1. The Wickedness of Man Before the Flood
When men began to multiply on the face of the earth, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. This was not merely occasional sin but universal, continual, and violent wickedness. The sons of God took wives from the daughters of men, and the Nephilim appeared, mighty men of old. The heart of man was set on evil without ceasing, leaving no room for repentance.
2. Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord
Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. In the midst of universal corruption, one man was found righteous. He was not sinless perfection but a man of faith who walked in obedience to God. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This grace was not earned; it was sovereignly given. Because of grace, Noah was spared from the coming judgment. He became a preacher of righteousness, warning his generation for 120 years while the ark was being built.
3. The Command to Build the Ark
God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch." God gave precise dimensions: three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The ark was to have three decks, a window, and a door. The pitch (bitumen) made it watertight. The ark was a massive vessel, not a small boat, capable of holding two of every kind of unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.
4. The Entrance into the Ark
The Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation." Noah took his wife, his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their three wives. Of clean animals, he took seven pairs; of unclean animals, one pair; and of birds, seven pairs. They went in, and the Lord shut him in. God Himself closed the door of the ark. No one else could enter. The door remained open for 120 years, but only eight souls entered. After the door was shut, no more could be saved.
5. The Floodwaters Came
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all 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. The floodwaters came from above and from below. The fountains of the deep erupted with subterranean waters, and the heavens poured out rain. Water prevailed on the earth fifteen cubits upward, covering all the high hills under the whole heaven. Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—man, cattle, creeping thing, and bird of the air. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained alive.
6. The Duration of the Flood
The rain fell for forty days and forty nights. The waters prevailed on the earth for one hundred fifty days. God remembered Noah, and He made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped. The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month. The waters decreased continually until the tenth month, when the tops of the mountains were seen. Noah sent out a raven, then a dove. The dove returned with an olive leaf. When Noah removed the covering of the ark, the ground was dry. In the six hundred and first year, the first month, the first day, the waters were dried up. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry. Noah had been in the ark for just over one year.
7. The Covenant of the Rainbow
Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled a soothing aroma and said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done." God made a covenant with Noah and every living creature: "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." The rainbow is the sign that God will never again destroy all flesh with the waters of a flood. This covenant is everlasting, extending to every living creature.
8. The Flood as a Type of Baptism
Peter declares that the flood is a type of baptism. In the days of Noah, eight souls were saved through water. The water that destroyed the wicked carried the ark to safety. Baptism now saves believers—not the removal of dirt from the flesh but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Noah and his family passed through the judgment waters in the ark (a type of Christ), so believers pass through the waters of judgment in Christ, who took the full force of God's wrath upon Himself.
9. The Flood as a Warning of Final Judgment
Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." The flood is a historical event that serves as a warning of the coming judgment by fire. The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. As God judged the world once with water, He will judge the world again with fire. The ark is the only refuge; Christ is the only ark of safety.
10. The Promise of No Future Flood Covenant
God said to Noah, "I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." The rainbow is the sign of this everlasting covenant. This promise does not contradict the final judgment by fire. God keeps His promises. The flood was a global judgment; the rainbow is a global promise. Every time believers see the rainbow, they are reminded of God's mercy and His faithfulness to His covenant.
Conclusion
The flood of Noah is a historical event of global judgment and salvation. God destroyed the wicked because every intent of their hearts was only evil continually. But He saved righteous Noah and his household through the ark. The flood demonstrates God's hatred of sin, His justice in judgment, and His mercy in providing a way of escape. It serves as a type of baptism and a warning of the final judgment to come. The ark is Christ; the door is open. Enter before the door is shut forever.