Connections Class 2014-2015
September 21
– In the Beginning
Lesson 05 – The
Flood
Genesis 7 and
8
Comments and Questions
Genesis chapters 7 and 8 tell us of the destruction of the
Earth by God, as well as the salvation of Noah’s family. It reveals to us the
righteous anger of God against sin. At the same time, we see His ‘particular’
mercy in the special protection of Noah, his family, and all of the animals on
board the Ark.
Flood stories are mentioned in several
different ancient religions which means that some sort of cataclysmic event
took place in the Middle East region. Geologists and scientists have discovered
signs of great flood and some have concluded that it may have occurred from a
gigantic overflow of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Whatever the cause, epic
stories of the Flood have been part of the ancient folklore and religious
traditions since the beginning of civilization.
Genesis 7 gives a description of who
and what entered the ark. Humankind was saved through the protection of Noah
and his family. The animal kingdom was preserved by the inclusion of many
different types of animals in the ark. The whole journey lasted several months.
This meant that a regular supply of food and water was necessary for both the
people and beasts.
Genesis 8 describes the end of the
journey and the restoration of life on the planet. God makes a promise never to
destroy the world again, or His creatures, even though people will keep on
sinning. God’s salvation for the world does not depend upon what mankind will
do. God will make and take the initiative to sanctify humanity through Jesus,
His Son.
Questions for discussion
Why did God save
Noah and his family?
Why did God save
the animal kingdom, too? Why did He save more ‘clean’ animals than the
‘unclean’ ones? What’s the difference anyway?
Why did God
personally shut in the occupants of the ark? If not, what would they have been
tempted to do?
Using your
imagination, how would you describe the conditions on the ark? How did Noah and
his family survive?
According to the
Bible, how did the flood occur? Why did everything outside of the ark perish?
How long did the
waters flood the Earth? What caused it to stop?
What did Noah
do to find out if the waters had receded? What was his initial response?
How does the
dove indicate to Noah that the waters have receded? What does this symbolize to
us today?
When does
Noah and his family leave the ark? Where is Mount Ararat?
What does
Noah do when he and his family walk on the dry land? Why?
How does God
respond? Why?
Unison Prayer
O Lord of all life.
We thank You for making all creatures great and small. Our world is blessed by
the many varieties of life forms that it contains. Thank You for sustaining our
planet; thank You for the great gift of life.
Heavenly Father,
we praise You for keeping Your promises and holding on to Your word. We know
that our sinful and wicked ways disappoint and anger You. We are sorry that we
keep on sinning; we regret that we don’t appear to learn from both our history
and mistakes.
Teach us the
lessons of grace that we find in these scriptures. Help us to share Your
goodness with others and enable us to remain committed to You and Your Son,
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. Amen.
Further Notes
NEXT WEEK:
GENESIS 9 - A New Covenant
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