BIBLE FOR YOU!--No.23!--Genesis Chapter 8!       DFO 2753         11/90
--Bible Classtime with Grandpa!

         1. (Techi: Amen, thank You Jesus! Thank You for this class time, Jesus, that we can have with Grandpa. We really pray, Jesus, that You'd please bless it. Help us to really learn from it, Lord, & to get out of it what we can. Help us to remember it, too. Please bless Grandpa & give him wisdom, Lord, in Jesus' name. Thank You Lord!) Amen, praise the Lord!

The Waters Assuage!

         2. Here we are in Genesis Chapter 8: "And God remembered Noah." "Oh! I put Noah out there in a boat!" He didn't forget him, did He? I always thought that sounded kind of funny!--Ha! (Techi: "I put Noah out there in a boat and it's still raining!"--Ha!) (David: "Oh my, we'd better shut it off!") "...And every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the Ark: and God made a wind to pass over the Earth, and the waters assuaged."--That means the waters were driven away. (Note: In Hebrew, the physical meaning of "assuage" was to abate a flood.)

         3. Do you remember when the Lord used the wind on water another time? (David: When the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea.) Yes, He dried it up with the wind, didn't He? (Exo. 14:21.) (David: Didn't He also dry up the waters when the Children of Israel crossed over the Jordan?) (Joshua 3:14-17.) Right, Honey, you really know your Bible! Good for you! (David: They were going to go take Jericho.) Right. (Techi: And they were carrying the Ark of the Covenant.) Yes, & the stones for an altar, all those things. (Techi: Was that when the priests touched the water & the water rose up in a heap?) Yes, very good! You guys know your Bible pretty well!

         4. (Verse 2:) "The fountains also of the deep & the windows of heaven were stopped, & the rain from heaven was restrained; & the waters returned from off the Earth continually." What does that mean? (David: The water kept running off the land into the rivers & oceans.) Yes, & also draining back into the Earth. The water level went down, off the Earth, off the mountains & everything. They say that that's probably what made the Grand Canyon, & a lot of other canyons & valleys too, was the water draining back into the seas, & in the process washing away the land as it went. Those great canyons certainly weren't made by little streams cutting through the rock over millions of years, as the evolutionists teach.

         5. "And after the end of the hundred & fifty days the waters were abated." "Abated" doesn't mean that they were gone, but they were quite a bit down. You know how it is when you sit in the bathtub & you wait for the water to run out? Well, that was some big bathtub!

The Ark Rests on Mt. Ararat!

         6. (Verse 4:) "And the Ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." What mountains did it land on? (Kids: Ararat!) (Techi: The mountains of Ararat?) Well, it says "the mountains of Ararat here," probably talking about the mountain chain, but Mount Ararat itself is a very specific mountain & the wreckage of the Ark is still up there.

         7. The Ark was seen during WW1 by a Russian pilot after an especially dry Summer when the snow and the ice had melted off the top of the mountains, which are normally covered continually. Ararat is such a tall mountain, about 17,000 feet high, that it has perennial snow, meaning it lasts through the whole year. So at that time the ice had lowered greatly because of the hot Summer--the ice and snow had melted--and this Russian pilot said he saw the remains of the Ark sticking halfway out of the lake! (See the full story on pages 15 and 16 of this GN!) (Techi: That is really amazing for the Ark to have lasted that long!) Yes, built of gopher wood. (Techi: Thousands & thousands of years.) Gopher wood really lasts a long time! (Techi: Especially with tar.) Yes!

         8. There's a book I once read about that that I think you'd find very interesting reading, but it's long-gone from my library because I can't haul books along with me. My Concordance & my Bible are about all the books I can take when I fly.

         9. It would be very nice if you could remember all of these months & days & which month was given here, but I'm only going to hold you responsible for one particular verse, & I'll tell you when we get to it. I might ask you some questions on some of these. (Techi: Will you ask us all the different days?) No, that's what I said I'm not going to ask you, except for the date you already know the right answer for. In the last Chapter it tells you when Noah entered the Ark, & now in this Chapter it's going to tell you when he left the Ark. So the thing you want to know is how long did he spend in the Ark.

         10. In the last part of the 5th verse, the tops of the mountains were seen. Then in Verse 6: "And it came to pass at the end of forty days"--40 more days--"that Noah opened the window of the Ark which he had made." (Techi: How could he open the window if it was all around & it was already open?) Well, maybe it had shutters! Remember how we had shutters all the way around in one of the houses where we lived? So it's possible!

The Raven & the Dove Sent Out!

