Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Genesis
Book: Genesis
Chapter: 7
Overview:
Noah, and his family and the
Living creatures, enter the
Ark,
and the
Flood begins.
(1-12) Noah shut in the
Ark.
(13-16) The
increase of the
Flood for forty days.
(17-20) All
Flesh is
destroyed
By the
Flood.
(21-24)
1-12 The
Call to
Noah is very kind, like that of a tender
Father to his children to come in-
Doors when he sees night or a
storm coming.
Noah did not go into the
Ark till
God bade him,
though he knew it was to be his place of
Refuge. It is very
comfortable to see
God going before us in every step we take.
Noah had taken a great
Deal of pains to build the
Ark, and now
he was himself kept alive in it. What we do in obedience to the
command of
God, and in
Faith, we ourselves shall certainly have
the comfort of, first or last. This
Call to
Noah reminds us of
the
Call the
Gospel gives to
Poor sinners.
Christ is an
Ark, in
whom alone we can be safe, when
Death and
Judgment approach. The
Word says, "Come;" ministers say, "Come;" the
Spirit says,
"Come, come into the
Ark."
Noah was accounted righteous, not for
his own
Righteousness, but as an
Heir of the
Righteousness which
is
By Faith, Heb 11:7. He believed the
Revelation of a
Saviour, and sought and expected
Salvation through Him alone.
Thus was he justified
By Faith, and received that
Spirit whose
Fruit is in all
Goodness; but if any
Man have not the
Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. After the hundred and twenty years,
God granted
Seven days' longer space for
Repentance. But these
Seven days were trifled away, like all the
Rest. It shall be but
Seven days. They had only one
Week more, one
Sabbath more to
improve, and to consider the things that belonged to their
peace. But it is common for those who have been careless of
their souls during the years of their health, when they have
looked upon
Death at a distance, to be as careless during the
days, the few days of their sickness, when they see
Death
approaching; their hearts being hardened
By the deceitfulness of
Sin. As
Noah prepared the
Ark By Faith in the warning given that
the
Flood would come,
So he went into it,
By Faith in this
warning that it would come quickly. And
On the
Day Noah was
securely fixed in the
Ark, the fountains of the great
Deep were
broken up. The
Earth had within it those waters, which, at
God's
command, sprang up and flooded it; and thus our bodies have in
themselves those humours, which, when
God pleases, become the
seeds and springs of mortal diseases. The windows of
Heaven were
opened, and the waters which were above the
Firmament, that is,
in the
Air, were poured out upon the
Earth. The
Rain comes down
in drops; but such rains fell then, as were never known before
or since. It rained without stop or abatement, forty days and
forty nights, upon the whole
Earth at once. As there was a
Peculiar Exercise of the almighty power of
God in causing the
Flood, it is vain and presumptuous to attempt explaining the
method of it,
By human
Wisdom.
13-16 The ravenous creatures were made mild and manageable;
yet, when this occasion was over, they were of the same kind as
before; for the
Ark did not alter their natures. Hypocrites in
the
Church, who outwardly conform to the laws of that
Ark, are
yet unchanged; and it will appear, one time or other, what kind
they are after.
God continued his care of
Noah.
God shut the
door, to secure him and keep him safe in the
Ark; also to keep
all others for ever out. In what manner this was done,
God has
not been pleased to make known. There is much of our
Gospel duty
and privilege to be seen in
Noah's safety in the
Ark. The
Apostle makes it a
Type of
Christian Baptism, 1Pe 3:20,21.
Observe then, it is our great duty, in obedience to the
Gospel
Call,
By a lively
Faith in
Christ, to come into that way of
Salvation which
God has provided for
Poor sinners. Those that
come into the
Ark, should bring as many as they can with them,
By good instructions,
By persuasions, and
By good examples.
There is room enough in
Christ for all comers.
God Put Adam into
Paradise, but did not shut him in,
So he threw himself out; but
when
God Put Noah into the
Ark, and
So when he brings a soul to
Christ, the
Salvation is sure: it is not in our own keeping, but
in the
Mediator's
Hand. But the door of
Mercy will shortly be
shut against those that now make
Light of it.
Knock now, and it
shall be opened, Lu 13:25.
17-20 The
Flood was increasing forty days. The waters
Rose So
high, that the tops of the highest mountains were overflowed
more than twenty feet. There is
No place
On Earth So high as to
set men out of the reach of
God's judgments.
God's
Hand will
find out all his enemies, Ps 21:8. When the
Flood thus
increased,
Noah's
Ark was lifted up, and the waters which broke
down every thing else, bore up the
Ark. That which to
unbelievers betokens
Death unto
Death, to the
Faithful betokens
Life unto
Life.
21-24 All the men, women, and children, that were in the world,
excepting those in the
Ark, died. We may easily imagine what
terror seized them. Our
Saviour tells us, that till the very
Day
that the
Flood came, they were
Eating and drinking, Lu
17:26,27; they were deaf and
Blind to all Divine warnings. In
this posture
Death surprised them. They were convinced of their
folly when it was too late. We may suppose they tried all ways
and means possible to save themselves, but all in vain. And
those that are not found in
Christ, the
Ark, are certainly
undone, undone for ever. Let us pause, and consider this
tremendous
Judgment! Who can stand before the
Lord when he is
angry? The
Sin of sinners will be their ruin, first or last, if
not repented of. The righteous
God knows how to bring ruin upon
the world of the ungodly, 2Pe 2:5. How tremendous will be the
Day of
Judgment and perdition of ungodly men! Happy they who are
part of
Christ's family, and safe with him as such; they may
look forward without dismay, and rejoice that they shall
triumph, when
Fire shall burn up the
Earth, and all that therein
is. We are apt to suppose some favourable distinctions in our
own case or character; but if we neglect, refuse, or abuse the
Salvation of
Christ, we shall, notwithstanding such fancied
advantages, be destroyed in the common ruin of an unbelieving
world.