The purpose of the flood was not simply to destroy sinful man - it was to destroy sinful man, but to destroy sinful man, and all of the land animals, and the birds, and the earth itself! (Gen.6:7, 13). Only a global flood would achieve that!
The purpose of the Ark was not to save a few animals and birds, so that Noah could start a farm afterwards. (7:1-3). If the flood was local, the Ark was unnecessary.
Consider, too, the volume of the Ark. Forget the pictures of the Ark in most (secular!) children's books. They are as different from the reality as day is from night. Check the dimensions! In modern terms it was 450' x 75' x 45' - giving a volumetric capacity of more than 1.5 million cubic feet! That is a lot of space!
How many animals and birds were on the Ark? Well, we must take careful note of the text. « Then YHWH said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth. » (vs.1-3). « ... every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort. » (v. 14).
Now, I neither wish to, nor am I properly qualified to, go into even a brief lecture on zoological terminology (and you may be relieved to know that!), but a "kind" is a very large grouping. It is a "genus", not a species. For example, there are many species and breeds of dog. But the "kind" or "genus", is "canine". That is why one breed of canine is able to mate with another breed (size permitting!); but felines (cats) will not breed with canines!
This is very important! It means that Noah did not need to take a breeding pair of Border Collies, and Yorkshire Terriers, and Dachshunds, and King Charles Spaniels, etc., etc. He simply needed to take a pair of canines - and from even just one pair, the genetic information would be available to produce, over time, different breeds. And, of course, he would not have taken mature adults. He didn't want grandparent elephants! What was required was a couple of teenagers who would have many tears of breeding once they were released from the ark!
However, even if we deal with species - a much wider group, with many more creatures than if Noah only took "kinds", the picture is little different. I shan't bore you with individual figures, but even taking the figures that would have made the situation the most difficult for Noah, there would have been less than 50,000 creatures. Now, when we note that the average size of mammals, especially those that have not yet fully grown, is about the same as an average sheep, we find that all of those creatures could be housed in little more than 35% of the Ark's capacity. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Ark was large enough to take all of the animals that Noah was required to take, as well as sufficient food for both them and the Noahic family.
But what about the building of the Ark? Well, in spite of what some modern reproductions show, it was not necessarily a ship-like construction. The Hebrew word (tebah) is derived from a word that means, simply, a box! In other words, building such a large vessels would not require great shipbuilding, or even carpentry, skills. If it was merely a very large box (and since it was required only to float (7:18), and did not have to be propelled or steered, that is all that was needed!), then there can be no doubt that Noah and his sons would be able for the task - and that is not even allowing for any divine intervention!
So, when all was prepared - and it didn't happen over a weekend! - « Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark, to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. … … … they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and YHWH shut him in. » (vs.7-10; 16). Now that is security! When the Creator, Himself is taking care of us, we need not fear.
One final point. Does this not provide a picture of a God Who is cruel? Certainly not! It provides a picture of a God Who is righteous, and Who will punish sin. However, that does not mean that He watched the Flood, unmoved. The previous chapter drew attention to the pain and grief that Almighty God experiences at sin and its destructive effects. This chapter does not make any definitive statement about the deep sadness that He must feel at the death of those He had created, but His written Word reveals it elsewhere. « For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says Adonai YHWH; so turn, and live. » (Ezek.18:32; emphasis added). « The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. » (II Peter 3:9; emphasis added). Indeed, it was because of His love for you and for me that « … He (the Creator) gave His only Son (the Lord Jesus), that whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life. » (John 3:16; emphasis added). In the days when the death penalty was available in the UK, we did not consider the judge who delivered such a verdict on a convicted murderer to be cruel. He was merely acting justly. Surely, then, we may agree with the implied answer to Abraham's question: « Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? » (Gen.18:25)
Have you made that choice? The offer is there - and it is free, because He has already paid the price.
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