         11. (Verse 7:) "And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to & fro, until the waters were dried up from off the Earth." A raven is a large black bird that belongs to the same family as the crow, & they're pretty strong! Crows & ravens can fly long distances, & not only that, they're carrion eaters, flesh eaters. Some only eat bugs & things like that, but a raven could have landed on one of the floating dead bodies & managed to stay, so he didn't come back.

         12. (Verse 8:) "Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, & she returned unto him into the Ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole Earth." (Techi: The dove couldn't do the same thing as the raven?) No, it couldn't find any earth to land on, no trees, no nothing. (Techi: But there were the mountain tops.) Well, mountain tops are usually pretty bare, you know, especially after they've had a flood like that that has washed away all the food. "Then he put forth his hand, & took her, & pulled her in unto him into the Ark." It really gives us a lot of detail here!

         13. (Verse 10:) "And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the Ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the Earth." If you know anything about olive trees--we used to pass through miles and miles of olive trees when we went from Portugal into Madrid, in Spain--they can grow in very dry soil and they're very tough.

         14. (Verse 12:) "And he stayed yet other seven days; & sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more." (Techi: Did he let out their mates later?) I suppose so. I'll probably ask you how many times he sent forth a dove. (Techi: Twice, right?) You'd better read it again! (Techi: Oh, three times! Were the olive leaves under the water?) They were probably still hanging on the tree. It showed that the dove had found a place to land, & therefore probably food.

         15. (Techi: But did the tree survive under the water without air?) Well, it may not have, usually trees die when they're submerged. (Techi: Yes, so it wouldn't have any leaves.) Well, the leaves could have still been hanging on it. (Techi: Oh, I see! So there were still trees. I wonder how the olive tree survived & didn't get washed away.) Well, it was just tough, & maybe it happened to be in a place that was protected from too much run-off.

         16. Boy, you guys really ask a lot of questions! It's a good thing some preacher is not teaching this class, I don't think he could answer so many questions! (Techi: OK, I won't ask.) I like'm! I want you to ask'm! I may not know the answer, but at least I can theorise the answer. I can say, "Vas you dere, Charlie?" And, I'm sorry, I was not there! Whether my answers satisfy you or not, I don't know. Did you have another question?

         17. (Techi: So the dove couldn't make a nest in that tree? Is that why she came back? Or did she just come back because the Lord wanted her to come back & show Noah the leaf?) She probably returned to show Noah that soon he was going to be able to go out on dry land. (Techi: And maybe to come pick up its mate too!) Maybe so. And do you know what a dove with an olive leaf in its mouth symbolises today? (Kids: Peace!) Right!

Fresh Water!

         18. (David: I was wondering--if there was so much salt water around, do you think they had to take water on the Ark too, to drink?) I don't think so. (Techi: Because the rain diluted it?) Because it was "fountains of the deep" & rain. It probably turned the ocean water to fresh water because there was far more fresh water than salt water from the seas. It might have been a little...(Techi: Brackish?) You got the word! How did you know? (Techi: Because it's in the "Noah's Ark" comic! It showed them dipping into the ocean & saying, "Hey, this tastes pretty fresh. It's a little brackish, but it's okay!") (See LWG, Volume 5-14, page 47!) Imagine, all the seas were dwarfed by this great big amount of fresh water, so it obviously was good enough to drink.

Dry Land!

         19. (Verse 13:) "And it came to pass in the six hundredth & first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the Earth: & Noah removed the covering of the Ark, & looked, & behold, the face of the ground was dry." It was dry now; otherwise it must have been pretty muddy! (Verse 14:) "And in the second month, on the seven & twentieth day of the month, was the Earth dried." (Techi: All the water was evaporated except for the seas & rivers?) Well, at least it was dry enough on the top of this mountain for them to climb out without getting their feet stuck in the mud!

         20. (Verse 15:) "And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the Ark, thou, & thy wife, & thy sons, & thy sons' wives with thee. And bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, & of cattle, & of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth; that they may breed abundantly in the Earth." Noah was an animal breeder, how about that! "And be fruitful, & multiply upon the Earth. And Noah went forth, & his sons, & his wife, & his sons' wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, & every fowl, & whatsoever creepeth upon the Earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the Ark."

         21. All right! When did they get out of the Ark? (Techi: In the second month on the seventh & twentieth day of the month. In other words, February 27th.) Well, the Jews count by a different calendar. They count April as the first month of the year. (Techi: It is a little contrary, but I guess if we went by that all our lives we wouldn't think it was weird.) Right!

         22. They picked the first month of Spring as their first month of the year, so "in the first month"--which would have been April--"the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the Earth." I'll probably ask you that question on your test: "According to the Jewish calendar, what month did they leave the Ark?" (Techi: May!) I don't know all the names of the Hebrew months that well, but I do remember that the first one is "Abib," the actual Hebrew name. (See Exo.34:18.) (Techi: Abib for April?) Yes, but you don't have to remember that. Just remember that to the Jews, the first month is what we today call April.

