ADULT SEARCH THE SCRIPTURE LESSON 3

THE FLOOD AND IT’S AFTERMATH

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD said, I Will destroy man whom I have created from the face Of the
earth; both man, and boast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I
have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:7,8)
TEXT: Genesis chapters 6 to 11
The fall Of man in Eden through disobedience resulted in total depravity and corruption which made
entire human race liable to God s wrath and judgment. Despite the punishment He brought upon
individuals for their wrongdoing, man continued his descent wickedness and corruption. The universal
Wickedness Of man came to a point where God decided to destroy the earth because He saw that the
Wickedness Of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts Of his heart was
only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). However, He found Noah, the only righteous person in his generation,
with whom he entered into a covenant. And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into
the ark; for thee have I Seen righteous before me in this generation" (Genesis 7: 1). Eventually, flood
destroyed everything on earth, including all humans who did not respond to Noah’s invitation into the
ark Of salvation and deliverance. After the flood, man had the opportunity for a new beginning as the
family of Noah began to repopulate the earth. But sadly, man's sinful nature resurfaced and humanity
failed God again. This time, rather than destroy man, the Lord divided and dispersed them upon the face
of the earth. That was the beginning of nations and different languages in the human race.
DECADENCE AND JUDGMENT OF THE UNGODLY (Genesis 6:1-22; 7;1-24; 18:20,21; 19:13,28,29;
Numbers 16:1-5; 25-35; Job 11:20; 21:30; Psalm 9:17)
As humans began to reproduce and increase in the earth, the sin nature which Adam transmitted to all
his descendants began to manifest through various degrees of wickedness till the Lord looked down and
saw nothing but sheer corruption (Genesis 6:5). He was disappointed and He decided to destroy all the
wicked from the earth. A particular aspect of man's depravity that grieved God was his perversion of the
marriage institution. Within a short time, there was population explosion with man crossing the divinely
set boundaries in marriage. "...The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they
took them wives of all which they chose" (Genesis 6:2). The sons of God mentioned in the passage
referred to the godly line of Seth, while the daughters of men were the ungodly line of Cain. Their
Intermarriage violated the principle Of separation between the carnal and the spiritual; between the
godly and the ungodly; and between light and darkness. The term -sons or God' is used for godly men
and angels in Scripture (Job 1:6 2:1; 38:7; Hosea 1:10; John 1:12; Romans 8:19; Philippians 2:15; 1 John
3:1,2). But in this context it describes men, not angels, because there is no gender difference mentioned
of angels in the Scripture, and Jesus indicated that angels do not marry. He answered the Pharisees, "Ye
do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor
are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:29.30). The Lord said His Spirit
would not continue to strive with men. That means the wickedness of men had reached a point where
the Holy Spirit was so grieved that He had to stop convicting the people, and judgment had become
inevitable. Sinners and backsliders not take the forbearance of God for granted. There is a point where a
person crosses God's redline and mercy gives way to judgement. “And God said unto Noah, the end of
all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold I will destroy
them with the earth" (Genesis 6:13). But in the midst of this perversion, Noah found grace in the eyes of
the Lord Like Enoch, Noah was a righteous man who "walked with God" before the flood (Genesis 5:24;
6:9). The lifes of these two men prove that the wave of corruption blowing in these last days is not an
excuse for ungodliness or backsliding. No matter the prevalence of corruption in the society, the
believer can still be preserved and kept pure. Noah heard from God and received instructions from Him,
despite the noise and din of evil around him. Contemporary believers can enjoy such close communion
with God if only they separate from the world and devote their lives to Him. As the wickedness of man
increased on earth, God’s judgment became imminent. Before the destruction, Noah was instructed to
make an ark for the salvation of his house and other animals. He moved with godly fear and obeyed by
faith (Hebrews 11:7). Meanwhile he preached and called the people to righteousness, but they spurned
the warning and refused to take heed (2 Peter 2:5). In due course, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's
life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the
great deep broken up, and the Windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty
days and forty nights" (Genesis 7: 1 1 , 12). The flood came and the wicked were swept in its tidal waves
to death. It is very dangerous to Ignore the warnings Of preachers sent by God. Without further delay,
sinners should come to Christ for salvation. In the present dispensation, the ark signifies our Lord Jesus
Christ. Like Noah, believers must preach the gospel to every creature with zeal and earnestness. "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16: 16).
It is worthy of note that Noah entered the ark with his wife, his sons and his sons' wives. God's promise
of salvation is for us and our household (Acts 16:31). Believers should emulate the examples of
Abraham, Joshua, Rahab. Cornelius, Lydia, Philip the evangelist and Crispus. who ensured their
household came to know the Lord (Genesis 18:19; Joshua 2:12, 13; Acts 10:24; 16: 15; 18:8; 21:9).
Joshua said "...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).
