God’s Protection for Those Who Are Righteous and Follow His Direction
Evil was sown into the earth with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That evil grew to engulf every human being on earth, except Noah. For more insight into the many ways satan seeks to do evil to God’s creation, read the First and Second Books of Adam and Eve from the Apocrypha, books that were included in the King James Bible in 1611.
Back to Genesis. Noah and his family are the only ones who maintained their righteousness to God. They avoided the evil of the earth facilitated by satan and fostered by the fallen angels. Similar to John’s prophesy in Revelation, God gives warning to Noah.
13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. – Genesis 6:13 KJV
17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19And 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. 20Of 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. 21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. – Genesis 6:17-22 KJV
The elements of this story are simple. God gives warning to Noah. He tells him what will happen. God provides direction for what Noah is to do to survive the flood with his sons, their wives and God’s chosen creatures. Twice in these verses, God calls out the extent of the destruction that is going to take place on “all flesh” on earth. But in verse 18, the beauty of a relationship with God is displayed. “But with thee will I establish my covenant.” God gives hope to Noah, just as the new heaven and the new earth bring hope in Revelation. There will be new life after the flood in Genesis, just as the saints and followers of Christ will see new life after the complete destruction of the current heaven and earth. God has a plan for nourishing Noah and his family during their time on the ark, just as He created a place in the wilderness for the woman in Revelation to be mourished for a time, times and half time.
Verse 22 provides a critical component to this story. Noah followed God’s command so closely, the final verse of this passage says it twice, “Thus did Noah” and “so did he.” Noah did not debate God. He did as he was told. Regardless of what others on earth may have thought, Noah had a close, personal relationship with God and his heart was to follow.
4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. – Genesis 7:4-5 KJV
God again tells Noah what will happenand what he needs to do, but this time with more detail. It will start in seven days and will continue for forty days and forty nights. Then again, scripture documents Noah’s obedience. He listened to God, built the ark and now God is giving him more specifics. We see this in our own lives too. When God shares something with us, we follow and then God shares more. The story of Noah continues.
18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. – Genesis 7:18 KJV
It is unclear from scripture if the ark tossed and turned under the power of the waves crashing on the earth or if God provided a smooth rising of the ark on top of the water. Regardless, Noah knew he had done as commanded and God reinforced Noah’s understanding of those steps along the way. Noah may have felt like he was at risk in a vessel that could break apart with the next wave, but he did not need to fear. He was God’s righteous servant and God had the power and desire to protect him, his immediate family and the animals. Noah and God had a trusted relationship before the flood, before the covenant. Noah had confidence as he clung to God and His ways during that time physical turmoil and shaking, knowing confidently that God’s promise of a covenant would come to fruition.
During COVID, I heard a comparison that resonated deeply with me. We were all in the same storm, but we were not all in the same boat. The hardships of that period resulted in great loss for many. Yet, there was another side of that storm too. Many ministries true to God and His Word expanded and flourished. Earthly hardship intending to destroy mankind was turned by God into open doors for heavenly intervention. COVID forced everyone to seek their own hearts, determine what they truly believed and valued. For many, this became a catalyst for God to move in each of our lives. If we choose with unscaled eyes to see and circumcised hearts and the ways of God, we will each experience growth in our relationship with God. The small choices to read God’s word and spend time with Him daily will lead to closer walks with the Lord that cannot be harmed by anything satan can throw at us on earth in the last days.
Remember, the story of the flood closes in beauty with the covenant between man and God.
8And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. – Genesis 9:8-17 KJV
God’s covenant with mankind is represented in the sky by a rainbow and any other use or representation is synonymous with the blasphemes that will be uttered by the beast described in Revelation. Rainbows appear on earth when there is rain with the beautiful sun shining through. The symbolism is vast. Through gray, dark times, there is still light and hope with God and His Son Jesus Christ for mankind on earth and ultimately our souls for eternity.
God promises every time the rainbow is in the sky to remember the covenant He has made with, “all flesh that is upon the earth.” God’s desire is to protect His people and when we see rainbows in the sky, we can trust and hold fast to that promise from a sovereign and loving God.
This singular event in scripture can be viewed from another angle. Like the breaking of a seal in Revelation, there is a single major event written of with many elements that may or may not be detailed later in other passages. In Genesis, it is a flood impacting the earth. There were many additional details and steps by Noah that led up to and were part of that event and aftermath. In the story of Noah, he was not taken up to be with God as Elijah and Enoch were, never to walk on earth again. His time on earth was not yet complete. He was given specific instruction and left on the earth, protected by God in God’s way, according to His plan.
The same way God protected Noah in the ark, He has the power to protect us and carry us through anything the evil one can throw at us on earth. We need to seek God’s plan, not our own as we face what according to scripture will be very treacherous and catastrophic time on earth. God will always be with His people to give hope. Regardless of the painful steps in the process, God will always be with us and our hope is ultimately in the resurrection of Christ, bringing our eternal salvation. Trust in those elements should always be first and foremost for each of us as times on earth shift.