Boys and girls, in the Bible there are a lot of boats! As you can see:
- King Solomon had an enormous fleet bringing all sorts of goods and animals (1 Kings 10:22)
- Jonah fleeth with a ship from the Lord (so he thought). (Jonah 1:3)
- A few important events in the lives of the disciples happened on a ship. Think about the tempest on the sea of Tiberias, that was quite a storm, wasn’t it! And what about the miraculous draught of fish!
- The apostle Paul made far journeys, also by boat, to preach the gospel. Even as a prisoner. (for example in Acts 27.)
Even the last book of the Bible, The Revelation, speaks about ships and sailors. (Revelation 18:17)
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Christ in the storm on the Lake Galilee
(1633, Rembrandt van Rijn) |
Roman Tradeship in Pauls days. |
In the past boats have been very important and they are nowadays as well. Ships were used for fishing, as a tradeship or as a battleship. ( Even then they knew very well what fighting was!) Maybe you have a boat at home to sail with. Nice isn’t it! But:.... Do you know that the first boat mentioned in the Bible is the ark of Noah? And that Noah’s ark is also the biggest boat in the Bible? So the ark must be a very special boat! If you want to know more, then you should read on!
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9
You can read the history of the ark in the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 6-8. It took place about 5000-7000 years ago. The ark was 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in breadth and 30 cubits high. A cubit is a measure from the elbow to the top of the fingers, and it is different from man tot man. How longer your arms, how longer the cubit. The measure diverges from 50-75 centimeter. ( ± 20-30 inch) If we take the smallest size (50 cm, 20 inch) we will get the following measures:
- Length 300 cubits = 150 meter (±6000 inch)
- Breadth 50 cubits = 25 meter (±1000 inch)
- Height 30 cubits = 15 meter (± 600 inch) (Read about it in Genesis 6:15)
Can you imagine how big that is? 1,5 footballpitch long and as high as a block of flats with 6 storeys. Wasn’t it a colossal ship?
‘Make thee an ark of gopher wood’ Genesis 6:14
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| Lifeboat of the R.M.S Titanic |
A cross section of the Titanic, the largest cruiseship of that time. |
| Can you count the people in it? |
This ship sank when the sea was very calm! |
The Flood in Noah’s time didn’t came by coinsidence, no God himself did it. Because the Bible tells us: GOD = LIGHT. This means that God is holy. and because God is holy, He has to punish the wrong things, the sins. God has to judge the sins, and he has to punish. That happened with Noah and the Flood. The Flood was a punishment for the sins of men. This is something to be afraid of is it not? Because.... we’re allso sinners, we’re allso doing things wrong! Is there no way then to escape from the punishment?
YES THERE IS! Because the Bible allso tells us: GOD = LOVE, and that God wants to save people. That’s why Noah had to build an ark. (estemated time of constrution was about 120 years! Genesis 6:3)
And now a question for all the boys and girls: Do you know who is the ‘ark’ in our days, who xan save us? Read it in St. John 3:16!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John 3:16
God says: ‘whosoever’, that is allso ment for you!!
Some interesting details about Noah’s ark:
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- Made of gopherwood
- 3 storeys
- with stables/rooms for the animals
- one opening for the light and only one door
- pitched from inside and outside (made watertight)
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Maybe are the things I now am about to say a bit difficult, but I want to show the similarty between Jesus Christ and Noah’s ark.
- Gopherwood: The Lord Jesus is compared with wood (St. Luke 23 verse 31)
- 3 Storeys: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ’ The way, the truth and the life are 3 things. (St. John 14 verse 6)
- Stables/rooms: ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions’ (St. John 14 verse 2)
- Opening for the light: ‘I am the light of the world’ (St.John 8 verse 12)
- One door: ‘I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.’ (St. John 10:9)
- Two sides pitched: ‘neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me is greater then all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.’ (So...double save!) This is in St. John 10 verse 28 and 29.
