Week 3: Flood and Renewal
Week 3 Overview
The flood narrative is one of the most dramatic in all of Scripture — and one of the most misunderstood. This week we will see it not primarily as a story of destruction but as a story of salvation: God preserving a remnant through judgment in order to make a new beginning. The covenant with Noah that follows is the first of the great covenants of Scripture, and its rainbow sign still hangs in our skies today.
Weekly Memory Verse
“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” — Genesis 9:13 (ESV)
Daily Readings
| Day | Title | Passage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wickedness of Humanity | Genesis 6:1–22 |
| 2 | The Great Flood | Genesis 7:1–24 |
| 3 | Waters Recede | Genesis 8:1–22 |
| 4 | The Covenant with Noah | Genesis 9:1–17 |
| 5 | The Table of Nations | Genesis 9:18–10:32 |
Discussion
Background
Ancient flood narratives were common in the Near East, including the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Genesis account shares structural similarities but differs decisively in its theology: the flood is not the result of petty divine squabbling but of God’s moral response to genuine human wickedness, and it ends with a covenant of grace rather than arbitrary divine caprice.