Noach

The Story of Noach is a story about Salvation. The Scriptures teach that Noah "Walked with the LORD." (Genesis 6:9) In Hebrew the word used is "het·hal·lech" which is derived from the root word "Halak." "To Walk." This is the Word from where we get "Halacha." - "The Way in Which to Walk." This idea is found within the Brit Hadasha when we read, "Work out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling." (Philippians 2:12)

This idea of "Walked," depicts a "Life-style," or as we call it in Hebrew "Halacha." It is also referred to in Messianic terms as "The Walk of Faith." In fact next week's parasha is called "Lech L'cha" from the same root word, which means to "Go." As in when God called Abraham to "Go" to the Land of Canaan.

To Walk with God is to be in Relationship with God. Listening to His calls and developing our Trust (Faith) in Him.

As we read the Bereshiet again, look at the vast amount of people noted to have "Walked" with the LORD. There's not a lot there, is there? This is sad, and alarming, but it also reminds us of Yeshua's words:

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Once again this should shed some light on why the early Kehielah referred to themselves as "Halacha," "The Way to Go."

In my Drash today, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, as I'm simply going to provoke some ideas of study and further Midrash. This is where I encourage you to go to the Scripture and Study. See what the LORD has for you to be revealed.

The first thing that jumped out at me this year is that God told Noah to build the Ark before He told Him what he was going to do. In fact, it is not until Genesis Chapter 7 verse 4 that He finally tells Noah about "The Flood."

"For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I blot out from off the face of the earth."

7 Days? Therefore, Noah had had to have built the Ark without even knowing what God was going to do, specifically. It appears to me that only when Noah finished the Ark that God gave him the 7 Day Warning to get ready.

1st Question of Study, "Why 7 Days?"

What is also noteworthy is the fact that Noah is 600 Years old at the time of the Flood.

Genesis 7:6

"6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth."

In verse 11 again, The LORD marks Noah's Age - 600.

"11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

Now what's more remarkable is the specific identifier of the date (Genesis 8:13)

"13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dried."

601st Year from What? Noah's Birthday? Well, if the 1st of Aviv is not Noah's Birthday, we can assume that it was before the 10th of the next month, because Noah turned 601 before one full year of being told about the flood. He was told about the flood, the year before on the 10th of the 2nd Month, where he was 600, and now on the 1st of the 1st month, almost a year later, he is 601. This would possibly indicate that Noah's Birthday was between the 1st of the first month, and the 10th of the second month.

Is it possible that this was a metaphor of a New Birth even for Noah? I find it at least interesting that Man was created on the 6th Day, as we just read in last week's parasha, and then the LORD making note of Noah's Age as significant to the narrative.

A New Beginning on the 1st Day of the 1st Month of his 601st Year. Happy New Birthday Noah, and Mankind.

Well, as we read on we see that the New Beginning didn't last long, as the Rise of Nimrod lead to the Beginnings of the Babylonian Civilization, and the Genesis of Pagan Worship.

One last thing I want to leave you with in provoking you to study:

I want you to read Genesis 11:6-9 (In this week's Parasha)

6 And the LORD said: 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do.
7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city
9 Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Now compare this event and language to Genesis 3:22-24 (Last week's parasha)

22 And the LORD God said: 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.'
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.

These two references are keys to understanding end time prophesy. Within them holds the motives of man. Therefore, as we read Zechariah 14 again, we will begin to see what arrogant motivation brings the Nations to the City of Jerusalem.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceeding wicked -- who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Therefore, let us be like Noah, and "Walk with God," and not against Him.

May the LORD Bless You with the Depths of His Heart.