Genesis 7 Devotional

Shut In by God

“And they entered, the male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.”Genesis 7:16 (BSB)

The flood is judgment, and the chapter does not soften it. The waters rise until even the mountains are covered, and every living thing on land outside the ark dies (7:21-23). God had warned, and Peter says he waited patiently while the ark was being built (1 Peter 3:20). When judgment finally comes, it is real.

But notice one small detail before the rain begins. When everyone is inside, the LORD himself shuts the door (7:16). Noah does not have to seal himself in or hold the ark together by his own strength. His safety rests on God closing the door and God keeping the ark. In the same way, Paul says that those who are in Christ face no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Whatever storms rise around you, the security of those who belong to Jesus does not depend on their grip. It depends on the God who shut them in.

To think about: Where are you trying to hold yourself together by your own grip, instead of resting in the God who keeps you?