Genesis 6-9 describes God’s judgment regarding mankind’s sin and His punishment via the Great Flood. It also explains Noah’s relationship with God, his family, and the animals he brought with him on the ark. 

In the time of Noah, the human race was almost totally and completely depraved. Genesis chapter 6 states, “the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.” God grieved, however, he decided to destroy the Earth because he saw nothing but heinous sin. Even in the midst of all this sin, one man, Noah, and his family found grace with God. Opting to show the holy man mercy, God instructed him to construct an ark that would keep, not just his family, but also seven pairs of every “clean” animal safe during the coming armageddon. Noah did as God commanded him and eventually the ark was completed. 

After boarding with his family and the animals, heavy rains began to fall on the face of the Earth. The storms didn’t cease until the whole planet was flooded, killing every living being outside of the ark. 150 days later, Noah sent out a dove. If the bird didn’t return, that would mean it had found dry land, but if it did, that meant the land was still covered with water. The first time Noah sent the dove, it came back, having not found any land. The second time, it returned but came bearing an olive branch, suggesting that trees were sticking above the surface of the ocean. And the third and final time, the dove didn’t return at all, telling Noah the water had receded far enough for him and his family to exit the ark. 

After leaving the massive ship, God demanded all men and beasts to multiply and promised to never flood the Earth again. The symbol of this covenant would be the rainbow, which would be shown periodically to remind men of His covenant. The ark that had saved Noah would come to represent God’s grace and the dove would stand for the peace God made with mankind. 

Even though most of people perished during the Great Flood, God still showed his mercy and love for man by saving Noah and his family and promising to never flood the Earth again. The Great Flood account, as described in Genesis 6-9, is one of the most crucial events of world and religious history.