Intermediate Level, Block 1, Week 7: Noah—Preparing for the Flood

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Intermediate Level, Block 1—Creation, Fall, and Flood

Week 7
Noah—Preparing for the Flood

Point to Emphasize: We can prepare by following instructions.

Reference Reading: Genesis 6

Memory Verse: Heed instruction and be wise; and do not neglect it. (Proverbs 8:33)

Story Sample

We have been talking about some very important men in the Bible, haven’t we? Starting this week, we will see who Noah was and what he did. Remember Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, and Enoch? Well, they continued to have more children, and Noah was one of the descendants. Has anyone ever heard of Noah’s story?

Noah was a righteous man and he walked with God, yes, just like all the men we have talked about so far. He was on God’s side at a time when no one else was. God was so troubled that He could not find anyone else righteous. Look at how much God cares about man and his condition. He looked at the terrible condition the earth was in and the Bible says, “it grieved Him in His heart”. To grieve somebody means to cause great sorrow to that person; so, He was very sad in His heart. God, full of consideration and purpose, told Noah that He would destroy the living things on the earth with a flood. It was time for a fresh start and God was going to use Noah!

God gave Noah a very important job—he was to build an ark. Do you know what an ark is? It’s like a large boat or ship. Noah was to build an ark to prepare for the coming flood. It was a very big job, because the ark would be for him and his family, as well as their food and all the animals.

Noah had to prepare to build the ark. This was a massive job so God gave him specific instructions. He told Noah the ark needed to be made of gopher wood. Do you think Noah could just go to the home improvement store and buy the gopher wood? No way! He had to go to the forest, cut down the trees, and haul them back to where he was building. God also told Noah to cover the ark with pitch both on the inside and on the outside. Pitch is something that can be used to make wood waterproof, probably like tar. So let’s consider: Noah had to go to the forest, cut the trees, haul them back to the building site, and cover all of the logs with pitch so that the ark would be waterproof. Does that sound like an easy job? Well, maybe it’s not bad if it was a small boat. But then God told him how long and how high to make the ark. This ark had to be long enough to hold Noah, his family, and the animals. How long do you think it needed to be? Maybe as long as a basketball court? Not long enough. Maybe as long as this building we are in? Not even close. The ark needed to be 450 feet long, that’s longer than a football field! And the ark had to be wide – 75 feet wide. That’s about as long as a tennis court. AND the ark had to be tall. It was 45 feet tall! That is taller than a three story building! That’s a lot of wood Noah needed to get and that is A LOT of logs Noah needed to cover with pitch. God told Noah to make an opening for light in the ark—like a skylight. He also said that the entrance of the ark would be in its side, and that the ark would have three stories. So what do you think Noah did when God gave him all these instructions? Do you think he said “no”? Do you think he told God “not now”? No! He got to work! God had given him this very important job, and Noah began preparing right away. The Bible says, “according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”

After Noah built the ark, God had more instructions for him. God said that after the ark was built, Noah would enter the ark with his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives. Then he also needed to fill the ark with two of every kind of living thing, a male and a female, of everything according to its kind, to preserve them alive. Then God also told Noah to take some of every kind of food for him and his family, as well as for the living things that were in the ark with them. That takes a lot of preparation. Think about all the food they had to prepare for the family, and all the hay, birdseed, and food they had to collect for the animals. He had to gather everyone and everything they needed, as well as all the animals God told him to take with them. And you know what? Noah did all that God commanded him. Because Noah followed God’s instructions, he and his family were very well-prepared for the coming flood.

Just like Noah who had to prepare for the task God had given him, we also have experiences of having to prepare for things. When it is time for the summer or winter training, we open our home to have hospitality. Saints from all around the world are coming to the meetings, and they need a place to stay. In our house this means that one of the children has to give up their room and move in with their sibling. We all need to pitch in and get our home ready for our guests. We have to first clean up all the toys that are often left out and store them in the closets. We have to dust, sweep, and prepare fresh bedding. We have to clear space in the closet for the visiting saints to hang up their clothes. We have to make sure the bathrooms are ready for our guests, too. We also need to get the rest of the house ready. I’m sure my children would rather go out and play with their friends or do other things than prepare their room, but they can’t. They need to follow our instructions and help prepare for our hospitality. Sure they have to miss out on other opportunities, but you know what? They are always so happy when the saints arrive and are in our home. So maybe Noah’s sons were like this, too. I have a feeling that they probably had to miss out on some opportunities and help their father build the ark. But don’t you think they were happy when all the work was completed? Yes, indeed!

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