Noach's
Righteousness Contrasted to the Corruption of His Time
Beresheet 6: 9-22 reads, " 6:9This is the history of the generations of Noach. Noach was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noach walked with the Mighty One. 6:10Noach became the father of three sons: Shem, Cham, and Yefet. 6:11The earth was corrupt before the Mighty One, and the earth was filled with violence. 6:12The Mighty One saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
6:13The Mighty One said to Noach, 'The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 6:14Make an ark of gofer wood. You shall make rooms in the ark, and shall seal it inside and outside with kofer. 6:15This is how you shall make it. The length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 6:16You shall make a roof in the ark, and to a cubit shall you finish it upward. You shall set the door of the ark in the side of it. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels. 6:17I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. 6:18But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 6:19Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 6:20Of the birds after their kind, of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive. 6:21Take with you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to you; and it will be for food for you, and for them.' 6:22Thus Noach did. According to all that the Mighty One commanded him, so he did."
Beresheet 6: 11-13 reiterates the conditions during Noach's time. The earth was filled with violence and all flesh had corrupted their ways on the earth!
It should be noted that Noach was indeed a faithful servant of Yahweh. For according to all that the Mighty One commanded him, so he did. The works that he did were at the command of Yahweh the Mighty One, and not on the authority of his own thoughts.
Beresheet 7: 1-5 reads, " 7:1Yahweh said to Noach, 'Come with all of your household into the ark, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 7:2You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 7:3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. 7:4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground.'
7:5Noach did everything that Yahweh commanded him."
It should be noted that the reason Yahweh preserved Noach alive, while the rest of mankind outside his family were destroyed from the surface of the ground, was because Noach was righteous before Yahweh. It is therefore important for man to be righteous before Yahweh in order for him to live.
It should also be noted that during Noach's time the classification of animals into clean and unclean was clearly known. This classification was not first revealed to man during the days of Moshe, but was known several centuries before then.
It should again be noted that Noach did indeed do "everything" that Yahweh commanded him. He was very faithful to Yahweh!
All The Fountains of the
Great Deep Burst Open
Beresheet 7: 6-24 reads, " 7:6Noach was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7:7Noach went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood. 7:8Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground 7:9went by pairs to Noach into the ark, male and female, as the Mighty One commanded Noach. 7:10It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth. 7:11In the six hundredth year of Noach's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened. 7:12The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13In the same day Noach, and Shem, Cham, and Yefet, the sons of Noach, and Noach's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark; 7:14they, and every animal after its kind, all the cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 7:15They went to Noach into the ark, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them. 7:16Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as the Mighty One commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in. 7:17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 7:18The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the surface of the waters. 7:19The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. 7:20The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 7:21All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, cattle, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 7:22All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. 7:23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, cattle, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noach was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 7:24The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days."
It should be evident from the above that Yahweh indeed preserves the righteous - those who do everything he tells them to do, as Noach did!
The Deep's Fountains and
the Sky's Windows Are Stopped
Beresheet 8: 1-14 reads, " 8:1The Mighty One remembered Noach, all the animals, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and the Mighty One made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided. 8:2The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained. 8:3The waters receded from off the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. 8:4The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains. 8:5The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
8:6It happened at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the window of the ark which he had made, 8:7and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8:8He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the surface of the ground, 8:9but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ark; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ark. 8:10He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 8:11The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noach knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 8:12He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she didn't return to him any more.
8:13It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth. Noach removed the covering of the ark, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried. 8:14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry."
Yahweh Will Never Again
Curse the Ground Because of Man
Beresheet 8: 15-22 reads, " 8:15The Mighty One spoke to Noach, saying, 8:16'Go forth from the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. 8:17Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.'
8:18Noach went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. 8:19Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.
8:20Noach built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 8:21Yahweh smelled the sweet savor. Yahweh said in his heart, 'I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. 8:22While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.'"
Beresheet 8: 20 shows that not only was Noach aware of clean animals, he was also aware of clean birds.
