“Most people, as children, hear [this] story told as a delightful ancient adventure.” (LaSor, Hubbard and Bush, Old Testament Survey) But in the world of Genesis, this story was not “delightful,” but very grown-up and very serious. “The story of the flood (Gen 6–9) is a story of crime and punishment, cataclysmic destruction of the world and rescue. Later stories reenact this basic repertoire of archetypal plot motifs.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery) That is to say, the Genesis story is not so much their story as our story.

• The ancient Hebrews saw earth as a flat disk above deep waters, under a dome of sky with water above it (cf. Genesis 1:7). They described the Flood as coming from “the springs of the deep sea.” They usually feared the sea, even though their land had a Mediterranean coast. (Psalm 46:2-3 shows how they used large bodies of water as a symbol for life’s fearful chaos.) What kind(s) of chaos create the most fear in you? In what ways do you wish for God to give you an “ark”?
• This passage ends with a short phrase we might overlook: “the Lord closed the door behind them.” The Translator’s Handbook on Genesis noted, “The Lord’s act of shutting the door behind Noah is to be understood as protecting Noah and not imprisoning him.” In the story’s imagery, it was not up to Noah to protect himself. When has God “closed the door” and protected you from some danger? How does that help you to trust God for your future?