Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/95

Rh so it is the ruin of human society; it takes away conscience and the fear of God, and men become beasts and devils to one another, like the fishes of the sea, where the greater devour the lesser. Sin fills the earth with violence, and so turns the world into a wilderness, into a cock-pit.

2. The proof and evidence of it were undeniable; for God looked upon the earth, and was himself an eye-witness of the corruption that was in it, of which before, v. 5. The righteous judge in all his judgments proceeds upon the infallible certainty of his own omniscience, Ps. 33. 13.

3. That which most aggravated the matter, was the universal spreading of the contagion. All flesh had corrupted his way. It was not some particular nations or cities that were thus wicked, but the whole world of mankind were so: there was none that did good, no, not one, beside Noah. Note, When wickedness is become general and universal, ruin is not far off; while there is a remnant of praying people in a nation to empty the measure as it fills, judgments may be kept off a great while; but when all hands are at work to pull down the fences by sin, and none stand in the gap to make up the breach, what can be expected but an inundation of wrath?

13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14. Make thee an ark of gopher-wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above ; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third, stories shalt thou make it. 17. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth, shall die. 18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee ; and it shall be for food for thee and for them. Here it appears indeed, that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; God's favour to him was plainly intimated in what he said to him, v. 8..10, where his name is mentioned five times in five lines, when once might have served to make the sense clear, as if the Holy Ghost took a pleasure in perpetuating his memory, but it appears much more in what he says to him in these verses—the informations and instructions here given him.

1. God here makes Noah the man of his counsel; communicating to him his purpose to destroy this wicked world by water, as, afterward, he told Abraham his resolution concerning Sodom, ch. 18. 17, ''Shall I hide from Abraham?  So here, Shall I hide from Noah, the thing that I do, seeing that he shall become a great nation? Note, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him,'' Ps. 25. 14; it was with his servants the prophets, Amos 3. 7, by a spirit of revelation, informing them particularly of his purposes; it is with all believers, by a spirit of wisdom and faith, enabling to understand and apply the general declarations of the written word, and the warnings there given.

Now, 1. God told Noah, in general, that he would destroy the world, v. 13, The end of all flesh is come before me; I will destroy them, that is, The ruin of this wicked world is decreed and determined; it is come; that is, it will come surely, and come quickly. Noah, it is likely, in preaching to his neighbours, had warned them, in general, of the wrath of God that they would bring upon themselves by their wickedness, and now God seconds it by a particular denunciation of wrath, that Noah might try if that would work upon them; whence observe, (1.) That God confirmeth the words of his messengers, Isa. 44. 26. (2.) That to him that has, and uses what he has for the good of others, more shall be given, more full instructions. 2. He told him particularly, that he would destroy the world by a flood of waters, v. 17, And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth. God could have destroyed all mankind by the sword of an angel, a flaming sword turning every way, as he destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians, and the camp of the Assyrians; and then there needed no more than to set a mark upon Noah and his family for their preservation; but God chose to do it by a flood of waters, which should drown the world. The reasons, we may be sure, were wise and just, though to us unknown. God has many arrows in his quiver, and he may use which he pleases: as he chooses the rod with which he will correct his children, so he chooses the sword with which he will cut off his enemies.

Observe the manner of expression, I, even I, do bring a flood; I that am infinite in power, and therefore can do it, infinite in justice, and therefore will do it. (1.) It bespeaks the certainty of the judgment; I, even I, will do it; that cannot but be done effectually, which God himself undertakes the doing of; see Job 11. 10. (2.) It bespeaks the tendency of it to God's glory, and the honour of his justice; thus he will be magnified and exalted in the earth, and all the world shall be made to know that he is the God to whom vengeance belongs: methinks the expression here is somewhat like that, Isa. 1. 24, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries.

II. God here makes Noah the man of his covenant, another Hebrew periphrasis of a friend, v. 18, But with thee will I establish my covenant. 1. The covenant of providence; that the course of nature shall be continued to the end of time, notwithstanding the interruption which the flood would give to it; this promise was immediately made to Noah and his sons, ch. 9. 8, &c. They were as trustees for all this part of the creation, and a great honour was thereby put upon him and his. 2. The covenant of grace; that God would be to him a God, and that out of his seed God would take to himself a people. Note, (1.) When God makes a covenant, he establishes it, he makes it sure, he makes it good; his are everlasting covenants. (2.) The covenant of grace has in it the recompense of singular services, and the fountain and foundation of all distinguishing favours; we need