Genesis 7:16
And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
Tag: God is Sovereign Over Who Enters the Ark
When we read the story of Noah and The Ark, we sometimes forget that this is a story of judgment on mankind. We get caught up in the “ark” portion we allow the “wrath” portion to go to the back of our minds. God is judging mankind for their sins and failure to repent. He is destroying everything on the earth. When Noah and his family entered The Ark, God is said to have shut the door. This is not because of the size of the door, but rather the authority of Who determines who is saved and who is destroyed. God sent a message to Noah to build The Ark and to save his family. So Noah obeyed and built The Ark. Peter tells us that Noah also preached to those around him:
2 Peter 2:5
if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
God is in charge with this operation. God designed it and God carried it out. Man had only to be obedient to God’s commands. It was that simple. God was responsible for everything else. Once Noah and his family obeyed by building The Ark and entering The Ark, God would shit them in. They would be safe and secure. By shutting them in, God shut the rest of mankind out. That seems unkind and unloving. But, remember it probably took Noah 50-75 years to build The Ark. that is 50-75 years of God being patient and waiting for man to repent. They heard Noah preach. They watched Noah build. They felt the beginning rain (perhaps for a week before the door was shut). Yet, man did not turn to God. Noah could build. Noah could preach. Noah could stock the shelves with food. Noah could count the animals. But, Noah could not keep the door open. God was sovereign over His plan and He choose to shut the door. Today God offers Christ to all. But men refuse to accept God’s salvation from judgment. God is sovereign - but man has a responsibility to respond by faith.
Here is one commentator’s thoughts:
15-16 Repeats v 9, but more fully. "Of all flesh in … life": cf. 6:17; 7:22. Note the threefold repetition of "come in," "enter". A great stream of male and female creatures enters the ark invisibly controlled. These last two clauses, "as God had commanded him … the Lord shut him in," point to the divine director behind the operation.
Gilgamesh (11:93) mentions that Utnapishtim shut the door. Genesis, by ascribing this action to the Lord, reiterates that Noah was saved by divine grace, not by his wisdom or heroic efforts.
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