Building the Ark:
Many years ago there lived a good man called Noah. Other than his
family, everyone else in the world was very wicked. When God saw
the way they behaved, He was very angry. So God spoke to Noah
and told him that He was going to send a great flood to destroy all
the wicked people on the earth. Noah was to build an ark which
was like a huge boat and it was to be large enough to house his family
and pairs of all living creatures!
So Noah told his sons to go and cut trees down and saw them into planks.
They worked hard for many years building the ark but at long last
it was finished. And then what a job they had! They had to
get seven of all animals used for food, and two of every other kind of
living creatures into the ark!
Loading the Ark:
There were bears and elephants, parrots, and strange insects. They
spent many days getting them into the ark, and what a noise and stink
they all made! And then you can imagine the tons of food they had
load! Finally Noah wiped his brow and told his wife, and his sons
and their wives to get into the ark!
Noah was 600 years old when he went into ark and the rain began to fall.
That's very old isn't it? God shut the door tight so none
of those wicked people could get in!
The Flood:
At first all the people were amazed at the water falling from the sky!
They had never seen rain before, but it rained and rained all day
and all night. And all you could hear inside the ark was the
sound of the terrible downpour. Do you think you can make the
noise the rain made?
The rain continued to pour down for forty days and nights until the water
covered the land, the trees, all the people and even the mountains!
The ark floated up as the water rose and only Noah and his family
were safe. After forty days, God stopped the rain and all you
could hear was the noise of the animals and the water lapping at the
sides of the ark.
The Waters Drain Away:
Noah opened the little window at the top of the ark and peered out.
What do you think he saw? Yes, there was just water, water, water
everywhere! It was only after three months that the waters began
to go down and the ark came to rest on the Ararat Mountains. After
another forty days, Noah sent out a raven to see if there was dry land,
but it just flew around and never came back.
Next Noah sent out a dove, but she just flew back and landed on his hand.
A week later, Noah sent the dove out again. This time she came back
carrying an olive leaf in her beak, so Noah knew that the waters were
going down. After another week, Noah sent the dove out again, but
this time she did not return to him.
Leaving the Ark:
Although Noah and his family saw dry land near them, they waited for a sign
from God. The Lord finally told them to leave the ark and make a
new home for themselves. They had been in the ark for a full year!
Joyfully Noah, his family and the animals left the ark and went out onto
dry land. God promised Noah that the rainbow we see when it rains
is a sign that He will never send such a terrible flood on the earth
again.
God Blesses Noah:
God blessed Noah and told him to have many children, so that the earth
would have new tribes and nations. Noah did as the Lord commanded
him and his family grew and grew, and he lived until he was nine hundred
and fifty years old (that's very old isn't it?).
God wants to bless us as well and so He sent Jesus to to teach us about
Himself. And God wants to look after you and protect you, just
like He protected Noah and his family from the flood. When you go
to bed tonight, ask Jesus to watch over you and protect you all night
long!
God bless.