DAY 4

NOAH AND THE FLOOD
 
Noah did everything the Lord commanded Him to do.
-Genesis 7:5

PAUSE
After the first sin, almost everyone in the world was living in disobedience to God. But there was one man who loved and obeyed God. His name was Noah, and God had a special plan for him. God told Noah that a storm was going to flood the earth and wash away all sin. He told Noah to build a big boat called an ark.  God said Noah’s family would be safe from the storm inside the ark. God also told Noah that He was going to send two of every kind of animal to the ark. So, even though there had never been rain before, and even though people thought he was crazy, Noah decided he cared more about what God thought than what people thought.  He obeyed and built the ark.  Once it was ready, Noah’s family and all the animals climbed inside, and God closed the door. Then, just as God said, it rained for forty days and forty nights and the land was flooded, but Noah and his family were safe the entire time. When the rain stopped and the sun came out, Noah sent a dove to explore. The dove came back with an olive branch, meaning there was a living tree and dry land for them. Noah praised God for keeping His promise. Then God revealed a rainbow in the sky and made another promise: He would never flood the earth again. Even though people would still choose to disobey Him, God was planning to send Jesus to flood the people’s hearts with forgiveness and mercy, giving them “new” hearts.

DISCUSSION
What obstacles to obeying God do you see in your life?
How will you persevere as Noah did?

PRAY
Thank you, God, for giving us Noah as an example of obedience, and thank you for sending a rainbow as a physical sign of your promise to us. Finally, thank you for sending Jesus so that we can be with you forever. Amen.

FAMILY ACTIVITY
Get a box and pretend it’s an ark. Gather your child’s stuffed animals and have someone pretend to be Noah and walk all the animals into the ark.