Genesis 7:1-10

Genesis 7:1-10

[1] And the LORD  said  unto Noah,  Come  thou and all thy house  into the ark;  for thee have I seen  righteous  before me  in this  generation.  [2] Of every clean  beast  thou shalt take  to thee by sevens,  the male  and his female:  and of beasts  that are not clean  by two,  the male  and his female.  [3] Of fowls  also of the air  by sevens,  the male  and the female;  seed  alive  upon the face  of all the earth.  [4] For yet  seven  days,  and I will cause it to rain  upon the earth  forty  days  and forty  nights;  and every  living substance  that I have made  will I destroy  from off  the face  of the earth.  [5] And Noah  did  according unto all that the LORD  commanded  [6] And Noah  was six  hundred  years  old  when the flood  of waters  was upon the earth.  [7] And Noah  went in,  and his sons,  and his wife,  and his sons'  wives  with him, into the ark,  because of  the waters  of the flood.  [8] Of clean  beasts,  that are not clean,  and of fowls,  and of every thing that creepeth  upon the earth,  [9] There went in  two  unto Noah  into the ark,  the male  and the female,  as  God  had commanded  Noah.  [10] And it came to pass after seven  days,  that the waters  of the flood  were upon the earth. 

What does Genesis 7:1-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God graciously invited Noah to enter the ark with his family ( Genesis 7:1). This is the first occurrence of the offer "come" in the Bible. This invitation continues throughout Scripture, the last offer being in Revelation 22:17. God extends the invitation to people, He urges them to take advantage of the perfect provision He has made for their preservation, and He offers it in a time of impending judgment and gloom.
"It is not that Noah"s works of righteousness gains [1] him salvation, for none is cited. Rather, his upright character is noted to condemn his generation, which merits death." [2]
"Sinful men do not deserve to live on God"s earth. This is the basic message of the Genesis Flood." [3]
God did not reveal the basis for His distinction between clean and unclean animals here ( Genesis 7:2). Israel"s pagan neighbors also observed clean and unclean distinctions between animals though they varied from country to country. In the Mosaic Law, God further distinguished between foods. Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul taught that now these distinctions no longer need affect people as far as our relationship to God goes ( Mark 7:15; Mark 7:18-19; cf. Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9; Romans 14:14).