05/27/2008 Genesis 7:11

05/27/2008

Genesis 7:11 - 13 (HCSB) ¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened, ¹²and the rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. ¹³On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives entered the ark with him.

Genesis 7:17 - 24 (HCSB) ¹⁷The deluge continued 40 days on the earth; the waters increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth. ¹⁸The waters surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹Then the waters surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered. ²⁰The mountains were covered as the waters surged _[above them_] more than 20 feet. ²¹All flesh perished—creatures that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and all creatures that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind. ²²Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils—everything on dry land died. ²³He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. ²⁴And the waters surged on the earth 150 days.

I came across an article once where a scientist, a paleontologist, was detailing a scene that was unearthed where several dinosaurs were found near a clutch of eggs. What was remarkable about this was that the dinosaurs seemed to be stopped in time. It was not as if they had fallen from injury or malnutrition, but they had been buried alive in a single cataclysmic event. The paleontologists seemed astounded that this could happen and couldn’t explain the sudden event that could have done this.

Of course, my mind immediately jumps to chapter 7 of Genesis. It says that the “sources of the watery depths burst open.” This section of the verse gets very little attention. Most people who learn about the flood only know about the rain. But scientists agree that there isn’t enough atmospheric moisture to produce a flood of this magnitude. But, remember, before this flood, there was no rain. So, before the flood, where did the water come from?

Remember that God formed the earth so that everything was watered from beneath the surface of the earth. Springs and subterranean moisture supplied all the water that was needed. So, when I read about the sources of the watery depths, it is easy for me to envision the water below the surface of the earth. Now, if you have ever seen chicken broth that has been chilled, you know that it creates a layer of fat above the water. If you take a utensil and press down on that layer of fat, it is solid, but when it gives way, the water from beneath breaks through and pours up from beneath.

This is the visual image that I have regarding the sources of the watery depths. When the water from the subterranean sources gushed forth in a cataclysmic event, many creatures were suddenly encased in mud. They were captured in their habitats, well fed, healthy and sometimes even in flight. So, scientific discoveries serve only to confirm what the Word of God has already told me.

I must chuckle at the scientists who deny the Biblical account but then are speechless to provide any plausible alternative. Don’t let atheistic and agnostic scientists (not all scientists are atheists or agnostics) tell you the Bible is fiction. If the Bible were merely a collection of anecdotal stories, then it would not contain so many answers to scientific questions. Here we have a wonderful example of how the Bible explains an event long before scientists “discovered” evidence of it. The Bible contains literal stories about real people, and real events.

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