Advanced Level, Block 1—Result of Fall
Week 10
Eight Being Preserved for God (Revised on 3/4/2021)
Point to Emphasize: We must be those who are preserved for God.
Reference Reading: Genesis 6—9; footnotes 8:221, 6:181; 2 Peter 2:5
Memory Verse: …And only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
(Genesis 7:23b)
Story Sample
When God told Noah that He was about to bring a flood of water upon the earth to destroy everything that was on the earth, He also made a covenant with him. A covenant is an agreement, a contract. Here is an example of a covenant. Growing up I had a summer job. There was an agreement, a covenant between my neighbor and myself. If I watered their lawn while they were gone for two months, then I would get paid when they returned. Well, God made a covenant with Noah, that after the flood, God would restore the earth so all living things could grow and man would multiply on the earth.
Noah and his family carried out all of God’s instructions. God told them to go into the ark with all the animals and the food they would need. They did just as God said. After that, God shut the door. After seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. All the springs of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened, and it rained. For forty days and forty nights the flood waters came and covered the earth. And every living thing upon the land was blotted out. But the eight who followed God within the ark were safe and dry. They were safe from God’s judgment upon the wickedness filling the earth at that time.
The Bible does not tell us what went on inside the ark as the flood waters covered the earth, but they must have been very thankful that Noah was their father and that he taught them to live in a way that pleased God. Surely, they were so thankful to know God and God’s way. Knowing God and God’s way saved them from His judgment! But at the same time, they must also have been sad, so very sad to know that they were the only ones in the ark. But it was not their fault that no one else was with them.
Second Peter 2:5 says that Noah was “a herald of righteousness.” A herald is one who announces something to others. Not only did Noah build the ark with God, BUT he also spoke to his friends and family. He told them all that they needed to live according to God’s way and instruction, like he and his family did. He told them that they needed to get right with God. Noah was not there silently working on the ark. He took every opportunity to tell others. BUT they all chose to live in wickedness and violence. Not one turned from their way. So, they suffered the consequences of their living in that way.
Recently a ten-year-old boy I know was very concerned for all of his classmates, none of which believed that God even exists. He wondered, “Would they all continue in this way, a way of denying that God exists?” He talked with his parents about it several times over the months. It’s good for us at this young age to consider and have concern for our friends and classmates. It is good to talk with your parents about it, too. We all should be concerned for others and the kind of life they live. We all should want the best for them—to be in a family that knows and cares for God. [Storyteller, insert your own story]
Now, God remembered Noah and all the animals and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind pass over the earth and the waters subsided. The springs of the deep stopped and the rain from the heavens was held back. After the waters receded, God spoke to Noah, telling him to go forth from the ark. So Noah and his family, all the animals, creeping things, and birds all went forth from the ark. And God gave them a sign of His covenant. He set His bow in the clouds. It was a sign of the covenant between God and all the earth. God would never again blot out all living things on the earth by water. The bow spoke of God’s faithfulness in this.
And today we can still see that God has been faithful to this. The earth has been preserved and there are now over 7 billion people inhabiting the earth. God will always be faithful to His word and to His covenant. Just as Noah and his family made the choice to be preserved for God and His unique purpose, we can make the same choice to be preserved for Him today.