Series:
SUPPLANTING The LEGACY Of WICKEDNESS—Genesis 6:9—10:32
A—GOD’s REMOVAL STRATEGY-III—Genesis 6:9-22
Toward Removing the Legacy of Wickedness
B—REMOVAL—Genesis 7:1-24
C—SALVATION—Genesis 8:1-19
D—RESPONSE—Genesis 8:20-22
E—POTENTIAL For RESTORATION—Genesis 9:1-19
F—SAME Ol’ SAME Ol’—Genesis 9:20-29
G—The NATIONS—Genesis 10:1-32
Genesis records God’s strategy for Removing the Legacy of Wickedness.
God strategizes the removal of the Legacy of Wickedness.
What strategy removes the legacy of wickedness?
The strategy for removing the legacy of wickedness engages...
We have seen that God’s strategy for removal(the legacy of wickedness) addresses/engages...
1. The Existing DICHOTOMY/Contrast(:9-12)
2. The Imminent DESTRUCTION(:13)
3—God’s strategy for removal(the legacy of wickedness) addresses/engages...
The REMNANT(:14-18)
Explanation:(:14-18)Salvation
:14—“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, & cover it inside & outside with pitch.”
God gave Noah instructions directly related to the pending destruction of the earth.
Obviously, God is staging a plan of deliverance for some thru Noah as he has “found grace in the eyes of the Lord”(:8).
He was to “make” an “ark.” The building of this ark was Noah’s specific calling. This moment of Noah’s life shifted to take on a new & daring direction. He was now to become determined & focused toward personally seeing to building something according to God’s directives.
It was to be a very specific ark or box(container). This “ark” or container was to be constructed of a particular kind of wood known/recognized as “gopherwood.”
This particular “ark” was to have “rooms” or ‘nesting places’ built into it, so its purpose & size are now hinted at.
It was to be “covered” “inside & out” with “pitch”/bitumen/asphalt. A viscous liquid that is flexible & water-tight upon drying. Natural “pitch” has a viscosity similar to cold molasses.
“Make”(See :15, 16)—hse aw-saw'—Verb—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make; 2) (Piel)--To press, squeeze. Strong—a primitive root; To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.
“Ark”—hbt tay-baw'—Noun Fem.—1) Ark—1a) Vessel which Noah built, 1b) Basket vessel in which Moses was placed. Strong—perhaps of foreign derivation; A box.
”Gopherwood/Cypress wood”—rpg go’-fer—Noun Masc.—1) Cypress?, gopher, gopher wood—1a) Wood of which the ark was made, 1b) Meaning & exact type unknown. Strong—from an unused root, probably meaning to house in; A kind of tree or wood (as used for building), apparently the cypress. Used 1X.
“Rooms”—Nq qen—1) Nest—1a) Nest(of bird), 1b) Cells(like nests in Noah's ark). A nest(as fixed), sometimes including the nestlings; figuratively, A chamber or dwelling Used 13X.
“Cover/Coat”(See “Pitch” below)—rpk kaw-far’—Qal Perfect—1) To cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch. Strong—a primitive root; To cover(specifically with bitumen); figuratively--To expiate or condone, to placate or cancel.
“Inside/Within”—tyb bah'-yith—1) House; 2) Place; 3) Receptacle; 4) Home, house as containing a family; 5) Household, family; 6) Household affairs; 7) Inwards(metaph.); 8) (TWOT)--Temple;—Adverb--9) On the inside; Preposition--10) Within. Strong—A house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.).
“Outside/Without”—Uwx khoots—1) Outside, outward, street, the outside. Strong—from an unused root meaning to sever; properly, Separate by a wall, i.e. Outside, outdoors.
“Pitch”(See “Cover” above)—rpk ko’-fer—Noun Masc.—1) Price of a life, ransom, bribe; 2) Asphalt, pitch(as a covering); 3) The henna plant, name of a plant(henna?); 4) Village. Strong—properly--A cover, i.e. literally--A village (as covered in); (specifically--Bitumen(as used for coating), & The henna plant(as used for dyeing); figuratively--A redemption-price.
:15—““And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, & its height thirty cubits.”
The ark was to be built according to a particular length, breadth & height, which was measured in cubits(300x50x30) & determined by God.