Length of Time in the Ark!

         23. And now I'm going to ask you, how long were they in the Ark? (Techi: Right now?) Right now & on the test! (Techi: A year & 17 days.) How did you figure that out? (Techi: From Genesis 7:11 & 8:14.) Right! (David: And is that all we need to know?) Well, I think you should know both of these dates: They entered the Ark in the second month, 17th day of the month. (Techi: That's from Chapter 7, verse 11.) Yes, & what time did they come out? (Techi: May 27th, according to Genesis 8:14.) Right, that would have been May, on our calendar, according to the way they did it. You don't have to say May though, just say what it says here: "The second month on the seven & twentieth day of the month." OK?

         24. So they'd been in the Ark from the first year, second month, 17th day to the second year, second month, 27th day. So you subtract the 11th verse from the 14th verse, & what do you get? (Techi: A year & ten days.) Right! And according to Genesis 7, verses 4 & 10, Noah entered the Ark seven days before it began to rain, so that makes a total of one year & 17 days they'd been in the Ark, think of that!

         25. Even some preachers never thought of looking at these verses & times & months & days! I've heard'm say that Noah was in the Ark only 40 days & 40 nights!--Ha! (Techi: Isn't that silly? I never even thought that the ground had to dry up first.) Yes. It only rained 40 days & 40 nights, but the Flood lasted a much longer time. And from the time they went into the Ark until it was dry enough to come out of the Ark was how long? (David: A year & 17 days.) And what verses do you use to prove that? (Techi: Genesis 7:10 and 11, and 8:13 and 14.) Right!

The Altar of Sacrifice!

         26. Okay, let's see what Noah did next. (Verse 20:) "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord." This was the first thing he did when he got out of the Ark and let all the animals go. "He built an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar." How would you answer somebody that said, "If Noah had taken only two of each animal, one pair of every kind of animal, then how did they ever breed?" (Techi: Because there were more than two!) How many pair of the clean animals had he taken? (David: Seven pair.) (Techi: 14 animals.)

         27. (Verse 21:) "And the Lord smelled a sweet savour." These offerings that they offered on altars, do you know what they did with them afterwards? (Techi: They ate them!) Right! So Noah was having a barbecue! (Techi: Amazing! It must have been hard to sacrifice animals that could talk to you & that you'd been friends with all your life.) After this I don't think that they could do that any more. (Techi: Yes, but having to eat animals that you'd been able to talk to, it would almost have been like eating humans!) Well, it's a good thing you weren't there, Honey, because you have such a tender heart.

God's Promise Not to Curse the Earth!

         28. "And the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for Man's sake; for the imagination of Man's heart is evil from his youth." (David: In other words, it didn't help.) It's no use! It didn't do any good! (David: It's going to keep happening!) Yes. It's like the Days of Noah again now, & this time the Lord is going to settle it for sure!

         29. "Neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done." In other words, He's not going to wipe everybody & everything out with a Flood. (Techi: But He will, though, later with fire.) (Heb.12:29; 2Pet. 3:12.) Well, He's not going to smite everything, because look at all the people He's going to save in the Millennium from the fire of the forces of Gog & Magog!--Rev.20:9.

         30. (Verse 22:) "While the Earth remaineth, seedtime & harvest, & cold & heat, & Summer & Winter, & day & night shall not cease." That completely blows up that global warming theory! They say it's going to get so hot it's going to melt all the icebergs & the polar caps & cause the level of the sea to rise so far, & then it's going to wipe everything out, blah blah blah! But the Lord says, "Seedtime & harvest, & cold & heat, & Summer & Winter, & day & night shall not cease." (Techi: That probably would happen if Jesus didn't come though!) Oh yes! So that's why He's going to come, He's gotta come! He's gotta come soon or Man would completely wreck the Earth!

Closing Prayer!

         31. All righty! Do you think you learned anything tonight? (Kids: Oh, yes!) Do you think you can remember some of it? (Kids: Yes!) I hope so, because that's what it's all about! And your homework tonight will be to study for the test tomorrow! OK? Praise the Lord! Shall we pray a little closing prayer?

         32. (David: Thank You Lord for our good class! Thank You for all we learned, Lord, about Genesis 8 & this study on the Flood & Noah. We really thank You for this time & how You've been working it out for us to have these Bible classes. Thank You for how they're so educational & we learn so much from them, things that we never even knew before, Jesus. We pray that You'll bless the rest of this night too, Lord, in Jesus' name. Thank You Lord!) Amen! Praise the Lord! God bless you!