Obedient Waters – Genesis 7:17-8:5

We continue to note particular aspects of the flood record in Genesis 6-9 which emphasize its significance in scripture. As in other 'event oracles', patterns of God's works are evident in this account. The great flood of Noah's day served immediately to satisfy the purposes of God in the destruction of the unrepentant wicked... yet it is continually referenced throughout scripture as a signal of God's character and works for the ages. Last time we noted according to the greater testimony of God's word, including references in Matthew 24 and II Peter 3, that the judgements of a sovereign God stand or fall with the flood. Consequently it stands to reason that unbelieving man seeks to dismiss the record of redemptive history evident even in the oceanic expanse, the fossil record, and natural history. He does so motivated by his unrepentant sin and thus offers alternative explanations, deliberately dismissing the historicity and significance of the great flood. By these means, he seeks plausible grounds to deny the ultimate judgements of God (II Peter 3:1-10). The Old Testament echoes these same themes. The Lord Himself appeals to the forces and limitations of nature interacting with Job, to inspire awe worthy of His name, and provide perspective in light of the vulnerability and finitude of mere created man (Job 38:8-11) – Equipped with this insight, we can chart the course of the flood waters of Genesis 7 and 8 recognizing the sovereign and saving hand of almighty God in history...