The Flood Day 5

I had planed for today to be our final day focusing on the Flood, however it seem there is a bit more that we need to talk about. So today we are going to look at one last thread that ties Noah and the Flood to Jesus Christ, and tomorrow we will wrap up the Flood with a look at the future.
I am of the opinion that the Holy Spirit doesn't waste his breath. When specific details are written into Scripture (or even left out) I believe they are there on purpose. That doesn't necessarily mean they are theological, but I do believe there is always a point. It doesn't even necessarily mean that at this time we can know what the purpose is, but I believe the time will come, when Christ returns and all of the Scriptures are fulfilled and complete that every detail will have proven God to be Holy, Perfect and intentional. After all the Bible is clear:
"I make known the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10
In the Flood account there are 5 specific dates, where the Holy Spirit gives us the day and month. On the 7th day of the 2nd month the rains started (7:11). On the 17th day of th 7th month the ark came to rest on the mountains (8:4). The mountain tops became visible on the 1st day of the 10th month (8:5). On the 1st day of the 1st month of the year the water was dried up (8:13), and on the 27th day of the 2nd month the land was completely dry.
(There are actually several other dates that are inferred, such as 7 days before the rain they got on the ark.)
I believe (my opinion) that part of the reason that these dates are specific is to make clear that the Bible intends the reader to see the Flood as fact, not fiction. Whenever the Bible mentions Noah, it is as an historical figure, and the Flood as historical fact. When Jesus refers to Noah and the Flood, He speaks of them as matters of fact. It is unBiblical to believe that the Flood is just a moral story, that didn't actually happen.
In virtually every ancient culture around the world there are Flood stories. The cultures that are closer, geographically to the Middle East, have accounts that more closely resemble the one in the Bible. The Gilgamesh Epic, from Babylon, contains a flood account that is quite similar, yet it is clearly polluted with pagan themes. The prevalence of Flood stories in every part of the world, certainly would imply that the Flood was historical, not allegorical. That they differ so much only indicates that as time and distance separated people groups the story became polluted. Each culture began to interpret the account based on how they understood the world, instead of how and why the Flood actually happened. Similar to the children's game Telephone, over time the story only barley resembled the original. The true story, however was preserved in Scripture and authenticated by Jesus.**
One of the dates given in the Genesis account has additional significance, but we need a bit more background (well foreground from the Flood).
God created time. The calendar used to mark the days of the Flood was created by God. He set up the night and day as well as seasons, days and years within the first days of Creation. The Hebrew calendar has 12 months and is based on the lunar cycle. Each New Moon was the beginning of a new month. The 1st month of the year was Tishri, followed by; Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul.
Noah and his family would have gotten on the ark on the 10th of Heshvan, and the rain started on the 17th. The ark rested on the 17th on Nisan, the mountain tops appeared on the 1st of Tammuz, and the water was gone on the 1st of Tishri. Finally the land was completely dry on the 27th of Heshvan, a little over a year from when they boarded the ark.
In Exodus 12 God creates a new calendar. As the Israelites prepared to brush lambs blood over the doors of their homes in Egypt, so that the plague of death would "pass over" them, God told Moses that from then on that month would be considered the 1st month of the year.
"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." Exodus 12:1
God wanted the Passover, to signify Israel's new beginning so He made Nisan the 1st month of the year.
Even today Jews around the world use two calendars the civic one beginning in Tishri and the religious one starting in Nisan. (This isn't really that strange, we have school calendars that start in August or September, fiscal ones that start in October, as well as our civic calendar starting in January).
In the Bible, all the dates after the 1st Passover in Exodus are based on the religious calendar. All the months are the same they are just shifted ahead, beginning with Nisan and ending with Adar. (its also important to know that the Jewish day starts at sunset and ends at the following sunset)
In Leviticus 23, God institutionalized 6 festivals as well as the weekly Sabbath. The 1st festival is the Passover which was to be celebrated on the 14th of Nisan. That would be the day that each household in Israel would sacrifice a perfect lamb, and share a meal to commemorate the 1st Passover in Exodus.
When Jesus was in the upper room the night before He was crucified, He was celebrating the Passover feast with His disciples. After dinner, they went to Gethsemane where Jesus was arrested. All night long He was abused and brought before the leaders of the area, until finally they nailed Him to cross. It was still the day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan when Jesus' blood poured out as the perfect Passover Lamb. Three days later, the Bible says, on the 1st of the week two women had the honor of discovering an empty tomb, and bumping into the risen Christ. Three days would make it the 17th of Nisan, the anniversary of the day the ark came to rest.
When Jesus died on the Cross He bore our sins, He took on our judgment. There was (and is) no other way to save mankind from the death our sins demand, so Jesus took it. His death paid the price. His resurrection, His victory over death, is what gives us life and rest. Not only is our sin debt paid but we are made new creations. We are no longer weary and burdened by our sins, we have been given rest. Noah's name meant rest, but it is Jesus who is our Ultimate Rest!
The LORD's fingerprints are all over the Scripture, pointing the way to Jesus, and confirming that only He could write a Love Letter that knows the End in the Beginning. Only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit could 40 authors over 2000 years create a work that is so thoroughly integrated that the first author could perfectly foreshadow what the last authors experienced.
"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." Isaiah 46:10a


* Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg. 48, 49
** Matthew 24:36-41
*** Missler, Chuck. Learn the Bible in 24 Hours. Nashville, TN. 2002