The Lord Shut Him In (Genesis 7:13-16)

Please read Genesis 7:13-16. Now go back and read Genesis 6:14-18, where God gives instructions to Noah.

Notice, in the instructions that God gave, Noah was to build a door in the side of the ark. Just one door. This one door is the only door through which any humans or any animals could enter into the ark. There are representatives of every kind of animal present, and they all have to come through this one door. Other Scriptures tell us that Noah preached to those around him, and presumably, they too could be saved, but they needed to enter in through this one door.

Verse 13 says “on the very same day” that the rain began to fall on the earth, Noah and his family entered the ark. Everyone came through the one door on the ark. Others were invited, but only those whom God said would come entered in. Only those who were called entered in through the one door.

Then, verse 16 tells us that “The Lord shut him in.” Interestingly, there were many male animals, many female animals, four women, and four men, but the Scripture doesn’t say that God shut “them” in. Noah is the one that the Lord shut in, because Noah is the one who was righteous before God—Noah was the one who had faith in God and demonstrated His faith by building the ark. Noah is the one that God shut in.

I don’t know if the door had a mechanism through which Noah could close it. It appears in chapter 8 that there was a way that Noah could open the door, because God tells Noah to go out from the ark, but the Scripture doesn’t say that God opens the door.

However, here, as the rain begins to fall and the fountains of the deep burst forth and the windows of the heavens were opened, God shuts the door. Noah, his family, and the animals are all saved because they entered through the one door, but now that God has shut the door, no one else may enter in.

You can imagine that, in the chaos of the flood, Noah’s neighbors must have been frantic. They have never before seen rain, so maybe at first they enjoyed the water falling from heaven. But, eventually, the rain became too much. The water started destroying their crops… their herds… their homes. The flood waters began to rise, and many of them didn’t know how to swim. They started looking around for a way to be saved, and what did they see? The ark! The ark that Noah built. The ark that they had been making fun of for years, but now knew could save them. Didn’t that ark have a door? Surely they could enter in through the door and be saved on the ark…

But “The Lord shut him in.” The door was closed. There was a time when anyone could have come through the door and been saved from the coming flood, but that time has passed. Now, all those on the outside will perish in the judgment of God for their sins.

Jesus Christ is the door. All those who enter in through Him will be saved. But there is a time coming when it will be too late—a time when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is God, but this will not save them, because the door will be shut. Enter through the door today, while it is still open to you.