Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Have faith that the Lord understands your needs and wants to bless you. The Spirit can help you know how to apply gospel principles to your life.
Begin your study with prayer.
Obeying the commandments is not always easy.
Listen to President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) describe how one man learned why it is important to obey God all of the time.
As you study Genesis 6–9, look for truths that can help us obey the Lord, even when doing so may appear foolish.
You may remember that we read in the last lesson about how the people rejected Noah’s invitation to repent. As a result, the Lord promised to send a flood to cleanse the earth of wickedness. This flood was a fulfillment of the Lord’s earlier warning. He had described consequences that would come if the people did not repent, and He was now fulfilling His word.
Read Genesis 6:13–16, looking for specific instructions the Lord gave Noah to prepare for the coming destruction.
Some of the descriptions given in Genesis 6:13–16 may be difficult to understand. The phrase “pitch it” (Genesis 6:14) means to cover the ark with a tarlike substance to seal it and make it waterproof. A cubit was a unit of measurement used by the Hebrews in biblical times. The measurement is based on the distance between an adult’s elbow and the tip of his or her longest finger. One cubit is generally estimated to be between 18 and 22 inches (45.72 to 55.88 centimeters). Assuming that 18 inches is one cubit, we can calculate that the ark was about 450 feet long (about 138 meters), 75 feet wide (about 23 meters), and 45 feet high (about 14 meters).
Read Genesis 6:17–22, looking for what else the Lord directed Noah to do.
2. Think of the challenges Noah faced as he obeyed the Lord’s instructions recorded in Genesis 6:13–22. Which of these challenges do you think would have been the most difficult to face? Why?
Noah’s Faith
President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) described some of the challenges Noah faced. As you read President Kimball’s description, think about how Noah demonstrated faith in the Lord.
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President Spencer W. Kimball
“As yet there was no evidence of rain and flood. His people mocked and called him a fool. His preaching fell on deaf ears. His warnings were considered irrational. There was no precedent; never had it been known that a deluge [or flood] could cover the earth. How foolish to build an ark on dry ground with the sun shining and life moving forward as usual!” (Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 140–41).
In addition to Noah’s family and the animals on the ark, one other family also survived the Flood by staying on the top of a mountain (see Genesis 7:19–23).
As we read Genesis 7:5, we can learn that if we act in faith by obeying the Lord’s commands, we can receive His blessings and protection.
3. Think of someone who has acted in faith by obeying the Lord’s commandments. This person could be you, someone you know, or someone from the scriptures or Church history. How did this person act in faith, and what blessings came as a result?
An Invitation to Obey the Lord
Consider this invitation from President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018):
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President Thomas S. Monson
“Noah had the unwavering faith to follow God’s commandments. May we ever do likewise. May we remember that the wisdom of God ofttimes appears as foolishness to men; but the greatest lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and we obey, we will always be right” (Thomas S. Monson, “Models to Follow,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 61).
Think about how Noah’s experience demonstrates the truthfulness of President Monson’s words. What will you do to obey the Lord and act in faith?
We read in Genesis 8:1–9:7 that the waters on the earth gradually receded and that God then directed Noah and his family to exit the ark. Noah rejoiced and offered animal sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord commanded Noah and his family to multiply and replenish the earth. The Lord also explained the sanctity of life and that humans would be held accountable for the way that they treat living things.
Read Genesis 9:8–11, looking for a covenant God made with Noah and his sons.
As we read Genesis 9:12–17, we can learn that God uses tokens (or signs) as reminders of covenants. The rainbow is a token, or sign, of the everlasting covenant—a reminder of God’s promises, including His promise to never flood the earth again. This covenant had first been given to Enoch (see Moses 7:50–51), and now the covenant was renewed with Noah. The rainbow became a symbol of God’s mercy to His children on earth.
What other tokens has God given us that can remind us of our covenants with Him and of His mercy?
Genesis 9:18–29 contains an account of an incident that occurred with Noah and his sons. This account is difficult to understand because we do not have all of the relevant details. We therefore do not know exactly what happened or the meaning of what occurred. Unfortunately, some people have incorrectly used Noah’s cursing of his grandson Canaan to justify slavery—particularly of people of black African descent.
However, from the beginning of the Restoration, the Lord has taught, “It is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another” (D&C 101:79). “Today, the Church disavows [rejects] the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today condemn all racism, past and present, in any form” (“Race and the Priesthood,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org).
The following truths were identified in this lesson:
If we act in faith by obeying the Lord’s commands, we can receive His blessings and protection.
God uses tokens as reminders of covenants.
Remember that as you act in faith and obey the Lord’s commands, you will be blessed. You may want to write down what you are going to do and refer to this plan regularly.
