God loved the world he made. It was so good. But he didn’t love what man had become. Most people had bad thoughts, spoke mean words, and were very naughty—all the time. God saw this. He didn’t like it, and he did something about it. God decided to send a flood to destroy everything he had made. Everything except one family and one pair of every living creature. But why only one family? Because only one man, Noah, listened to God and did things God’s way.

God told Noah he was going to destroy the earth with a flood. He also said that Noah and his family would be rescued. How would God protect them? God had a plan. He told Noah to build an ark. A really big boat. It would be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It wasn’t as big as the Titanic, but it sure was big! Noah believed everything God told him, so he obeyed. It took Noah over one hundred years to build such a huge boat. What patience! What hard work! What obedience!

At last, the boat was finished. Noah and his family, along with at least two of every kind of animal, were safe in the ark. God sealed the door. Two peacocks peeked out the window. Two giraffes stretched their necks. Two aardvarks did whatever aardvarks do. Then, God kept his promise. It started to rain. The Bible says, “On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Gen. 7:11–12). Can you imagine that much rain? Everything and everyone outside the boat was destroyed.

Months later, when the people and animals came out of the ark to live on the land, God made a covenant—a special promise—with Noah that he will never again destroy the world with water. Then God gave a sign to remember his promise: a rainbow. The world had a new beginning.