Thursday, April 15
“And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.” Genesis 7:23
In this text one finds the first mention of the concept of “the remnant” in the Scriptures. The word translated “remained” comes from another word whose root forms are used many times in the Old Testament where the idea of a remnant is conveyed.
“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7
“And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, And he that remaineth in Jerusalem, Shall be called holy, Even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem” Isaiah 4:3
“And it shall come to pass in that day, That the Lord shall set his hand again the second time To recover the remnant of his people” Isaiah 11:11
In all these cases, the italicized words are linked to the similar words “remained” found in Genesis 7:23.
Look at Genesis 7:23 and the other examples. How do you understand the concept of a remnant here? What are the surrounding conditions that led to a remnant? How does the covenant fit in with the idea of a remnant?
At the time of the Flood, the Creator of the world became the Judge of the world. The nearing worldwide judgment raised the question whether all life on earth — even human life — would be destroyed. If not, who would be the survivors? Who would be the remnant?
In this case, it was Noah and his family. Yet Noah’s salvation was linked to God’s covenant with him (Genesis 6:18) — a covenant that originated and was executed by a God of mercy and grace. They survived only because of what God did for them, however important their cooperation was. Whatever Noah’s covenant obligations were, and no matter how faithfully he executed them, his only hope was in God’s mercy.
Based upon our understanding of last-day events, which includes a time when God will have a remnant (see Revelation 12:17), what parallels can we learn from the story of Noah that will help us prepare to be part of the remnant? In what ways are we making decisions every day that could impact just where we finally stand at that time?
