Topical Bible: The Deluge: Noah, Saved From

◄ The Deluge: Noah, Saved From ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Deluge, commonly referred to as the Great Flood, is a pivotal event in biblical history, chronicled in the Book of Genesis, chapters 6 through 9. This cataclysmic flood was a divine judgment upon a world steeped in sin and corruption. The narrative centers on Noah, a righteous man chosen by God to preserve humanity and animal life through the construction of an ark.

Background and Context

The account of the Deluge begins with a description of the moral decay that had permeated the earth. Genesis 6:5-6 states, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart." In response to this pervasive wickedness, God decided to cleanse the earth with a flood, sparing only Noah and his family due to Noah's righteousness and blamelessness among his contemporaries (Genesis 6:9).

The Ark and the Covenant

God instructed Noah to build an ark, a massive vessel designed to withstand the deluge. The dimensions and specifications for the ark are detailed in Genesis 6:14-16 , where God commands Noah to construct it from gopher wood and to coat it with pitch inside and out. The ark was to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high, with a roof, an entrance on the side, and three decks.

Noah's obedience to God's command is emphasized in Genesis 6:22 : "So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him." This act of faith and obedience set Noah apart as a man of God, ensuring the preservation of his family and the animal species.

The Flood and Its Aftermath

The floodwaters came as God had foretold, with rain falling for forty days and forty nights, covering even the highest mountains (Genesis 7:12, 19-20). Every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed, except for those aboard the ark. Genesis 7:23 states, "And every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained."

After 150 days, the waters began to recede, and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:3-4). Noah, his family, and the animals remained in the ark until the earth was dry. Upon exiting the ark, Noah built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings, which pleased God (Genesis 8:20-21).

The Covenant with Noah

In response to Noah's faithfulness, God established a covenant with him, promising never again to destroy all life with a flood. The sign of this covenant was the rainbow, set in the clouds as a reminder of God's promise (Genesis 9:11-13). This covenant underscores the themes of divine mercy and faithfulness, even in the face of human sinfulness.

Significance in Biblical Theology

The Deluge serves as a profound demonstration of God's justice and mercy. It highlights the seriousness of sin and the necessity of divine judgment, while also showcasing God's grace in preserving a remnant through Noah. The narrative foreshadows the ultimate salvation offered through Jesus Christ, drawing parallels between Noah's deliverance and the redemption available to all who place their faith in God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 6:18-22
But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 7:13,14
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Noah is a Figure of Christ, who Has Regenerated us by Water, and ...
... "You know, then, sirs," I said, "that God has said in Isaiah to Jerusalem: I saved
thee in the deluge of Noah.' [2479] By this which God said was meant that ...
/.../chapter cxxxviii noah is a figure.htm

Concerning the Flood; and after what Manner Noah was Saved in an ...
... it is reported that many who fled at the time of the Deluge were saved; and that ...
7. But as for Noah, he was afraid, since God had determined to destroy ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 concerning the flood.htm

Accurate Account of the Deluge.
... [678] And this Noah had three ... was destroyed, and those only who were protected in
the ark were saved; and these ... This, then, is in sum the history of the deluge. ...
/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter xix accurate account of the.htm

All Things have Been Created for the Service of Man the Deceits ...
... for the benefit of that human nature which is saved, ripening for ... Thus, then, the
six hundred years of Noah, in whose time the deluge occurred because of ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxix all things have been.htm

Typology
... who had seen Adam were no longer in the world, God sent Noah whom He saved, and
drowned ... The memory of the Deluge being so fresh among men, while Noah was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section x typology.htm

Of Noah the Inventor of Wine, who First had Knowledge of the Stars ...
... XIV."Of Noah the Inventor of Wine, Who First Had ... determined to destroy mankind with
a deluge; but, however ... him, in which he himself was saved, together with ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xiv of noah the inventor.htm

Noah's Faith, Fear, Obedience, and Salvation
... His own family was saved, but nobody else"not a solitary one ... Many people may have
been converted under Noah, and may have died before the deluge came; but ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 36 1890/noahs faith fear obedience and.htm

The Second Epistle of St. Peter
... deluge, Noah is called the herald of righteousness, herald meaning preacher' as
in 1 Timothy 2:7. Noah preached repentance, and those who obeyed were saved' ( ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the second epistle of st.htm

A Treatise against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop.
... which was fashioned, by the providence of God, under Noah before the deluge, in
which ... clean animals, but also unclean; which ark was saved alone, with ...
/.../a treatise against the heretic.htm

The Allegory of the Trees Demanding a King, in the Book of Judges ...
... fig-tree; [2782] and the vine to the precept given to Noah at the time of the deluge,
because, when ... by wine, and the joy of those who were saved from wrath ...
/.../chapter ii the allegory of the.htm