Shut In

15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

Noah was a man of God. He lived in a relatively new world, vast, clean, and beautiful. God blessed him with a wife and three married sons. Scripture does not tell us what kind of a home he and his wife lived in, but I am convinced they knew the blessing of the Lord. Genesis 6:8 tells us that “Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.”

Noah, however, lived in a world that had turned from God. Genesis 6:5 tells us that the “Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

This evil was so great that God determined to “blot out man” (Genesis 6:7) removing this sin and rebellion from His sight.

Because Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord, God determined to spare him and his family. He appeared one day to Noah and told him to make an ark, gather up pairs of animals, and place them in that ark. When Noah obeyed, God then told him and his family to enter the ark themselves and we read that when they were safely inside, “the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).

Consider this for a moment. Noah and his family lived in a vast world, whose limits they had never seen. They ate from the abundance of crops that land produced. Now they were in an ark with a door the Lord Himself had shut, restraining four families to cramped quarters with all the animals you can imagine. They lost their home and would never return to it. There was no room to spread out. I can only imagine what it was like for four families to live under the same roof. But God had placed them all in that floating zoo, shut the door, and locked them there together. This would be their “home” for the next year.

What did that closed door represent to Noah and his family? It would not have been easy for them. Nobody likes to be shut in. We all like our freedom. What did that freedom look like for Noah and his family? What would an open door mean for them?

God was destroying the world they knew. The waters of heaven were pouring down upon the land, covering everything in sight. Every living creature perished under this downpour. Freedom to open that door and leave meant certain death for Noah and his family. God shut the door, not to restrict Noah or limit his freedom but to protect him from the terrible evil that was ravaging the land.

In Exodus 14:1-2 we read how God led the Israelites escaping Egypt to the sea where they would be “shut in.” Seeing this, Pharaoh saw his opportunity to capture them and bring them back to Egypt. Discovering they were shut in, and the army of Egypt was upon them, the people panicked. God has a purpose, however, in shutting them in. In Exodus 14:4 He told Moses that He shut them in so that they would see His glory. Miraculously opening the sea before them, God led His people to the other side. When the army of Egypt followed, He closed the sea walls and the pursuers perished, never to threated Israel again. God shut His people in to reveal His power and glory.

When Miriam spoke out against Moses, God became very angry with her and struck her with leprosy (see Numbers 12:1-2). This meant she was isolated and shut out of the camp of God’s people for seven days. Why did God shut her out? He did so to correct and teach her to respect the leadership He had ordained. Those days of isolation were days of reflection and growth for Miriam. God shut her in to teach her a valuable lesson.

Finally, consider the words of God to Job in Job 38:8-11:

Or who shut in the seas with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waved be stayed?” – Job 38:8-11

God shuts in the sea so that it cannot cover the earth. He limits their reach, so they do not overstep their bounds. He has a purpose for every creature and every child and closes doors to places they were never intended to go.

Closed doors have a purpose in the kingdom of God. They are not intended to limit us but to help us reach our fullest potential. God shuts doors to protect us, to reveal His glory, to instruct and correct us, and to keep us on the path He has laid out for us.