The measurements were in cubits—assuming an 18” cubit. Thus the ark was to be ~450 X 75 X 45ft. The ark was roughly ½ the length of a standard cruise liner which can be upwards of 1000 ft., yet the beam of the ark was only slightly less than the same being ~100ft. Therefore very stable!
“its volume was 1.54 million cubic feet”[not considering the internal structural subtractions]… “This is the equivalent volume of 522 standard American railroad stock cars, each of which can hold 240 sheep.” (522 stock cars x 240 sheep each = 125,280 total sheep).”—Jonathan Sarfati(AiG) per Chris Jordan(Sermon Central) or 136,560 sheep in only half of it’s capacity—David Guzik
“The total available floor space on the Ark would have been over [~]100,000 square feet, which would be more floor space than in 20 standard-sized basketball courts.”...“as few as 2000 animals may have been required on the ark.”...“three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark.”—ChristianAnswers.net/NICOT
Now Noah is becoming aware of the task at hand. This project could not be denied or hidden from others. Thus his faith would have been known to all. Indeed, Noah is noted as a preacher of righteousness:
2Pet. 2:5—“& [God] did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;”
Js. 2:14, 17-18, 22—“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”.....“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, & I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, & I will show you my faith by my works.”.....“Do you see that faith was working together with his works, & by works faith was made perfect?”
Mat. 5:14-16, 11-12—“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp & put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, & it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father in heaven.”.....“Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
“Length”—Kra o'rek'—1) Length—1a) Physical length, 1b) Of time; 2) Forbearance, self-restraint(of patience).
“Cubits”—hma am-maw'—1) Cubit - A measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 18 in (.5m). There are several cubits used in the OT, the cubit of a man or common cubit (De 3:11), the legal cubit or cubit of the sanctuary (Eze 40:5) plus others. See a Bible Dictionary for a complete treatment. Strong—properly--A mother, i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm(below the elbow), i.e. A cubit; also A door-base(as a bond of the entrance).
“Width”—bxr ro'-khab—Noun Masc.—1) Breadth, width, expanse. Strong—Width(literally or figuratively).
“Height”—hmwq qow-maw'—1) Height—1a) Height, stature.
From—Mwq quwm—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
:16—““You shall make a window for the ark, & you shall finish it to a cubit from above; & set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, & third decks.”
The ark was to have a single “window” or roof(HCSB) which was to be finished to within 1 cubit(18’’) from the top. Perhaps this was a vent of sorts or at least some means of allowing light into the ark which was able to be opened or uncovered as in Gen. 8:6.
Gen. 6:16(HCSB)—“You are to make a roof, finishing [the sides of the ark] to within 18 inches[of the roof]. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, & upper[decks].”
“We suggest that rhu was used because it refers to a pitched or vaulted roof.”....“The opening part of the verse refers to the elevation of the crease of the roof above the level of the walls’ tops.”—NICOT
“If taken as an opening, it would be best understood as a space of one cubit high...extended around the ark & interrupted only by the supporting post of the roof.”—NAC
cf.--8:6—“So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window(Nwlx) of the ark which he had made.”
“If a “roof,” it is constructed so as to overhang the sides of the vessel by one cubit...or so that there is a gap of one cubit between the walls & the roof.”—NAC
The “it”[“you shall finish it”] here probably refers to the entire ark itself rather than to the “window.”—J. Gill
“A window only a cubit square could not possibly be intended; for rhu is not synonymous with Nwlx(Gen. 8:6), but signifies, generally, a space for light, or by which light could be admitted into the ark, & in which the window, or lattice for opening & shutting, could be fixed; though we can form no distinct idea of what the arrangement was.”—K&D
Gen 8:6—“So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window[Nwlx] of the ark which he had made.”
“in a cubit shalt thou finish it above”--“a direction to raise the roof in the middle, seemingly to form a gentle slope for letting the water run off.”—JFB
The nondescript “door” of the ark was to be situated in its side.
“it seems it was so large, that Noah, & those with him, could not shut it, but it was done by the Lord,...”—J. Gill
Inside the ark there were to be 3 decks including a lower, 2nd & 3rd. “Make”(See :14, 15)—hse aw-saw'—Verb—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make; 2) (Piel)--To press, squeeze. Strong—a primitive root; To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.
