Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 7:1-5”
Categories: Genesis“Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.’ Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.”
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“Enter the ark…” (verse 1) Here the Lord instructs Noah to load his family, all the animals and himself into the ark. God gave this commandment “seven days” before the waters began to arise and descend (verse 4), but verse 13 tells us that Noah and his family entered the ark on “the very same day” that the rains began to fall. It must have taken a full week for Noah to usher all the animals into the giant vessel and assign them to their appropriate stations.
“For you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.” (verse 1) It is amazing what the faithfulness and righteousness of one man can accomplish for the world. Noah positively influenced and saved his entire family, and preserved the posterity of the entire animal kingdom because he “alone” trusted the Lord in loving, obedient faith. He was not a perfect man, but he had a heart that desired to please the Lord above all else. Because of this one man’s righteousness, you and I are living and prospering, and sitting here reading these verses today. Please do not underestimate the positive affect that your godly example can have on your family, friends, neighbors, workmates and community and on their futures. A sinful example can do just as much harm as an excellent example can produce good.
Noah was previously commanded to take only two of each animal onto the ark, but in verses 2-3 God instructed him to take seven pairs of “clean animals,” including clean “birds” as well. This is not a contradiction but further details that were revealed to Noah and are now disclosed to the readers. The reason for the additional clean animals is divulged in the text only after the floodwaters were receded: “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20) Some scholars suggest that these were also included as food for Noah’s family, but there is no distinction made between clean and unclean food sources until much later in the Bible. After exiting the ark, God gave “Every moving thing that is alive” as a human food source (Genesis 9:3).
“I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” (Verse 4) James Burton Coffman wrote: “Two things of special interest here are the use of the number ‘forty,’ and the destruction of animals, which may not be considered sinful, along with the punishment of human wickedness. Regarding the first of these, Unger pointed out that ‘forty’ appears in both O.T. and N.T. as ‘the sacred number of trial and patience,’ there being many examples of it: Jesus' fasting for forty days, the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for forty years, etc. Regarding the second, Jamieson pointed out that such was necessary in order to preserve the ecological balance on the earth. At a time when the human family was being reduced so drastically in numbers, the unlimited proliferation of the lower creation would have become a threat to the lives of men.”
“Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.” (verse 5) It cannot be stressed enough how important this phrase is. That’s why it is repeated frequently in the Sacred Writ for emphasis. None of the good things that befell Noah and his family would have happened if he had not done all that the Lord had commanded him. We can expect no different outcome for ourselves. The Lord “will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:6-8)
Please read Genesis 7:6-15 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
- Louie Taylor
