God Directs Noah To Make An Ark. Series

This is the first use of the word “covenant” in the Bible. The word appears often in Scripture because the covenant concept is an important feature in God’s great plan of redemption. (God will explain His covenant with Noah after he leaves the ark; 8.20-9.17.)

God’s words in this passage are addressed specifically to Noah, but God also included Noah’s family in the covenant. Noah didn’t become a father until he was 500 years old (v. 5.32), and he entered the ark when he was 600 (v. 7.6); so his three sons were still young as far as pre-Flood ages were concerned. Ham was the youngest son (v. 9.24) and Japheth was the eldest (v. 10.21), and all three boys were married.

The fact that God had covenanted to care for Noah and his family gave them the peace and confidence they needed as they prepared the ark and then lived in it for over a year. God is faithful to keep his promises, and as God’s covenant people, the eight believers had nothing to fear.

Gathering the animals (vv. 19-22).

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

There are fewer than 18,000 species living on the earth today. This number may have been doubled to allow for now-extinct creatures. With two of each, a total of 72,000 creatures is reasonable according to the calculations of verses 15 and 16; the cubic space could hold 125,000 sheep, and since the average size of land animals is less than a sheep, perhaps less than sixty percent of the space was used. The very large animals were surely represented by young. There was ample room also for the one million species of insects, as well as food for a year for everyone (v. 21).

God not only wanted humans to be preserved from destruction but also every kind of creature that would be drowned by the waters of the Flood. But how was Noah to gather such a large number of animals, birds, and creeping things? God would cause these creatures to come to Noah (see also vs. 7.8, 15), and Noah would take them into the ark.

“Two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive.” Noah was not a Frank Buck who went out “to bring them back alive.” He was not a big game hunter. He didn’t have to hunt for these animals and then capture them—they came to him. This would include not only pairs of unclean animals that would be able to reproduce after the Flood, but also seven pairs of clean animals, some of whom would be used for sacrifices (vs. 8.20 and 9.3). Note, the difference between clean and unclean animals became a major point in the Levitical order (Lev. 11.2-23). Noah and his family not only learned about the faithfulness of God, but they also saw the sovereignty of God in action.

In His sovereign power, God brought the animals to Noah and his sons controlled them so that they did His bidding. However, this magnificent demonstration of God’s power didn’t touch the hearts of his neighbors, and they perished in the Flood. The birds, beasts, and creeping things knew their Creators voice and obeyed Him, but people made in the image of God refused to heed His call. Centuries later, God would say through His servant Isaiah, “The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isa. 1.3; NIV).