“Window/Roof”—rhu tso'-har—Noun Masc.—1) Noon, midday—1a) Noon(as specific time of day), 1b) Noon (in simile as bright of happiness, blessing). OR—Noun Fem.—2) Roof—2a) meaning dubious. Strong—from rhu[to glisten; to press out oil]; A light(i.e. window): Dual double light, i.e. Noon. Used 24X...Employed as “window” only here.
From—rhu tsaw-har'—To glisten; To press out oil.
“Finish”—hlk kaw-law'—Verb—1) To accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent. Strong—a primitive root; To end, whether intransitive--To cease, be finished, perish; or transitive--To complete, prepare, consume.
“From above/Above/From the top/Of the top”—lem mah'al—Substantive—1) Higher part, upper part. Adverb—1a) Above. Prep.—1b) On the top of, above, on higher ground than...with locative—1c) Upwards, higher, above. Strong—properly, The upper part, used only adverbially with prefix Upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc.
“Set/Put”—Mws suwm—1) To put, place, set, appoint, make. Strong—a primitive root; To put(used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, & elliptically).
“Door”—xtp peh’-thakh—Noun Masc.—1) Opening, doorway, entrance. Strong—An opening(literally), i.e. Door(gate) or entrance way.
“Side”—du tsad—Noun Masc.—1)Side. Strong—from an unused root meaning to sidle off; A side; figuratively, An adversary.
“Lower”—ytxt takh-tee'—1) Low, lower, lowest—1a) Lowest(as adjective), 1b) The lower parts(substantive). Strong—Lowermost; as noun(feminine plural)--The depths(figuratively, a pit, the womb).
“Second”—ynv shay-nee'—1) Second—1a) Second (the ordinal number), 1b) Again(a second time), 1c) Another, other(something as distinct from something else). Strong—properly, Double, i.e. Second; also adverbially, Again.
“Third”—yvylv shel-ee-shee'—1) Third, one third, third part, third time—1a) Ordinal number. Strong—Third; feminine--A third(part); by extension--A third(day, year or time); specifically--A third-story(cell). Used 24X.
:17—““And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.”
God Himself would bring a flood upon the earth.
These “floodwaters” would destroy “all flesh.” The particular “flesh” facing destruction is that flesh “in which is the breath of life.” “All flesh in which is the breath of life” is descriptive of “everything” “on the earth.” These would all perish in the flood.
The target of living(air-breathing) flesh all existed “under heaven.”
The implication here is that all things are tied, in inextricable ways, to the one creature made in God’s image—Mankind:
Rom. 8:18-23—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
“am Bringing”2X—(See “Go into” :18; & “Come to you” :20)—awb bow'—Hiphil Participle—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
“Floodwaters”—lwbm mab-bool’—Noun Masc.—1) Flood, deluge. Strong—from lby yaw-bal' in the sense of flowing; A deluge. Used 13X.
“Destroy”(See :11, 12—“Corrupt(ed)” & :13, 17)—txv shaw-khath'—Verb—1) To destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay. Strong—a primitive root; To decay, i.e. causatively-Ruin(literally or figuratively).
“Under”—txt takh’-ath——1) The under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas. Strong—The bottom(as depressed); only adverbially, Below(often with prepositional prefix underneath), In lieu of, etc.
“Heaven”—Mymv shaw-mah'-yim—1) Heaven, heavens, sky. Strong—from an unused root meaning to be lofty; The sky(as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve).
“Flesh”(See :12, 13)—rsb baw-sawr’—Noun Masc.—1) Flesh. Strong—Flesh(from its freshness); by extension--Body, person; also by euphemiam--The pudenda of a man.
“Breath”—xwr roo'-akh—1) Wind, breath, mind, spirit. Strong—Wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. A sensible(or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, Life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, A region of the sky; by resemblance Spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression & functions).
“of Life”(See :19—“Living thing”)—yx khah'-ee—Adj.—1) Living, alive. Noun Masc.—2) Relatives; 3) Life(abstract emphatic). Noun Fem.—4) Living thing, animal; 5) Community. Strong—Alive; hence, Raw(flesh); Fresh(plant, water, year), Strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular & masculine plural)--Life(or living thing), whether literally or figuratively.
“Everything”(See :19—“Every...thing”)—lk kol OR lwk kowl—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
“Die”—ewg gaw-vah’—Qal Imperfect—1) To expire, die, perish, give up the ghost, yield up the ghost, be dead, be ready to die. Strong—a primitive root; To breathe out, i.e. by implication--Expire. Used 24X.
