6. The Flood - سیلاب

Genesis 7

Told by Grandma Ida

Arosa teacher

This story really happened is  written in the Bible by Moses.

Hello kids!,

I have seen all your beautiful drawings with Noah's boat. One girl had drawn all kinds of birds flying towards the boat. Thanks for all those drawings! We're going to tell you more about what happened. It was also very sad.

The big boat was ready. Noah and his sons had worked hard. All kinds of animals had come. They were all given a cubicle or a spot in the boat. There was also a lot of food in the boat for all those animals, but also for the people.

Then God said to Noah, now is the time to get into the boat.  Another seven days and then the flood will come. The earth becomes a great sea. Because I am incredibly angry at those disobedient people!  I'm going to punish them: they will drown!  God takes their sin very seriously.  If only those mockers had shown remorse and asked God for forgiveness. God also considers our sins serious; He is saddened by them. Therefore, we must always ask Him for forgiveness. Then everything will be right again between Him, you, and me.

Noah had warned the people. But they laughed at Noah. They thought Noah was a foolish, stupid man. If they had repented and asked God for forgiveness, they too could have been saved, just like Noah and his family.  Now they are still laughing that Noah and his wife, the sons Shem, Ham and Japheth go into the boat with their wives, eight people with many animals.
And the LORD shut the door behind him. No one could get in anymore. It did rain a bit, but that happens so often. A boat on dry ground..... Haha haha..... and a few days later they were still in that boat. Haha...Haha....
But soon it will be too late.
And it was....

Then a lot of water comes out from the ground and from the sky. The water washed over the roads, over the houses, over the people with great violence. They screamed that they wanted to get into the boat. But that wasn't possible. God had closed the door.

The big boat was ready. Noah and his sons had worked hard. All kinds of animals had come. They were all given a cabin or a spot in the boat. 

There was also a lot of food on the boat for all those animals, and for the people too. 

Then God said to Noah, "Now is the time to get into the boat. In seven days, the flood will come." The earth will become a great sea. I am very angry with those wicked people! God took their sin very seriously. I am going to punish them: they will drown!" 

God took their sin very seriously.  If only those mockers had shown remorse and asked God for forgiveness. God also considers our sins serious; He is saddened by them. Therefore, we must always ask Him for forgiveness. Then everything will be right again between Him, you, and me.

Noah had warned the people. But they laughed at Noah. They thought Noah was a foolish, stupid man. If they had repented and asked God for forgiveness, they too could have been saved, just like Noah and his family. They kept on laughing as Noah and his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives went into the boat. That made eight people, along with many animals. 
And the LORD shut the door behind them. No one could get in anymore. It rained a bit, but that happens often. "A boat on dry ground... Haha haha!" And a few days later, they were still in that boat. "Haha... Haha..." But soon it would be too late. And it was...

Then, a lot of water came from the ground and from the sky. The water washed over the roads, over the houses, and over the people with great violence. They screamed that they wanted to get into the boat. But that wasn't possible. God had closed the door. 

The boat was lifted by the water. But the people and animals in the boat were kept safe because Noah was a righteous man in God's sight. All that water washed over the earth for forty days. The water rose even higher than the mountains. And God controlled the ark.

It took a long time before the water went down again. All people and animals on earth had died. Only those who were in the boat remained. The heavy rainfall and the wind turned the earth into a raging sea. It was not until 150 days later that things calmed down and the water slowly began to recede. 

But suddenly—BOOM! What happened? Suddenly the boat stopped. That was a shock!

The boat had become stuck on a mountain. It stood still and firm in the middle of a vast sea. They could not get out of the boat yet.

After waiting there for 40 days, Noah came up with a plan! He opened a window of the boat and let a raven (a bird) fly out. The bird kept flying back and forth nearby, but it could not rest anywhere except on top of the boat.

Later, he let a dove fly out the window. But the dove found no place to rest. It had to keep flying. When Noah stuck his hand out the window, the dove was glad to go back inside. It had become so tired. After a week, the dove was allowed out again. This time, it came back in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. That made the eight people in the boat so happy! It meant there was a tree sticking out above the water. Another time, the dove was allowed out again, but then it did not come back. It had found places where it could land.

Then Noah made an opening in the boat. How happy they all were to see that the earth was almost dry! They thanked God. They were saved!  Then God said, "Go outside now..."

I will continue the story next time!

Comprehension Questions (What happened?)

Who was in the ark? (Noah, his wife, his three sons with their wives = 8 people, plus the animals).

Why did the other people laugh at Noah? (They didn't believe him and thought it strange that he was building a boat on dry land).

How long did it rain before the water started to recede? (It rained for 40 days and nights, but it took 150 days for the water to really drop).

Which birds did Noah send out to see if the land was dry? (First a raven, then a dove).

How did Noah see that land was emerging from the water again? (The dove returned with an olive branch in its beak).

 Questions about feelings and insight

How would you have felt if you were in the boat and it was raining and storming hard outside? (Safe? Scared? Secure?)

Why do you think God saved Noah and his family, but not the other people? (Because Noah trusted God and did what He said; the others did not).

The people laughed at Noah. Have you ever experienced someone being laughed at for doing something good? How did that feel?

When the dove did not return, they were happy. Why was that moment so special to them? (It meant hope and a new beginning).

 

 Creative questions (for drawing or role-playing)

Draw what the people were thinking when they saw Noah working on the boat, and what they were thinking when it started raining. What is the difference?

If you were an animal inside the ark, which animal would you be and what would you have seen through the window?

Imagine: you are standing on the mountain where the ark ran aground. What do you see around you? Draw this landscape. These questions can help not only to hear the story, but also to truly experience and understand it. Good luck with the lesson!