Genesis7_1-5

Genesis 7:1-5

And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

For 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.

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

It was a serious situation in that generation, because there was only one person — Noah — who was righteous before God. It was similar to the time of Lot, when Jehovah intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah; there were fewer than ten righteous people in that city (Genesis 18:32). Therefore, God was compelled to destroy that generation. However, for the sake of righteous people, God would withhold His punishment from the wicked people living on the earth. If God had done nothing, the earth would have been filled with wicked and evil people devoid of righteousness, and no one would have carried out the plan of God. It is wise to live among righteous people, as it can protect you from certain disasters or accidents.

Meanwhile, God’s salvation extended to other creatures, especially the clean ones. They were taken in groups of seven to survive. What God favors is righteousness and cleanness. So we should pursue righteousness and holiness. We should not act wickedly or deceitfully toward others, but rather keep our actions and minds clean.

What God did was according to His timing. The seven days may indicate the last seven years before the second and final destruction at the end of the world. The forty days and forty nights may represent the experience of Jesus(“ark”), who was tempted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness by Satan.

The time is coming — we should be watchful!