Beresheet 8: 21-22 shows clearly that Yahweh will NEVER curse the ground again on account of man. For the imagination of man's heart, from his youth, is evil. Neither will he ever again strike everything living. While the earth remains the seasons will not cease.
The Ground Was No Longer
Under a Curse
It appears that at the time Yahweh was saying this in his heart the curse that he had formerly pronounced on the earth had ceased. In other words, the earth was at the time he was saying this no longer under a curse!
Seeing that the curse on the earth had to do with man working very hard, and toiling with plenty of sweat, in order to derive sustenance from the earth, sustenance which also came with thorns and thistles, it appears that man would no longer need to work or toil so hard to derive sustenance from the earth from then on. There would no longer be required the same amount of work or toil in order to produce the same amount of sustenance. No longer would the ground yield as much thorns and thistles as it yielded man in the past. Those days were past. This was now a new age.
It also appears that the prophecy of Lamekh in Beresheet 5: 28-29 was now fulfilled. For it was in Noach that the curse was lifted up from the ground.
It should also be clear how Noach came to be the one through whom the curse was lifted. Noach was a righteous man before Yahweh, blameless among the people of his time. According to all that the Mighty One commanded him he did. He did everything that Yahweh commanded him. It was in this manner, by doing everything Yahweh commanded him, by being righteous before Yahweh, that Yahweh used him in the removal of the curse on the ground of the earth.
The Eliyah to Come Will
Succeed in His
Recalling Yahweh's words in Malakhi 4: 6, that should Eliyah not turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, he would indeed strike the earth with a curse, it is very evident that Eliyah WILL SUCCEED in his mission, even as Yahweh says in Malakhi 4: 6. For Yahweh already said in Beresheet 8: 21 that he would never again curse the ground on account of man, due to man's evil deeds. And he has already shown us that the curse was removed as a result of Noach's righteousness and Noach heeding Yahweh's every commandment. Therefore, to ensure that no curse will strike the earth in the time of Eliyah, Eliyah MUST indeed succeed in his mission in turning many people to Yahweh the Mighty One, who will do all of Yahweh's commandments! In other words, Eliyah will indeed teach Yahweh's commandments and laws to the people, and Yahweh's people, in sufficient numbers, will indeed heed Eliyah's preaching. For they will become righteous, and do everything that Yahweh commands. Thus another curse on the earth will be averted.
Beresheet 9: 1-17 reads, " 9:1The Mighty One blessed Noach and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 9:2The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand. 9:3Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you. 9:4But flesh with the life of it, the blood of it, you shall not eat. 9:5I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man. 9:6Whoever sheds man's blood, by man will his blood be shed, for in the image of the Mighty One made he man. 9:7Be fruitful, and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.'
9:8The Mighty One spoke to Noach, and to his sons with him, saying, 9:9'As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, 9:10and with every living creature that is with you. The birds, the cattle, and every animal of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every animal of the earth. 9:11I will establish my covenant with you. Neither will all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. Neither will there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.' 9:12The Mighty One said, 'This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations. 9:13I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 9:14It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud. 9:15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 9:16The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between the Mighty One and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.' 9:17The Mighty One said to Noach, 'This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.'"
Does Beresheet 9: 3 allow man to eat of all flesh, or just some of flesh? Could man eat of all green herbs, or just some green herbs? In other words, are all green herbs edible, or just some of them? If it is the case that not all green herbs are edible, such as some being poisonous, then it would seem that not all flesh should be eaten, but only those of flesh set aside for eating. In other words, if only a portion of green herbs is set aside for eating, despite the class of green herbs having been given for food, then it is also the case that only a portion of flesh is set aside for eating, despite the class of flesh having been given for food.
Summation of Man's
Experience in the Age Prior to the Flood
Summing up man's experience with Yahweh in the age prior to the flood, we note that a curse came upon the earth because of man's sin. We also note that a curse was lifted from the earth through one man's righteousness. It should therefore be clear that sin brings about a curse on the earth, while righteousness averts a curse, and even lifts up an existing curse.
[<<<Previous] [Contents] [Next>>>]
Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page
© 1998, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published
by Servants of Yahweh,