DELIVERANCE AND BLESSING OF THE GODLY [Genesis 8:1-22; 9:1-29; Proverbs 10:2; Isaiah 26:20; 2
Peter 2:7)
"And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and
God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged" (Genesis 8:1). God delivered Noah
from perishing with the wicked. He knows how to deliver the righteous while the wicked are judged for
their sins. Believers will not partake in the coming judgment upon the world of sinners. They will be
taken away in the rapture before the wrath of God is poured on the earth. Noah and his family were
preserved, so long as they remained in the ark. Our continued security as Christians is for as long as we
abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. When the water assuaged, Noah checked up to know if it was safe to
come out, but he waited until the Lord told him to "Go forth of the ark" (Genesis 8:16). In all situations,
a believer must wait on God for guidance (Proverbs 3:6). After the deliverance from the flood, Noah
built an altar and sacrificed unto the Lord out of the clean beasts (Genesis 8:20). Furthermore, God
made a fresh covenant with Noah and repeated the blessing which was pronounced upon Adam at the
beginning. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and
replenish in the earth (Genesis 9:1). He promise never to destroy the earth again with a universal flood
and that the regular seasons of life would never fail. The rainbow Was set as a sign of the Noahaic
covenant and obedience to God remained the condition to enjoying these benefits. As God has
pronounce fruitfulness, abundance and multiplication physically, so He expects every believer to be
fruitful spiritually, Fruitlessness and stagnation are never His will. We are to multiply disciples and
churches as we spread light of the gospel. The statement, "These are the three sons of Noah and of
them was the whole earth overspread" (Genesis 9: 19) is very instructive. The survivors of the flood
were only eight and they repopulated the earth because of them continued to reproduce. This is an
indication that the law of multiplication does not require large numbers. If believers adopt this model of
reproducing themselves, as a strategy for evangelism and church planting, there would be
unprecedented growth in our churches. Invariably, it is not the small number of workers or members in
our churches that keep us from growing, it is the failure of each member to reproduce. After the flood,
Noah engaged in profitable labour as a farmer. Though he enjoyed God's favour, he needed to work.
"And Noah to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard (Genesis 9:20). Everyone should learn to
work instead of depending on charity from the church or other believers (2 Thessalonians 3: I O). There
are people who have great physical challenges and Still overcame all odds to make a living for
themselves rather than being burdensome to others. It is therefore inexcusable for people who are
healthy and strong to beg for daily needs or engage in theft of other people's properties. However, the
privilege of a new beginning that Noah and his descendants enjoyed after the flood was soon marred by
sin. Noah became intoxicated with wine and exposed his nakedness. Then, his immodest behaviour
became a cause for one of his sons to be disrespectful to him. "And Ham, the father Of Canaan, saw the
nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without" (Genesis 9:22). When Noah became sober
and learnt of what had happened, he placed a curse upon Canaan, the son of Ham. The fall of Noah
serves as warning to believers who consider themselves 'veterans' in the faith. Noah had walked with
God for centuries, resisting and overcoming the temptation of a corrupt world. God Himself bore
testimony that he was the only righteous man in his generation. But sadly, he fell into drunkenness in his
own tent. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10; 12).
Ham did not do well by gazing at his father s nakedness and did worse by talking about the indecency
before Others. God forbids nudity and pornography. We must also avoid any style of dressing that
reveals delicate parts of the body. Care must be taken lest we make Others stumble. It is also important
that believers stay away from locations and programmes where nudity is on display. Honour to parents
is also enjoined in the Bible (Exodus 20: 12; Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:2). The other two sons Of
Noah — Shem and Japheth — were blessed because they covered the nakedness of their father. If any
believer is overtaken in a fault, others should join hands to ensure restoration instead of spreading the
sad Story.
DESCENDANTS OF NOAH AND DISPERSAL OF MAN (Genesis 10: 1-32; 11:1-32; Deuteronomy 32:8; Job
5:12,13; Psalm 33:10; Luke 1:51)
God fulfilled his promise to Noah and his sons and they became Fruitful…of them was the whole earth
Overspread". Through Shem, Ham and Japheth, "are the families of the sons of Noah, after their
generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood"
(Genesis 10:32). "And the whole earth was of One language, and of One speech" (Genesis 11:1). But the
people chose to unite against the will of God. Instead of replenishing the whole earth as God had
commanded, they decided to build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven and make
themselves a name, "lest they be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4). The
people embarked on a selfish project contrary to the purpose of God, but He confounded their language
and they were unable to carry out their enterprise. Although man's rebellion at Babel was condemnable
God commented on the power of unity among people. He said "nothing be restrained from them which
they have imagined to do". There are great lessons from this. One, believers have an awesome power at
their disposal if they unite in prayer. Two, unity and cooperative effort in evangelism will produce more
fruits. Three, if we are united in building our churches, they will be completed quickly. Four, we must be
united in defending the truth and standing against error, insisting that scriptural standards be followed
always. Five, the battle against the devil will be won in favour of the Church of God if believers unite in
prayer and holy living. The confusion of language and scattering of the people at Babel resulted in the
formation of nations. As the sons of Noah multiplied and developed into different races of people on
earth, so the wickedness of man intensified and multiplied. God then decided to reveal His pIan of
raising a particular nation through which the Messiah would come. Again, God needed a man who
would be the fountain head of that prospective nation. The closing verses of our text are devoted to
tracing the family tree of Abraham, the man whom God chose.
Questions for review:
1, Why did God decide to destroy man with a flood?
2. How can believers walk close to God and keep hearing from Him in this corrupt generation?
3. In the face of looming destruction awaiting the unrepentant, what should backsliders and sinners?
4. What is the condition for benefitting from God's covenant?
5. What virtue can we learn from the unity of the men who attempted to build the Tower of Babel?
6, Noah found grace with God before the flood overthrew the world. How can we find grace with God
before His imminent judgment? 7. What constitutes the 'ark of salvation' today?