.

As God gave Noah a decided message of warning for the antediluvians, He has given a like decided message of warning for the present world. That message requires loyalty to God's commands, with danger in being led unguardedly away from them. It calls for not belittling the importance of the Sabbath in order to link up with unbelievers, not departing from the principles of faith so as to make conformity to the world appear right, and not heeding the counsel of any man whatever his position when he works counter to what God has wrought to keep His people separate from the world.

The old world lost God's favor by disobeying His law and its wickedness became unbearable to Him, so that He determined to purify the world by a flood, yet gave in mercy and love a probation of 120 years while the ark was building. During that time Noah, Methuselah, and many others warned and entreated, and every blow struck on the ark was a warning message. The same pattern is repeating today, with God sending plain warnings and judgments already falling in flood and flame and earthquake, and all who refuse to repent will perish. Prior to Christ's second appearing, people absorbed in pleasure, amusements, gain, traffic, moneymaking, dishonest practices, luxury and reveling, and churches lulled in security crying peace and safety, will be found unprepared and overtaken by sudden destruction while eating and drinking, planting and building.

The ark under construction was the setting for Noah's warning before the Flood. The people's salvation depended on how they responded to that warning: they rejected it, God withdrew His Spirit, and they perished in the flood. All were tested by the truth Noah preached; those who believed were saved, and God used the ark to save those who heeded the warning and turned from unrighteousness, so that eight people were saved.

Noah foretold destruction when no signs of rain and flood had ever existed, and would have been called a crazed alarmist. Nearly all the inhabitants thought they were right and Noah was wrong, claimed to know more than that faithful servant of God, closed their ears to words of truth, explained away the truth by false science, branded him as a fanatic, and laughed and mocked his words as parables, and darkness came upon them. For 120 years warnings were sent about judgments surely to be fulfilled, and the people used that probation to ridicule, caricature, criticize and laugh at his peculiar earnestness and intense feeling, talking of science and laws controlling nature and calling him a crazy fanatic, until God's patience was exhausted. Their unbelief did not prevent fulfillment, for the rain came and the wicked perished and drank the waters that covered the earth, showing that walking contrary to God's Word stirs up rebellion and brings God's displeasure, while faithfulness requires standing loyal and true even if the whole world opposes God's law.

God Himself arranged every detail of the ark, communicating with Noah and giving him wisdom to do His will in building it. The building of the ark warned the world in Noah's day, so that faithful building work preached sermons and convicted and converted hearts. The same is true in erecting the Lord's institutions today: faithful work done in the spirit and love of God preaches sermons, God watches the work done, and by His word, by His Spirit, and by His providence He designs to direct it. Builders are therefore to take time to ask counsel of Him, realize entire dependence upon Him, send up prayer and holy song, look unto Jesus, and labor together with God in a work of eternal consequence, with faithfulness, stability, and fitness seen in every part. The same One who gave skill and understanding in the building of the ark still directs builders who seek wisdom from God at every step, applied to erecting a plain yet substantial, convenient, attractive, clean and orderly sanitarium building that rightly represents present truth and advances ministry to the sick and suffering poor as well as the higher classes, not a grand expensive building for tourists or for astonishment and admiration except for its consistency with truth.

The ark rode upon the billowy deep and outrode the storms that threatened it with destruction. Its survival shows that what God ordains is preserved uncorrupted despite efforts to destroy it. Just so the word of God is preserved uncorrupted through ages of darkness despite efforts to bury it beneath error, heresy, and superstition and to obscure its plain, simple meaning.