Genesis 6-7
In old times people lived long. Methuselah, the longest, 969 years. His son, 777; his grandson, Noah, 950. Noah, a righteous man, walked with God.
But sad to say, the long lives of many were very bad. The world, in God’s sight, was very bad—rotten, and full of fighting. God saw that the badness of man was very great, and that his thoughts were only bad all the time. So the Lord was sorry that He had made man, and said He would destroy all the men, the animals, the creeping things, and the birds of the air for He was sorry that He had made them. But God, in His kindness, made a way to save Noah. God told Noah that the world, being so bad, must be destroyed, but that Noah should take gopher wood and make an ark—a very large boat about 450 feet long, and cover it with pitch, inside and out, with a window on top and the door at the side. The ark should be in three stories, upper, middle and lower. God was bringing a flood of water to cover the earth and all living things would die, except those that entered the ark, Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives. Also one male and one female of every kind of living creatures: of animals, birds and creeping things, must come into the ark to save their lives. And Noah took of every kind of food into the ark, for him and for them. He built the ark. Why? Because he was “moved with fear.” Why was he afraid? Because he believed the words that God spoke to him. God told him of judgment coming; all would be drowned. Noah had faith, that is, he believed God, and so he made the ark.
While Noah built the ark, he was a “Preacher of righteousness.” With his hand he was driving a nail, but with his mouth he was saying: “Judgment is coming. God will destroy the world with a flood. All will be drowned. Come, come quickly into the ark.” But they did not believe. “They did eat, they drank, they married wives they were given in marriage, until the day than Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:2727They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:27)). Did they not know? It was not a few days or months that Noah took to build the ark: but 120 years. I think that he built it on dry land. Did not the people walking past see it? Noah preached and warned. Did not the neighbors hear? “Everything is ready. The ark is big and strong, with plenty of room and food. You have no need to do anything but come. All are welcome! Everybody, come into the ark; so that all may be saved!” Perhaps they said, “No, Noah, you have said this for many years. The flood has never come: we are not afraid.” Or “Today we cannot go in. Wait. We will not get ready yet. Maybe tomorrow.”