Noah and the Ark: Adult Sunday School Lesson / Bible Study
Adults · 60 minutes · free Bible study lesson plan · Genesis 6:9-22
An interactive 60-minute adult study of Genesis 6:9-22. Participants explore Noah's faithful walk, God's judgment and grace, and the call to wholehearted obedience, with discussion, reflection and prayer.
Memory verse
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (Genesis 6:22, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Describe what Genesis 6:9-22 says about Noah, the corrupt earth, God's judgment, and God's instructions and covenant.
- Explain how Noah's walk with God shows itself in obedience, and how his faith rested on God's grace.
- Identify one area where God is asking for faithful obedience now, and pray about it with the group.
The full lesson plan
Welcome: Going Against the Flow (7 min)
Greet everyone and invite them to open to Genesis 6.
Say: "Welcome. Today we meet a man who lived faithfully when almost no one around him did."
Turn to a neighbor (2 min). Share one time you did the right thing when everyone around you was doing otherwise. What did it cost you? What helped you stand firm?
Invite two or three people to share briefly with the whole group. Write on the board any words they use, such as "lonely" or "pressure".
Say: "Hold those words in mind. Noah's story is not about a superhero. It is about an ordinary man who trusted God when it was hard."
Say: "Our theme is that God finds a faithful people in a broken world, and He gives us everything we need to obey Him."
Transition: "Now let's read the passage together and listen for what God says and what Noah does."
Reading Genesis 6:9-22 (10 min)
Setup: Everyone has a KJV Bible or handout. Read in turns, a few verses each (vv. 9-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-22).
Say: "As we listen, underline anything God says He will do, and circle anything He tells Noah to do."
After reading, retell the passage in order:
• Noah is a just man, perfect in his generations, who walked with God. He has three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth (vv. 9-10).
• The earth is corrupt before God and filled with violence (vv. 11-12).
• God tells Noah the end of all flesh has come and that He will destroy them with the earth (v. 13).
• Noah is to make an ark of gopher wood, with rooms, covered with pitch inside and out. It is 300 cubits long, 50 wide and 30 high, with a window, a door in the side, and three stories (vv. 14-16).
• God will bring a flood. He will establish His covenant with Noah. Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives will enter the ark (vv. 17-18).
• Two of every sort, male and female, will come in with food for all (vv. 19-21).
• Noah does all that God commands (v. 22).
Background: a cubit is roughly 18 inches, so the ark was about 450 feet long. The exact meaning of "gopher wood" is unknown.
Say: "Notice how much God says and how much Noah does. The passage records no words from Noah."
Transition: "Now let's look at what this tells us about God and about Noah."
A Grieved God and a Gracious Plan (12 min)
Say: "Verses 11-13 are sobering. The earth was corrupt and full of violence, and God saw it."
Point 1: God sees and God judges. Genesis 6:5-6 tells us that God was grieved. His judgment is not careless anger. It answers real evil and real suffering.
Point 2: God does not only judge; He provides. Before any water falls, God gives Noah a way of rescue. Write on the board: "Judgment announced, rescue provided."
Point 3: It begins with grace. Genesis 6:8 says Noah "found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Noah's righteousness did not earn his rescue. His walk with God flowed from a relationship God began. Hebrews 11:7 says Noah acted by faith.
Point 4: Covenant. Verse 18 is the first use of the word "covenant" in the Bible. God binds Himself by promise to preserve Noah and his family.
Say: "Many Christians see in the ark a picture of what God does in Christ: He warns of judgment, provides a way of rescue, and invites us to come in by trusting Him. Jesus calls Himself the door in John 10:9."
Quick pair talk (2 min): Which of these four points do you find hardest to believe about God? Share with a neighbor.
Transition: "Next, let's look at what Noah's obedience looked like."
Noah Did It: What Obedience Looks Like (10 min)
Say: "Verse 22 sums up Noah: 'Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.'"
Write three words on the board and unpack each.
1. Walking (v. 9). Noah "walked with God." Obedience grows out of daily closeness, not out of one dramatic moment.
2. Whole-hearted (v. 22). "According to all." Noah did not pick and choose which parts of God's instruction to follow.
3. Costly. The passage does not say how long the work took or what people said. We should not add details. But building an enormous ship for a coming flood meant trusting God's word over what Noah could see.
Say: "Noah's faith was shown in what he did, not just in what he believed."
Application: Obedience today may be less dramatic, such as honesty at work, forgiving someone, generosity, or faithfulness in a quiet task.
Personal reflection (3 min, silent): On a card, write one thing you sense God asking of you that you have been putting off. Keep it private. You will bring it to God in prayer.
Transition: "Let's talk about this together."
Group Discussion (12 min)
Form groups of three or four. Give each group about 8 minutes, then gather for 4 minutes of sharing. Ask the questions below, and let people pass if they prefer.
1. Verse 9 describes Noah as just and as walking with God. What do you think it means to walk with God day to day?
(Sample: Staying aware of Him, listening through Scripture and prayer, and trusting Him in ordinary choices.)
2. Why do you think the passage records God's instructions in such detail, and what does that tell us about His care?
(Sample: God provides exactly what is needed. He does not leave Noah guessing.)
3. God's judgment and God's rescue appear side by side. How does that shape how you see God?
(Sample: He takes evil seriously and also takes the initiative to save.)
4. When has obeying God meant going against the people around you? What did you learn?
(Sample: Answers will vary. Look for God's faithfulness and the value of support from other believers.)
5. What would it look like for our group to encourage one another toward "according to all that God commanded"?
(Sample: Regular check-ins, praying for each other's obedience, and honest accountability.)
Transition: "Let's bring all this before God."
Memory Verse and Prayer (9 min)
Memory verse (3 min): Say Genesis 6:22 together three times: "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." Then say it once while looking away from the page. Offer verse cards to take home.
Say: "This week, ask yourself each morning, 'What has God said that I can do today?'"
Prayer (6 min): Lead the group through these prayer points, pausing after each for silent or spoken prayer.
• Thank God for His grace, which found Noah and finds us.
• Thank Him for providing a way of rescue in Jesus.
• Ask forgiveness for the times we have heard God's word and not done it.
• Hold up the card from earlier: ask God for courage and strength to obey in the area you wrote down.
• Pray for family, friends and neighbors who live in a world that ignores God, and for opportunities to show His love.
Close with: "Lord, make us people who walk with You and do all that You command. Amen."
Say: "Go in peace, and go in obedience."
Materials
- KJV Bibles (or printed copies of Genesis 6:9-22)
- Pens and paper or index cards
- Whiteboard or flip chart and markers
- Printed memory verse cards (Genesis 6:22)
Teacher notes
- Keep to the text: Genesis 6:9-22 does not say how long the building took, what Noah said, or how people responded. Label anything beyond the passage as background or tradition.
- Avoid debates over the flood's extent, the ark's dimensions or the meaning of 'gopher wood' unless the group asks. Steer back to God's character and Noah's response.
- Adaptation: Provide large-print handouts, and let people who are less comfortable with open sharing write answers or discuss with one trusted partner. In mixed-age groups, pair younger and older participants.
- Reflection cards are private. Invite people to share only if they choose, and be ready to pray with anyone who stays afterward.
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