Wednesday, October 8, 2014

God Floods the Earth

Genesis 7-8; 9:8-16 (summarized)


When everyone was in the ark God shut the door.  Then the rain started.  The Bible makes it sound like the rain came from the clouds and that there was also water coming up from the ground.  So everything probably was covered pretty quickly.
The floods kept coming for 40 whole days!  The ark floated on the water and all the high mountains were completely covered with water.  Every living thing died on the earth that wasn't in the ark. 
So the rain came for 40 days and nights but when it stopped Noah and the animals couldn't just leave the ark.  There was too much water and no land for them to walk on, everything was covered.  The waters flooded the earth for one hundred and fifty days, which is about five months.
God remembered Noah and all that was in the ark so he sent a wind to help dry the earth.  Finally in the seventh month after the floods had stopped the ark rested on the top of a mountain.
A little while after that (40 days) Noah opened a window he had made for the ark and probably let in some fresh air!  Ha!  Even more importantly he let a raven out.  It would fly back and forth to the ark until the water had dried.
Then he sent out a dove but the dove couldn't find any place to go.  He waited a week and then sent the dove out again.  This time the dove came back with an olive leaf which meant the waters had gone down.  He waited one more week and let the dove out again and this time it didn't return.
From the way the Bible describes Noah, his family and the animals were in the boat for just over a year or 370 days!  That's a long time to be on a boat with all those animals!
When the earth had dried up enough God told Noah that everyone could get out of the boat.  That probably was a very happy day!  Maybe a little uncertain as well.  There would be no one but them on earth and they would have to start all over building a house, collecting food. 
Then Noah built an altar to thank God for keeping them safe.  When God saw what Noah had done he told Noah that he would never again curse the ground even if people became very bad.  Then he made his official covenant with Noah and with all the animals.  God would never bring a flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the whole earth again.
Then he gave them a sign for everyone to see this promise.  He put a rainbow in the sky and that's to remind us of the promise God made to Noah, the animals and us today!

Discussion Questions


  • How long did it rain? 40 days and nights
  • What did Noah let out of the ark to check for dry land? A Dove
  • When the Dove went out the second time what did it bring back to show there was dry land?  An olive leaf
  • What did God put in the sky to remind us he would never flood the earth again? A rainbow


Prayer


Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Noah and teaching us you never lie.  Please help us to tell truth every day.  Amen.


Bible Verse for October


“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength.” 
Deuteronomy 6:5


Outdoor Family Fun

Take advantage of a sunny day by having your child help you water the yard.  As you do, talk about how the rainbow was God’s promise that he would never destroy the whole earth again.  Enjoy making rainbows together as you talk.  To make a rainbow stand with your back to the sun and spray a fine mist of water with your garden hose.  You should see God’s beautiful rainbow through your pretend raindrops.


Homespun idea

Make sugar cookies with your preschooler (prepared cookie dough can be purchased in your grocery store).  Help your child roll the dough into a ball, push it flat, and then shape one side so the cookie looks like a flat raindrop.  Your preschooler can then sprinkle cookies with blue sugar crystals (available in the baking section of your grocery store).  Bake according to directions.



Daily Challenge

This week, your child learned that God never lies.  Encourage your child to  commit to one of the following  challenges to remember God’s promise.  Help your child weave faith into life this week and follow through on the challenges.

  • Thank God before each meal for giving you food to eat, a house to live in, and clothes to wear.
  • When you see a rainbow, tell someone about how God never lies.
  • Draw a small rainbow and put it in your pocket.  Each time you see or feel it, remember that God always does what he says he’ll do.