LESSON 4 – NOAH, THE RIGHTEOUS MAN

As time passed, the Earth was filled with people. The Lord saw the wickedness in people’s actions and how their thoughts were evil. This made God very sad in His heart.

God said, “I will destroy the man, whom I created, from the face of the Earth.”

There was an honest and innocent man, named Noah, who lived in those times. Noah and his family believed in God and followed God’s path. God decided to protect Noah and his family.

God gave directions to Noah to build an ark of gopherwood. Noah obeyed and did what God asked him to. The ark was divided into three decks. A small door was on the top of the ark.

Noah, his wife, their sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and the three wives of his sons entered the ark.

God also asked Noah to take two of each animal — a male and a female — into the ark. The food required for the animals was also carried by Noah.

Once the ark was filled, there was rain. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The door of the ark was closed by God to protect everyone inside. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills were covered with water. All the living things on the earth were destroyed. The flood lasted on earth for one hundred fifty days. God made a wind pass over the earth and the rain started to slow down. It finally stopped raining.

At the end of the one hundred fifty days, the waters decreased. Noah opened the window of the ark and sent out a raven through the window. The raven kept going to and from until the waters had dried up from the earth. Then Noah sent out a dove. But the dove could not find any place to rest because of the water, so it flew back to the ark. After seven days, Noah sent the dove out from the ark again. The dove came to him with a freshly plucked olive leaf. He waited another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return to him anymore. The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

According to the command of God, every living being in the ark came out. Noah then built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled a soothing aroma.