INTRODUCTION
Just a few generations after Adam’s sin, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Being grieved with this condition, God decreed judgment upon corrupt mankind, but “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” and he and his family were spared from destruction. Thus we find from the beginning of God’s dealings with men that His love provides, for those who repent, a way of escape from judgment.
THEME THOUGHTS
It is not difficult to go through the Bible and compile an extensive list of first events from which we can learn valuable lessons. Most people are interested in how or when something started and who started it. This quarter will focus on beginnings. The first two lessons deal with the beginning of everything—Creation and the first man. The next two are about the first sin and the first plan of escape from God’s judgment for sin. The next lesson is about the people who built the first “skyscraper” and the pitfalls of trying to be independent from God.
Four Bible characters will be studied: the first Hebrew, Abraham; the first leader, Moses; Israel’s first priest, Aaron; and the first king of Israel, Saul. There also will be a lesson on God’s first written Law.
The point of studying these lessons is to help us get a better understanding of some of the firsts in Bible history and, more importantly, to learn that, since the beginning of our world, each of these has played an important part in Gods plan for our lives. We want to grow spiritually from what we have learned.
QUESTION
- Why was Noah told to build the ark, and from what source did he receive instructions to build such a vessel?
- Give a description of the ark. How did Noah know that it would be seaworthy, or even float?
- What took place as soon as Noah was finished building the ark? What space of time came between this event and the actual Flood? What significance can be placed upon this circumstance?
- Who shut the door when Noah and his family were in the ark? Why?
- Because Noah was a righteous man, he was saved from the Flood. Do you feel that God will eventually destroy the righteous with the wicked when He sends judgment upon the earth again? Why or why not?
- Explain how the earth will eventually be destroyed. See 2 Peter 3:10.
- What similarity is there between the days of Noah and the days in which we live? Matthew 24:37-39.
SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES
Matthew 24:37-39