Genesis 7&8 - Why did the flood last as long as it did?

The flood lasted a total of 370 days, just over one year.  Probably the main reason was that the flood was a total "de-creation" meaning everything had to be totally destroyed.  It was more than just wiping out life on the earth. The reason was that the corruption on the earth was complete and total.  God tells Noah that he along is the only righteous person left on the earth at the time of the flood. 

Once the "de-creation" was complete the earth needs to be restored.  The flood waters need to be drained off the earth into the oceans.  That means the geology of the earth needs to be radically reshaped with mountain ranges being raised up.  Then land had to dry and God had to re-create the trees and plants on the earth before Noah, his family, and the animals could leave the ark.  All of this took time, the 370 days mentioned above.

Genesis 4:1-7 - Why was Abel's offering accepted and Cain's offering rejected?

In Genesis 4:1-7 we have the story of Cain and Abel bringing offerings to the Lord.  The Bible makes it clear that Abel's offering was accepted by God while God rejected Cain's offering. Yet there is no details or explanation given as to why Cain's offering was rejected. 

We must start with the truth that both Cain and Abel knew what God's requirements were for an offering.  While the Bible text doesn't say this explicitly that God told them what the requirements were it is clear that Abel does the right thing and Cain doesn't that they both knew what the requirements were from God.

Hebrews 11:4 sheds some new light on this whole episode.  It says that by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain and by that acceptable sacrifice God commends or testifies to Abel as righteous.  It further says that the testimony or commendation of Abel's righteousness was that God accepted Abel's gift or sacrifice.  It is also possible that the bringing of the right sacrifice in faith actually caused righteousness to be credited to Abel.

By contrast, Cain was not righteous when he came with his offering and therefore did come before God in faith and so his offering was rejected.  Because Cain was not righteous and did not come before God in faith it suggests that Cain didn't believe what God had told him about the requirements of the offering he was supposed to bring.  It seems Cain brought what he chose to bring rather than what God had told him to bring.  All of this meant that Cain continued in his condition of unrighteousness after his offering was rejected.

As to the offering itself both animal sacrifices and grain offerings were a part of the worship ritual of the Israelites so both were acceptable depending on the reason for the offering.  In this case God may have told both Cain and Abel to bring a first fruits offering which Abel did and Cain didn't or God may have told them to bring an animal sacrifice which Abel did and Cain didn't.  The point is that Cain did not believe whatever God told him to bring and therefore was rejected by God.

Genesis 5:22-24 - What does it mean that God took Enoch?

When it says that God took Enoch it means that Enoch did not die like every other human being.  Hebrews 11:5 says that by faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death. He could continue walking with God in His presence in heaven.  

Genesis 9:4 - Why the rule against eating animal flesh with the blood still in it?

In Genesis 9:3-4 God is speaking to Noah after the flood and telling him that in addition to all the plants belonging to man for food God is now also giving them all the animals for food.  The Bible actually says that man was given everything for food.  The one rule God gives is that man can't eat animal flesh with the life blood still in it.  The question is why.  Why does God put that restriction on eating meat?

The reason given here is that the blood is literally the life of the creature and therefore should not be consumed.  In Leviticus 17:10-12 God explains to Moses why He gives this rule.  The reason is that the life is in the blood and that the blood makes atonement or a covering over for sin.  That which is meant for atonement cannot be consumed by man.  

Genesis 7:2-3 - What were the clean and unclean animals?

In this passage it does not tell us what the clean and unclean animals and birds were. But, God had communicated what these were to Noah who obeyed and brought them on the ark. Now, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So, if we look at the law as it is recorded in the books of Leviticus and Numbers it describes what clean and unclean animals and birds were. God doesn't change so the clean and unclean creatures listed in law in Leviticus are going to be the same ones that were given to Noah.  God doesn't give Noah one list of clean and unclean animals and then give Moses a completely different list in Leviticus. They would be the same list. So, look in Leviticus to find the clean and unclean animals that Noah would have taken on the ark.

Genesis 6:14-16 - How long did it take to build the ark?

There is no indication in the Bible as to how long it took to build the ark.  Based on the size described in this passage it suggests that this was going to take time and manpower to construct. We don't know what kind of tools they had to construct this vessel.  We don't know if it was only Noah and his sons that constructed the ark or if other people were employed to help with the construction.  All we do know is that God gave Noah the command to build the ark, the dimensions and plans to construct it, and that Noah obeyed and built the ark and survived the flood with his family and the animals that God brought to the ark to save.

Genesis 6:3 - What is the meaning of the reference to 120 years?

 In Genesis 6:3 God says that man's days are going to be 120 years.  The question is what is God referring to with this very precise statement about the length of man's life.

This statement is made in the context of the flood about to be announced by God.  There are a couple of possible interpretations.  One of these interpretations is that God is declaring that man's life span is going to be 120 years from now on.  In the previous chapter, Genesis 5, a genealogy of men records life spans of 900+ years.  God is now declaring that He is shortening man's lifespan to 120 years in light of the corruption that is on the earth.

The problem with this interpretation is that for several centuries after the flood men lived much longer than 120 years although lifespans gradually decreased. On the other side, in Psalm 90:10 the writer says that man's days are 70 to 80 years.  Even now those numbers are quite common with many people living much longer but virtually no one is living to be 120 old.  The bottom line is that the number 120 as a life span is a number that is virtually never achieved either because life spans were longer or shorter.

The other interpretation of this announcement of 120 years is that this number represents the number of years left before the judgment of a flood comes.  God is telling mankind, "You have 120 years left before I destroy everything". This interpretation fits with the context.  Throughout the rest of chapter 6 the author is describing the corruption and violence on the earth and God's decision to wipe out all life on the earth. So, I believe that this is the most likely interpretation of the declaration of 120 years. 

What is this Blog all about

 For many years I have had a desire to see believers read, enjoy, and grow from their interaction with the Bible.  Many believers have never read through the whole Bible and therefore don't have the rich knowledge of all the stories, lessons, warnings, and truths that the Bible teaches. There are many reading plans available today that will systematically walk you through the process of reading through the Bible in a year or some other time frame. But, one of the problems that people face in reading through the Bible for the first time is that there are a lot of questions that arise usually with no answers. So, reading through the Bible becomes a tedious exercise in trying to read a bunch of stories that don't make any sense to us and raise a lot of questions.

We have started a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year Bible study at our church to help several people read through the Bible completely for the first time.  Our Bible study meetings consist of attempting to answer the questions that arise from people who are reading through the Bible for the first time along with any discussions that arise.

I felt like it might be a good idea to capture as many of the questions that arise in our meetings as possible and then post the answers here in a blog.  That way as other individuals decide to read through the Bible for the first time (I'm sure this won't be the only Bible study we start for reading through the Bible) they have a place to go to get answers to at least some of their questions simply because others have asked the same questions and the answers have been captured and recorded in this blog.

Now, I'm not trying to say that all of the answers that are given in this blog are the final word for answers to the questions that will be posted here.  But, hopefully each answer will bring some clarity to the Bible issue and cause you to dig deeper if you so desire.