:18—““But I will establish My covenant with you; & you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, & your sons’ wives with you.””
*But...there will be an exception. There will be a remnant to survive the flood. God would make a covenant with Noah alone. Noah was to enter the finished ark with his wife, his sons & their wives. It had been mentioned twice previously that Noah had three sons(5:32; 6:10)—Shem, Ham & Japheth. This would account for only 8 people out of the entire populace of earth who would be saved from the impending destruction(:7, 13).
Only with Noah—as head of his extended family—does God promise to “establish” His “covenant.” God’s covenant with Noah encompasses his entering the ark with that family.
“Establish”—Mwq koom—Hiphil(causative) Perfect—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up. Strong—a primitive root; To rise(in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive & causative).
“Covenant”—tyrb ber-eeth’—Noun Fem.—1) Covenant, alliance, pledge. Strong—from hrb baw-raw'—Verb—to feed, eat, consume(in the sense of cutting [like arb baw-raw'—Verb—to create, shape, form]); A compact(because made by passing between pieces of flesh).
“Go into/Come into/Enter”[See “Bringing” :17; & “Come to you” :20]—awb bow'—Qal Perfect—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
Argumentation:
*Isa. 1:9—“Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.”
Isa. 45:17—“But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever & ever.”
Ezek. 5:1-4, 12-14—“And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, & pass it over your head & your beard; then take scales to weigh & divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third & strike around it with the sword, & one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take a small number of them & bind them in the edge of your garment. Then take some of them again & throw them into the midst of the fire, & burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.”.....“‘One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, & be consumed with famine in your midst; & one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; & I will scatter another third to all the winds, & I will draw out a sword after them. ‘Thus shall My anger be spent, & I will cause My fury to rest upon them, & I will be avenged; & they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. ‘Moreover I will make you a waste & a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.”
Eze. 6:6-10—““In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, & the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste & made desolate, your idols may be broken & made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, & your works may be abolished. “The slain shall fall in your midst, & you shall know that I am the LORD. “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, & by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. “And they shall know that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.””
Rom. 9:27-29—“Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work & cut it short in righteousness, Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.” And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.””
*Rom. 11:1-10, 25-33—“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets & torn down Your altars, & I alone am left, & they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, & the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.” And David says: “Let their table become a snare & a trap, A stumbling block & a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, & bow down their back always.””.....“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob[Isa. 59:20]; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”[Isa. 27:9] Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts & the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways past finding out!”
Illustration:
Amber(fossilized tree resin—yellow or honey-colored translucent) is mined in the Dominican Republic/They use no mechanical means of excavation/The locals dig sloped holes[5X5ft. at the entrance] by hand, using pick & shovel/They crawl on hands & knees/The small tunnels snake into hillsides—“sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, but never level. The tunnels may drop away, join up with other tunnels, go straight up & pop out elsewhere/The ‘miners’ pick away bushel after bushel after bushel of debris[unusable rock] looking for a small piece[1-4 inches] of hard amber, which they can sell to a broker for $100+ per large piece or more if there is an ancient animal trapped inside/Even before the amber is cleaned up & polished it is sold on the open market for ~$200/oz./After the amber is cleaned up & prepared for jewelry it is worth much more/The REMNANT
The Lodge Cast Iron Co.--founded in 1896 & located in South Pittsburg, TN, is the oldest family-owned cookware foundry in America/Privately held metal formula/Some of the cookware comes thru the fire cracked--Some thru the fire chipped—Both the cracked & chipped are unfit for sale to customers wanting a practical product/The un-cracked & un-chipped remainder are sold to the public & are the products upon which Lodge’s name & reputation are built/Only the remnant of the mine’s yielding causes the mine to be dug!/The REMNANT
Application:
?God actively Engaging the REMNANT for salvation?
?God’s Strategy truly Removing the legacy of wickedness from your life?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
God’s strategy for removal(the legacy of wickedness) addresses/engages...
3. The REMNANT(:14-18)
1. The Existing DICHOTOMY/Contrast(:9-12)
2. The Imminent DESTRUCTION(:13)
Pt. 3 only! Presented 07/30/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-4 Presented 02/26/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