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Genesis 6:22
We don’t read about it in the bible, but there is no doubt that Noah must have had help with the construction of the ark. Maybe his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth helped him. It is great when (little and grown-up) childeren help their father (and mother). Aspecially when it is about serving the LORD. But averything had to happen with defective tools, and they didn’t have any electricity then! Imagine you have trees of 30 centimeters thick and 10 meter long. For the construction of exterior of the ark you would need 5000 trees. Do the maths if you can! And then you still wouldn’t have the stables and rooms for the animals....
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| Something like this. |
Or perhaps this one? |
Boys and girls, do you know that in Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) the word ‘ark’ just ‘box’ means. The same word is used by the bulrushes ark of Moses, that allso had to be pitched like Noah’s ark. (Exodus 2:3)
That’s why we assume that the ark (box) was straight at the front and the back, and that’s easier than a round bow. Due to the box-a-like form of the ark, it was more stable on the waves of the Flood.
Noah must have been a fine carpenter, but God must have given him wisdom to build all this. Just as it happend with the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 31 verse 3 & 4) Because from a technical view the ark was a real piece of art.
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There was only one door to enter. |
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. Genesis 7:1
Who went in the ark?
- Flying animals (7 pairs of every sort)
- Landanimals (impure 1 pair, pure 7 pair of every sort)
- (In Leviticus 11, are the lists of the clean and unclean beasts.)
- No animals from the sea,
 a lot of people??.....NO, ONLY 8!
That isn’t much! Only Naoh, his wife, their 3 sons and their wifes went in the ark. Look a the animals went in the ark temselves. (Genesis 7 verse 15), they listened to God, their Creator, whether they would or not. Think about the ravens of Elijah and the whale in the history of Jonah, they had to obey!
But God gave men the possibility to choose, wether they would like to obey God. And apart from the family of Noah nobody listened tot God....
And then, when the Flood came it was too late. The door was closed and woldn’t open again. I hope that you who read this, will listen to God, Who speaks to us through the Bible. You won’t regret it, never!
And the people laughed at Noah, and they mocked him……
But I ask you: Who was right, Noah or all those others?
In our days a lot of people don’t bevlieve in God and in the Lord Jesus. Are they right?
Read what the Bible has to say in St. Luke 17:26 and 27. When Christ returns it will be just as it was in the days of Noah.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (St. Luke 17:26 and 27)
We read in the Bible: ‘God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Timothy 2:4). And: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Not a ‘few’ but ‘all’ can be saved. Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven!!! (St. Matthew 9:14)
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After the door was closed the chance of salvation was gone!! |
JOURNEY OF THE ARK (DURING THE FLOOD)
Noah must have had a lot of food in the ark! Read Genesis 6:21: ‘And 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.’
How long was the journey of the ark? Join me in the maths:
- Genesis 7:11 Start of the Flood in the 2nd month on the 17th day. Noah is 600 years old
- Genesis 7:12 40 days of heavy rain: all the fountains of the great deep and the windows of heaven were opened.
- Genesis 7:24 For 150 days nothing of the earth could be seen
- Genesis 8:4 The ark rested opun the mountains of Ararat, 7th month, 17th day = 5 months after the start of the Flood
- Genesis 8:5 The tops of the mountains were seen on the 1st day of the 10th month. ( about 7,5 month after the start of the Flood)
- Genesis 8:6 a raven sent from the ark. 11th month, 10th day. 9 month after the start.
- Genesis 8:13 the water is gone. 1st month, 1st day. About 10,5 months after the start.
- Genesis 8:14 The earth is dry 2nd month, 27nd day. 1year en 10 days after the start of the Flood
When we presume that Noah and his family (after the command of God) really left the ark that day, it would mean that we have been in the ark for 1year and 10 days!
(if your quick at figures: if we count the 7 days from Genesis 7 verse 10 as well another week has to be added.)
(Genesis 6 : 18 ) and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Who would have thought… in the ark for such a long time.
And it is also proved that they were safe in het ark, GOD had kept His word, as always.
Out of the ark, now what?
