Genesis 7

Scripture 

Genesis 7:11-12  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.  The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. Observation-What does it say?  The book of Genesis describes the beginning of the world, as well as the beginning of the story of God’s nation.  The stories in Genesis were carried on orally for several generations, and some scholars believe they were not written down until the time of David.  The first eleven chapters of Genesis move quickly from a time when the only thing in existence was God, to the process of the creation of the earth, through the fall of man and the transformation of the world to what we know today. When Noah entered the story, the world had completely rejected God and Noah was chosen to carry on the line of humans.  Noah took the better part of his life to build the Ark.  God caused the animals to enter the Ark and then He caused water to come out from everywhere, from the sky and from the ground, covering up to the highest peaks of the mountains.  In this moment, God displayed the greatness and completeness of His power, proving that He has both the power to create and destroy. Understanding-What does it mean?  As a young boy, I had the opportunity to go see the Grand Canyon twice.  Both times were brief, but they left an indelible mark in my mind.  The grandeur of the place (pun intended) was almost breathtaking.  On one of these trips, my family took a hike along the rim in a place where there was no guardrail.  As I creeped toward the edge to try and see how deep it really was, I was distracted, and my mom quickly grabbed my arms and gave a tiny little push forward, letting out a startling “Yaahhh!!!”  My heart jumped into my throat, as I felt as though I was being pushed to my death.  When I watched the home video later, I found that I wasn’t that close to the edge and my mom had a solid hold on my arms.  There was no chance of my death on that day.  Anytime I think about the Grand Canyon now, I think of this verse in Genesis.  While the scientific community would have us believe that it took billions of years to form the Grand Canyon, this verse gives a different idea of the timeline of the creation of the canyon.  When the “fountains of the great deep” opened up,  there was likely a dramatic increase in erosion, much like when you point a hose at one place in the dirt for a period of time.  In fact, this verse affects the way I look at how many of the natural wonders were formed, such as the glaciers, or places like Yosemite valley, which is believed to have been formed by water and glaciers.  Scientists also believe much of the United States was once covered in water, in a region they call the Western Interior Seaway.  How was it that the United States was covered in water unless there was a flood?  In a few weeks, we are taking our boys to the Grand Canyon.  I look forward to seeing the look on their face as they gaze over the grandeur of it all.  I look forward to the opportunity to share the story of the great flood and Noah’s faithfulness.  And, I look forward to scaring the daylights out of one of my kids.
Life Application 

God thank you for the reminders that You have given us of Your great power and authority.  Thank you for the reminders that you will never fail us.  Help me to recall these places when I come to worship you, so I can have a right perspective of my need for you. 

 

-Tyler Galloway