The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. (Genesis 6:5-6 ESV)

This is a hard passage to read. Usually in the Old Testament the emotion that God shows is anger. But this passage tells us that God was grieving. The actions of his creation caused him to grieve to his heart. We aren’t used to that emotion from God.

Discussion: Is there something in your life that grieves God? Have you ever done something to grieve your earthly parents?

Talking Points: This is a hard question to answer right away. We tend to put aside these things because we don’t want to confront them. Take time to meditate on Psalm 139:23-24. Think of some ways to talk to your parents about how you grieved them. These need to be done in a loving, genuine way.

The Ark had to be a large boat. However, the size of the Ark isn’t what is important. What the Ark represents is the most important thing. The flood water was God’s judgment on his creation because of corruption.

Discussion: If the flood waters were God’s judgment, what does the Ark represent? Who or what is our “Ark”?

Talking Points: The Ark rescued Noah, his family, and two of every animal from the flood waters. Noah was not perfect but Scripture said he was blameless in the eyes of the Lord. We are also not perfect, but we are corrupted. Our Ark (Christ) is who finds us blameless and rescues us from the judgment of sin. Please explain this correlation to your children.

And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:21-22 ESV)