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         We begin in this chapter with the ending of the flooding, God remembered Noah and his family and the animals and made a wind to pass over the Earth that would make the waters subside and the rain stop. The ark rested on the seventh day of the seventh month. The number 7 is the biblical meaning of spiritual perfection. This was very important to keep in mind on when the time came to stop the flooding, when the timing was perfect in Gods eyes. His timing is always better than ours. He knows and sees things that we are unaware of. I can imagine being on an ark for 150 days would cause one to be impatient, but we need to learn that Gods timing is perfect and we need to learn to be patient when things seem to be dragging. Waiting can be difficult, but when we learn that His timing is better than ours then we can learn to endure our waiting periods with better patience. On the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were now seen.

        Noah sent out a raven to go back and forth till the water had dried from the earth, and a dove to see if the waters had receded form the face of the ground. The dove didn't find any dry land so Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove again, and the dove returned with an olive leaf. He did this again in another seven days, and this time the dove did not return showing that there was enough land to stay on. After Noah waited for Gods commands, God told Noah to go out of the ark, he and his family and take all the animals out as well. After Noah did this, he built an alter for the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and made an offering to the Lord’s altar. Then the Lord said He would never again curse the ground for man’s sake, even though the man’s heart is evil from his youth, he will never again destroy every living thing as he had just done.

        Noah saw that the land was dry enough to depart when the dove didn't come back, yet instead of thinking on his own reason and logic, he still waited for Gods guidance. This is very important, because we can think in reason and think logically to come up with the best solution based on our own reason, but when we do this we are not trusting in God or waiting for His guidance, instead we are taking things on our own merit.  It is important to always pray first, pray for Gods guidance and for His perfect solution so when you are trying to figure out problem, you are open to His answer and solution without taking things in on your own merit.  Always go to God first, and if you don't know what the answer is, be patient and allow Him to show you on his timeline, not yours.

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         This chapter begins with God telling Noah to now go into the ark to be saved because he was righteous in the Lord, and to take with him his family, seven each of every clean animal(male and female), two each of animals that are unclean (male and female) and seven each of birds of the air (male and female). God warned that in seven more days He will cause it to rain on the Earth for forty days and forty nights and destroy all living things that he has made on the earth (except the animals on the ark and Noah’s family) to start new without sin. Scholars have noted that the estimated amount of animals on the ark to be almost 45,000.

         Noah and his family, and all the animals two by two entered the ark as God commanded and after seven days passed the waters of the flood were on the Earth. It states here that Noah at this time was six hundred years old. To compare the life span of people in the bible to today’s time is entirely different. In the bible it mentions often that people live to be well over a hundred and even two hundred years old, whereas today it’s common to see people pass away before they turn one hundred. In my opinion, this is a good example of how sin has an effect on the world that God created.

        The rain fell from heaven and the water flooded the land for forty days and forty nights, destroying all sin around. The flood waters became high enough to lift the ark well above the land, keeping in mind how big the ark was (a football field and a half in length and four stories high) lets us imagine exactly how high the flood waters were, all of the high hills were covered in water. The bible tells us that the flood continued for forty days; however water prevailed on the earth for one hundred and fifty days, destroying every living thing of flesh on the land, except for those on the ark.

        This shows us just how powerful God is, and how He truly is in charge of everything. Mankind turned from God and was judged for it; however Noah didn't turn from God. Noah turned to God and was the only one left who trusted him which is why God spared him and his family. God will protect and save the ones who choose to follow Him, to the ones who decide not to follow God, they are left to face difficulties on their own.

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          We being the journey and lesson of Noah. By this time, earth was no longer the perfect paradise God had made it. Humanity had forgotten about God and turned fully to sin, violence was high and God was sad to see His children choose the wrong path. The Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” God did not make a mistake making us, He doesn't make mistakes, what He was expressing here is how much sorrow He felt towards all of the people who had turned their backs on God to rival in sin and violence, all of humankind except for Noah.

          Noah found grace in God, he was not perfect by any means, but he sought a relationship with God and chose to follow God wholeheartedly. He walked with God. God knows our hearts, He knows if we are wanting a genuine relationship with Him or not, and He knew Noah loved God. Because of this, He saved Noah from the flood, He told Noah to build an ark for him and his family and two animals (male and female) of every bread to be saved when the flood came to take away all sinful and violent humans. Noah wasn't perfect and didn't live a sinless life, but because Noah believed in God’s grace and chose to obey and love God, God saved him when he didn't have too. God never has to save anyone, but He chooses too when He knows someone sees His grace and love and seeks a relationship with Him.

          The ark was no small canoe, the ark was about the size of one and a half football fields in length and as tall as a four story building. He told Noah the ratio to build the ark in (six times longer than wider) which is the ratio used today to build boats. God’s way is perfect, Noah knew and trusted that and obeyed Gods command and built the ark. I’m sure he was ridiculed for this and made fun of, they didn't live close to a body of water so him building this enormous boat seemed silly to people who didn't know or believe in God. But Noah listened and obeyed regardless of how it made him look to other people, and because of his faith and trust in God, his family was saved from the flood.

          This is the kind of faith we need, instead of worrying about what others will think of us when we do something that seems silly to them but makes perfect sense with Gods word. God knows what is best for us. We should always remember Noah and his faith in God to override peer pressure from other people. We need to ask ourselves, are we influencing others with our actions by obeying God and living in His grace, or are we allowing others to influence us and diminish our faith?