They (the Scriptures) conveyed to the Hebrews, and they still convey to us, the worthiest conceptions of God and of His relation to the world and men. They are a standing witness to the fact that the nation of Israel enjoyed a peculiar revelation of the true God. If the “folk-lore” of the Hebrews, like that of all other peoples, was inconsistent at many points with our modern knowledge of nature and history, yet it was so purified among them, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, from all taint of heathenism, that, as it stands in the opening chapters of Genesis, it contains nothing inconsistent either with the religion of Jehovah or with the fuller revelation of Jesus Christ.—_The One Volume Bible Commentary_, _J. R. Dummelow_. AIM =To present the ideal of unquestioning obedience to the commands of God, and through the story to deepen the impulse to choose and do the right.= LESSON PREPARATION A careful study of the passage of Scripture assigned for the teacher in this lesson presents much that is interesting and many points that are puzzling. For one’s own information and satisfaction it would be well to read the article on the Deluge in any good Bible dictionary and to consult commentaries on the narrative. But in preparing the lesson for the pupil attention must be centered on the story as given in the verses that the pupil is to read. The simple account of the one man who was “righteous,” “perfect [or blameless] in his generation,” and who “walked with God” in loving obedience, when the “wickedness of man was great in the earth,” and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” is one that makes a strong appeal to the children. The building of the ark; the surprise of the people as they saw a boat built upon dry land, and their undoubted ridicule of Noah; his opportunity for preaching righteousness; the completion of the ark and the going in of the animals, Noah and his family, are the elements of a story of surpassing interest, which carries also a strong religious impression in its emphasis upon obedience and its reward. The negative side should not be dwelt upon. The teacher will need to note carefully just the point in the story where this lesson ends. The story is so generally told as a whole, including the building of the ark, its completion, the going in of animals and people, the coming of the rain, the rising of the waters, the final settling of the ark on dry land, and the going out of Noah and his family and the animals, that the natural tendency will be to encroach upon next week’s lesson without meaning to do so. LESSON PRESENTATION Introduction