Subscription Lists

Today's Little Lift

    by Jim Bullington

Noah Lived after the Flood (Genesis 9:28)
Date Posted: September 3, 2020

“And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.” (Genesis 9.28).

The passage just quoted is taken directly from the New King James version (1982) of the Bible. It also reads exactly the same in the King James Version of 1611, and the American Standard Version of 1901. Other versions may have the wording a bit different, but the substance is exactly the same. The bottom line of this biblical verse in each version is simply this: Noah continued to live for an additional three hundred and fifty (350) years after the end of the flood.

For some people, this text contains significant challenges. Some do not believe there was a flood at all as described in the Bible. Some believe that the Genesis flood may have occurred but it was only a local flood and did not involve the entire world. Some do not believe that Noah was a real person, but rather that he was “a mythical figure like others of the time.” Some do not think that the ark spoken of in the biblical account of the flood was practical or could have been used to support the lives of the animals taken into it for the duration of the flood (a year and ten days).

However, the challenges presented by this text are entirely dependent upon one's view of Scripture. If one believes that God exists and that the Bible is His word, these “challenges” melt away into insignificance. The statement that Noah lived for 350 years after the flood is not a problem at all if one accepts the fact's of God's essence as presented in the Bible. The real choice is not between the reality or non-reality of Noah; rather, it is a choice between the reality and the non-reality of the God of the Bible. If He is the One whom the Bible declares, then what is the problem with creation, miracles in general, and the preservation of life as it then existed on the face of the earth. If God could create (make from nothing) the world and everything in it, what challenge would using an ark to preserve the world be to such a Being? To argue that this would be a problem to God would be like arguing that a man who had just dead lifted 500 pounds could not lift 12.5 ounces! The ability to do one IMPLIES the ability to do the other!

So faith affirms the following: Noah was a real person. He had a wife and three sons. Prompted by the command of God, Noah constructed and ark to the exact specifications of God (length, width, height, materials, etc.). Having completed the building of the ark, Noah gathered from the earth at least two of every “kind” (species) of animal. When the flood began, God shut the door to the ark thus guaranteeing the saving of Noah, his family, and the animals that were with him on the ark. By the same act, God signified the destruction of all flesh other than that which was safe in the ark. After slightly over a year inside the ark (not 40 days and nights as some suppose), Noah and his family emerged to live again on the same (but vastly changed) earth. After his deliverance from the flood, Noah continued to live an addition 350 years, making his lifespan a total of 950 years (Genesis 9.28-29).

Faith is not blind; rather it is illuminated by God Himself. Where God speaks, faith operates and sees clearly. On the other hand, where God does not speak, biblical faith CANNOT exist. This is true due to the fundamental fact that humans ONLY know God by means of His revealing of Himself to us. What He has not told us of Himself, we cannot know! This principle is a foundational principle of the faith we refer to as Christianity. Perhaps the greatest paradox of all time is the fact that some so-called Christians think that they can have faith in something that God has not revealed! It is no problem to believe what God has revealed, but it is impossible to have biblical faith in that which He has not revealed!

Questions:

1. Why did God destroy the earth by the flood?

2. Will he ever destroy the earth in the same manner? Why or why not?

3. Is faith blind? Can it exist where God has not spoken? If He has spoken, is faith really blind?

4. Read Romans 10.17. How does it relate to the question of how faith comes to exist in the heart of man?

"Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" from Tom Kelley

Old School Fishing in a Modern Lake

Read Article »
Biography Information:
Jim Bullington - A Christian writer whose insight into the scriptures is reflected in practical application lessons in every article. The reader will find that the Bible speaks directly to him/her through these articles. God is always exalted and His word is treated with the utmost respect in this column.
Got Something to Share?
LiveAsIf.org is always looking for new writers. Whether it is a daily devotional or a weekly article, if you desire to encourage others to know Him better, then signup to become a contributor.