Genesis 7:7, commentary and pictures

Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives — eight persons in all — entered the ark because the waters of the flood were coming, in obedience to God's call to the righteous man who had done all He commanded, and God Himself then shut them in with His own hand. They went in a full seven days before any rain appeared and remained shut inside a week under a clear sky, a severe trial of their faith while the world outside triumphed and mocked those within. The flood that followed was God's judgment washing moral pollution from a corrupt and violent earth, yet in mercy He protected and preserved the obedient family through the deluge. As the flood came suddenly upon those who knew not until they were swept away, so shall the coming of the Son of man be, making Noah's generation and its increasing wickedness the pattern of the last days and its worldwide warning. The gracious invitation still calls all to enter the ark of safety now by conversion, obedience to all God's commandments and union with Christ before the door is closed and mercy ends.

Entering the Ark

Eight in all went into the ark because the waters of the flood were coming — Noah himself, with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. They went in direct obedience to God's call and invitation to come into the ark, given because Noah was righteous before Him in his generation, and Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. After they entered, God Himself shut them in and closed the door upon them by His own hand. That closing by an invisible hand sealed them inside the refuge He had provided.

The ark had been built on dry land as God's shelter and refuge from the coming flood, where the obedient could remain until His indignation was overpast, and Noah built it and entered it by faith. It was made a place of safety for all who would believe and enter. They entered a full seven days before any sign of the storm appeared and remained shut inside one whole week before it began to rain, with the sun rising and setting in a clear sky. That rainless week was a severe trial of the faith of those inside, with daily temptation to doubt stirred by the enemy. While they were tried within, the world outside had a time of triumph and mocked, jeered, derided, and reviled those shut in the ark, laughing at them for shutting themselves in, scoffing and defying God.

Noah's last effort of warning, entreaty, and appeal to believe and secure a refuge in the ark was given with tearful eye, trembling lip, and quivering voice, as the days before the flood stole silently on as a thief in the night. Then, in the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened. Rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. After the week ended rain began slowly and gently and then poured in torrents until it swept the world away, while the ark floated upon the troubled waters.

World That Refused

The verse stands against a background of universal debasement after Adam's transgression and the fall in Eden opened the floodgates of woe, when worshipers became like their idols, clothing them with human passions and sinking into sinful likeness until wickedness was great in the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually. The earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence, His law was transgressed and every conceivable sin followed, justice was trampled in the dust, and the cries of the oppressed reached unto heaven. Sin grew ever bolder in disobedience of God's law until He determined to give impenitent transgressors an exhibition of His power.

In mercy He gave that guilty race one hundred and twenty years of probation, causing Noah to know His purpose to destroy man from the earth by the waters of the flood because of continual transgression, and instructing him to warn the people while building the ark as shelter where the obedient could remain until His indignation was overpast. Noah believed the word of God and by faith and works faithfully preached, warned that sinful generation of the coming flood, made every effort to turn them from transgression to obedience, and instructed them in righteousness. Members of Methuselah's family and others received his instruction and with his helpers stayed constantly at work preparing the immense boat on dry land, preaching all the more earnestly in proportion to the ridicule and scorn heaped upon them. Many of the believing ones kept the faith and died triumphant before the flood came.

Out of the whole vast population of the earth only eight souls believed, appreciated the precious probationary time, and lived to enter, Noah and his family. Some believing carpenters and converts died before the flood and others backslid, so the righteous on earth were but few. Many who helped Noah build did not go in because they did not believe the startling message, did not cleanse themselves from all wrong principles, and did not overcome temptation to do and say things entirely contrary to the mind and will of God. Thus at the closing of probation the obedient were distinguished from the disobedient by the standard of God's law at a most critical time, Noah refusing with his helpers to be tempted by universal scorn against God's law and against themselves to have less reverence and love for the law.

The final warning signs of provisions taken in and of beasts coming by sevens and two by two from the forests and birds and fowls darkening the heavens as they quietly entered under God's invisible leadership were met with hardened indifference, the dumb animals obedient and finding refuge while disobedient, unbelieving man refused and made light of Noah and would not humble himself before God. Notwithstanding those solemn scenes the world continued unimpressed. Nearly all thought they were right and Noah was wrong, claiming to know more than that faithful servant of God, closing their ears to words of truth until darkness came upon them. They explained away truth by false science, trusted reason, science, philosophy, and the ease and unbelief of wise and honored men, reasoning that if great men had no fears there was no reason to be troubled. They branded him insane and a fanatic speaking in parables, had no patience with his warnings and his strange work of building an immense boat on dry ground, turned from his last entreaty with impatience and contempt at his claim that his family alone were right, and argued the foolishness of rain coming upon the earth when no signs of such had ever existed and they had never seen rain.

The apparent delay confirmed the wicked in the belief that the message was a delusion and would never come. They continued in sport and revelry, gathered in crowds about the ark, made a jest of these manifestations of God's power, laughed and mocked and scoffed and defied God, and derided its inmates with a daring violence never ventured before. Their unbelief and rejection did not prevent the flood or make the message of no effect. They finally drank the waters that covered the earth, perishing knowing not until the flood came and took them all away.

Judgment and Deliverance

The flood was God's judgment on human sin and iniquity, washing the earth of its moral pollution while He remembered mercy and did not let the righteous perish with the wicked. Its waters declared His verdict that the wicked were incurable and unwilling to submit to divine authority. After long forbearance He vindicated His authority and the honor of His law, for the wickedness of men had become so great that transgressors had to be punished.

When the measure of iniquity was full and the boundaries of mercy were passed, He interposed in wrath to blot out unrighteousness and vindicate the honor of His law. He swept from the earth the rebellious race that would not keep His commandments, because of continual transgression of His law. That destruction stands as sufficient warning to all who should afterward live that persistent wickedness brings certain punishment and that He will surely punish those who disregard His law.

