Noah and his family have left the ark. They are embarking on a new life blessed by God, as the human race starts over from a cataclysmic flood that had destroyed everyone and everything on earth. But, shortly after Noah's departure, he involves himself in some serious moral decisions that render his compromised, which then opens the door for one of his sons, Ham, to act immorally. After Noah finds out what his son did to him, a curse is announced against Ham's progeny, which will turn out to be a further moral problem for the nation of Israel later on. Noah ends up living until he is 950 years old, but the infamy of his decision neutralizes any further word about his success as a man of God, for nothing is heard about him during his final 350 years of life.

The earth and all its inhabitants have been destroy with the exception of Noah and his family. God has re-positioned mankind whereby the extreme corruption and violence has been judged and it can now start-over. That said, God also has determined that because of the inherent wickedness in man due to sin, "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21). Yet, God will not destroy the man and the earth with a flood again. So, he establishes a covenant with Noah, communicating His intent (Gen 9:11). Evidence that God will remember his covenant with Noah will be seen in the sky when it rains. There will be a rainbow. Not only will the rainbow be beautiful for its physical appearance, it will be beautiful for its promise that God, who is rich in grace, mercy, and long suffering, will not immediately, nor totally, punish man's sin with another worldwide, cataclysmic flood. It is not to say that God's wrath will not be exhibited on the earth, or that man will not suffer from God's wrath, but simply that it will not be as all-encompassing as it was before. That will be reserved for later, as the Apostle Paul predicted in 2 Peter 3, when judgment comes by fire.

In Genesis 7, God warned Noah of an impending flood that would destroy all of humanity, as well as every breathing thing on the face of the earth. He gave Noah 120 years to build an ark, and only those within the ark would be spared the wrath of God's judgment. Noah builds the ark and then came the flooding deluge. In Genesis 8, Noah and his family ride out the tribulational waters, but eventually, after several months, the waters recede. Noah keeps checking to see when the ground was dry enough to exit the ark. Finally, after over a year on the ark, God instructs Noah, his family, and all the animals to leave. They were commanded, as Adam and Eve were, to "be fruitful and multiply on the earth." It was a re-creational moment. A new beginning for humanity. Noah's first act, though, was to worship God, which led God to covenant with Noah that He would never destroy the earth again with a flood. Why? Because God knew that "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth," which is an indictment in itself, given the infection and influence that sin would still have over the human race. In the meantime, as long as the earth remains, "seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22).

The earth has become corrupted to the point where God has decided to destroy all of mankind and all breathing animals and creatures. The only exception is Noah's family; eight individuals in total. It is a sad day, but an inevitable day, lest God in his person and his justice be mocked to the degree where God denies himself. And yet, God is not mocked, nor will he tolerate the evil that mankind has descended. Therefore, a flood of catastrophic proportions deluges the earth, thereby wiping away all the mockers, perverts, and demon worshipers. God will start over with Noah, his wife, and his son's wives, as the remnant from a society of humans gone terribly wrong.

Mankind has become so corrupted and violent that God has decided to destroy it and everything else He has created upon the earth. The exception being Noah, whom God has not only "found favor," but is seen as righteous and blameless before God. Through Noah God is going to re-do what He created in the beginning, except this time God is going to leave it up to Noah and his family to fill the earth. Of course, in order to get through the impending catastrophe, Noah will need to build a really large boat—an ark. Only those on the ark will be allowed to survive the worldwide flood that God is about to let loose upon the earth. The ark becomes a type of Jesus Christ, or the only place of refuge to escape God's wrath, whether personally, corporately, or cosmically. Because of Noah's faithfulness, he builds the ark according to specifications: "he did all that God commanded him" (v. 22).

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It would not be long after the human race began to fulfill God's command to be fruitful and multiple that it would descend into the darkness of depravity and rebellion against God. Mixed marriages between "the son of God" and "the daughters of men," as well, "every intention of the thoughts of [man's] heart was only evil continually," serve as prime example of the corruption. Attack the sanctity of marriage and before long the whole human form of government devolves into tyrannical dictatorships ("giants in the land) and oppressive governments, whereby God is only left with having to destroy humanity. Genesis 6:1-8 gives us a glimpse into the human condition even today. Humanity, today, would be doing itself a favor to pay attention to the narrative, as it continues to repeat its sordid history without learning it.

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Let's talk about Adam's family. No, not The Addam's Family with Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, and Lurch. But, Adam, as in Adam and Eve. A very truncated discussion of Adam's progeny is found in Genesis Chapter 5, starting, obviously, with Adam and ending with Noah. Mainly, it is the godly side of Adam's lineage that is in view, as opposed to the ungodly side found in Genesis Chapter 4. The account extends for about 8,000 years and discusses the main characters that will ultimate show up in the Messianic genealogy found in Luke Chapter 3. One recurring theme is pointed out in Genesis 5 and it is this: "and he died." Although all the characters mentioned are fairly prolific in producing children and living extraordinarily long lives, each character dies. That is, except one, who is Enoch. Enoch "walks with God," as a fire and brimstone preacher, and manages to escape God, for God "took him." Other than that, every "father" dies, which hearkens back to God's warning that if Adam chose to disobey God in eating of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, "dying you shall surely die." That said, and even though Genesis 5 records the godly lineage of Adam, sin is still having a dire effect upon humanity and Noah is looked forward to as a reprieve. That "rest" will come, although probably not in the way hoped, for later things will get so bad on earth, morally, spiritually, and civilly, that God will have to destroy the human population, minus eight individuals.

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Sin is not done in a vacuum, and the extent of sin's effective is often long-lasting and diverse. Such was the case of the first murderer, Cain. After being convicted and judged by God, he leaves the realm of the Eden, starts a family, builds a city, and then manages to influences his offspring to commit further acts of perversion against God, starting with an attack up the sanctity of marriage. Lamech, one of Cain's great, great, great, grandson's takes after him by becoming the Bible's first recorded polygamist. He would set the tone for later and even more perverse attacks upon human relationships, but upon human religiosity, as well. How so? By obligating God to do for him in a seventy-fold way what God did to preserve Cain, even though God was not obligated to Lamech at all! In this short passage, Genesis 4:17-26, are a plethora of examples and lessons we can all learn from, as we all often attempt to obligate God to do things our way, many times under the misconception of "love."

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