 Did you ever wonder why Noah set 2 birds, a raven and a dove free? Maybe because of this: Noah couldn’t see from the mountain, on wich the ark lay, if the earth was dry again ( if the earth was still covered in water) The raven, who eats meat, would have found enough food (cadavers) to eat and didn’t return to the ark. But a dove doesn’t eat meat and came back again and again untill there was growing food for her again. That’s how Noah found out that the earht was dry ( that the water was gone). Then he opened the door. He would have been very curious about the ‘new earth’,don’t you think?
But only after GOD told them to (Genesis 8 verse 15) Noah and the others went outside. He kept obeying GOD and that’s the way it should be.
 Do you think they went for a long walk? They were probably very amazed when they looked around. The whole earth looked new!
Of course the animals left the ark too. Maybe all Noah and the others had to do was opening the doors of the cages and led GOD the animals outside, like HE brought them into the ark before. (Genises 7 verse 15) That must have been a wonderful sight. Can you imagine that Noah was very happy and grateful towards GOD? Noah and his family were saved from / rescued from the judgement, by the grace of GOD! That’s why Noah went to thank GOD.
GOD didn’t tell him to do so, but Noah’s heart was filled with admiration and gratefullness that he wanted to thank GOD. That’s why he built an altar (made out of earth or stones) and sacrificied clean animals to GOD. Not once, no of all the clean cattle and birds (and there were quite a lot of them) Noah made many sacrifices. That’s how Noah was able to show his gratitude to GOD.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15
Gratitude, a lot of gratitude, is that something your familiar with? I surely hope so. There’s no need for us to sacrifice animals anymore, that only happened long ago. It’s a lot easier for us, we can talk to GOD just like that (praying) or sing HIM praise. Don’t forget!
THE RAINBOW
 There is always a rainbow around the throne of God. (Revelations 4 verse 3) On the earth however, the rainbow is sometimes seen. Only when the sun is shining in the rain, or when it has rained. In the clouds, first the carriers of judgement (the rain) is now the visible sign of faithfulness of God shown.
Do you think Noah was scared when he saw the clouds, and would he have thought that it would again for 40 days and nights? And would God have given the rainbow as a sign of his promise to Noah? (Genesis 9 verse 13)
That God does what He promises to Noah, and he shows through the sign of the rainbow in the sky. God promised that the earth would never see a a flood like this one, one that destroys everything. Every time Noah saw the rainbow (and that was probarly very often) he remembered the promise of God, Who always does what he says.
Do you know the secret of the rainbow as well? How often did you see it? Nice isn’t it, all those colors, as would it be a connection between heaven and earth.
We allso have promises of God, they are in a Book, the Bible. It is best if you read a lot in it, even when you don’t understand everything. When you read you will feel happy inside. If you read one of the gospels, for example the gospel of St. John you will learn a lot about the Lord Jesus, and that the most beautifal thing there is.
Read in your Bible, pray every day, if you want to grow!
Just like the song:
Read your Bible, pray every day
Pray every day, pray every day
Read your Bible, pray every day
if you want to grow!
if you want to grow!
if you want to gro-o-o-ow!
Read your Bible, pray every day
if you want to grow!
ABOUT THE MAN NOAH
 Some details about Noah himself. Genesis 5 verse 29 speaks about his birth. His name means rest and comfort. His fathers name was Lamech, he was 182 years old when Noah was born. He became 777 years old and died 5 years before the Flood. Do the maths! The grandfather of Noah was Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived on this earth, 969 years old. He died the year the Flood came. The greatgrandfather of Noah was Enoch, he walked with God and he was gone, for God took him.
 It must have been a special family, don’t you agree? Noah had brothers and sisters (see Genesis 5 verse 30) however none of them went in to the ark. Coming from a religous family was not a garantee that they would al so be saved by the ark. No, they had to believe in God themselves.
Because your parents are christians doesn’t mean that you are necessaraly a believer as well! Being a christian is a personal matter, you have to realize that! Are you realizing that already, do you know that you are save inside the ark. Do you know that the Lord Jesus died for your sins as well on the cross of Golgotha, and do you thank Him for that? Because only with Him you are save.
Do you remeber St. John 3 verse 16?
Thank you for reading this page. I hope you have enjoyed reading it, and that it was useful. Bye bye.
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