Yet He appeared as protector of the righteous, sparing Noah and his family from perishing with the wicked and bringing them into the ark for shelter from the flood. He preserved Noah in the ark He had prepared for him through the great deluge. As Noah warned the old world and was kept safe while the waters drowned the mockers, so He delivers His faithful people from destruction.

Their rescue was connected with Noah's right-doing and with his keeping and teaching God's law, which was preserved through the flood in his family. Only eight righteous people lived to enter the ark, for some believing carpenters and converts died before the flood and others backslid. The rebellious race who would not keep the commandments of heaven were swept away and drank its waters, and death was their portion, fulfilling the prophetic warning and exemplifying the truth of God's word that judgment against disobedience is fulfilled.

Their entering condemned the world, because light was given that all might believe and be saved. The ark was the massive boat provided for all who would hear the warning, turn from unrighteousness, and enter, but out of the whole vast population only those eight accepted, fled for refuge, and were saved. Noah condemned the world by giving the light and warnings given him, and rejection of that testing truth proved the ruin and condemnation of those who rejected it. To some that message was a savor of life unto life and to others a savor of death unto death.

The flood answers the prayers, humiliation, and fasting of God's people, proving that though supplications may long seem unheard He hears in His own time and answers by terrible things in righteousness. In it He manifested Himself at once as avenger to the wicked and protector of the righteous. The verse shows that few are saved while the majority is lost, for the whole world perished and only Noah with his household entered to be saved. Humanity is left with the privilege of gaining back God-given manhood and womanhood until the image of God is restored.

Type of Last Days

The entering of Noah's family into the ark is factual, inspired history, and Christ treated it as literal. As the flood came suddenly upon people who ignored the warning and knew not until it swept them away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. The wicked inhabitants perished in that sudden destruction after rejected warning, a pattern that will be repeated at Christ's second coming and the final judgment when people are likewise unprepared.

Noah's generation prefigures those living before Christ's return. As it was then with increasing wickedness, so it is today, and this age repeats the wickedness of the world before the flood amid increasing calamities, earthquakes, floods, and disasters by land and by sea. Before Christ's second appearing it will be as it was then, when a pleasure-loving, money-making, dishonest world and a worldly church cry peace and safety and reject warning, and sudden destruction breaks unprepared upon them. Only a very short time remains to obtain a genuine experience that prepares families to enter the city of God.

Their entering is the pattern for the last message of mercy now to be given to the world and to regions beyond. That present worldwide message of warning must be given to all cities and nations as a witness that all may receive the truth or reject it to their condemnation. It is a truth requiring self-denial and lifting the cross and obedience to all God's commandments, which will be to some a savor of life unto life and to others a savor of death unto death. The same unbelief and moral darkness that prevailed before the flood will exist prior to the coming of Christ, yet this does not change the duty to lift up the voice in warning, and ministers must sow beside all waters without discouragement if results are not at once seen.

That last message gives hope to all the inhabitants of the world before the door is closed. It marks the last hour when the ark was closed and mercy ended for the old world, and so cases will soon be fixed for eternity. Increasing wickedness as in the days of Noah proves time is very short now, so all must wake up and get ready before it is everlastingly too late and every person is left holy still or filthy still. All are called to search their hearts and be converted for pardon of sins to be prepared for the closing scenes of this earth's history.

Just as Noah warned the old world and was kept safe, God will deliver those who warn the world of coming wrath, await Christ's return, and refuse to worship the beast or receive its mark. God shut Noah and his family in, and the ark preserved them as the waters drowned those who had mocked Noah's warning. As Noah was preserved in the ark that God had prepared for him through the great deluge, so God Himself will be the refuge of His believing ones when everything in nature is convulsed with fire, flood, earthquakes and destruction of life.

Call to Enter Now

The gracious invitation, Come, for all things are now ready, still calls every person to search the heart and be converted for the pardon of sins in preparation for the closing scenes of this earth's history. It is the last call of mercy before cases are fixed for eternity, urging all to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, to serve Him wholly, to wake up and get ready before it is everlastingly too late when each is left holy still or filthy still. Just now is the opportunity to humble the heart before the Lord, for increasing wickedness as in Noah's days proves the time is very short. To enter the ark of safety now is to take a decided position for known truth in order to truly glorify God.

That entering means taking position as a keeper of His commandments and letting the light shine forth, rather than merely knowing the theory of truth. It means responding to the overtures of mercy and being united with Christ, and lifting the cross in self-denial and obedience. Each person is responsible to God, and it makes a great difference whether one walks in condemnation contrary to His Word or stands on the side of the loyal and true when Christ comes. Even if the whole world opposes His law, none must walk contrary to it in rebellion that stirs up displeasure, as the flood generation did to its ruin.

Believers must not follow the majority to heaven, for following the majority keeps from heaven, and few are saved while the majority is lost. They must not be discouraged when only a few believe present truth and regard the commandments of God. Ministers must sow beside all waters without discouragement if results are not at once seen, giving the worldwide warning to all cities and nations as a witness, knowing the message is a savor of life to those who accept it and condemnation to death to those who reject it. Even quiet neglect is fighting against God.

Those who have knowledge of duty yet will not lift the cross will finally meet destruction as the rest of the world did in the flood. Only a very short time remains to obtain a genuine experience that prepares families to enter the city of God. Mothers are accountable for the souls of their children and must enter themselves, for if a mother remains outside she exerts an influence against Christ and cannot expect her children to enter. Gross darkness covering the earth and the people does not change the duty to lift up the voice in warning.