And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8)
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
We all know the story of Noah’s ark. We probably sang the song about the animals going into the ark two by two in Sunday school. Like us Noah lived in a time when men had turned away from God.
Adam had died about 56 years before the birth of Noah.
Enoch had been taken by God about 69 years before the birth of Noah.
Throughout his life Noah would have been told his about the Garden of Eden and what had happened, warned of how the anger of Cain led to him killing his brother Abel, told of the miracle of Enoch being taken into heaven and yet he would watch as the men and women who lived rejected God. The thing that you might not realise fully is that the people alive would have been uncles aunts cousins brothers sisters… all his relatives.
Take a good look at the scripture above.
The first verse tells us that the people were corrupt… the last verse tells us that Noah was the exception. So what is it that the life of Noah teaches us?
1. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make It right…
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis6:5)
In spite of the teachings of those who had come before the human race slowly degraded itself to the point where mankind had turned its back on God and yet somehow Noah retained the desire to do God’s will, and to live like his great-grandfather Enoch had. Even though the rest of his family had turned their backs on God Noah chose to do what God wanted him to do. Later Solomon possibly looking back at what had happened would put pen to paper and write…
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12/16:25)
2. Noah fulfilled his role as a husband and father…
Another thing that Noah teaches us is about our roles has husbands and fathers. Seth was Adams third son. Cain his eldest had killed his brother before the birth of Seth. Adam would have taught him how to serve God, told him of what had happened between his older brothers. Why is this important? Because looking at Genesis 5 we can work out that Seth was still alive when Noah was born. Noah would be 191 years old when Seth died. Noah would not be the only child that would grow up listening to Seth tell the stories of Eden that he had learned at the feet of his father Adam, yet he would be the only one to learn the lessons of Adam and guide his wife and train his children in the ways of the Lord.
When the flood came only seven other people would be saved… Noah’s wife, his three sons and their wives.
Teaching his family and setting the right example saved their lives.
3. Noah put God first…
How many times have you felt the leading of God to do something but put it off because of how it would be perceived by others? Until the flood there had never been rain, so when Noah began to build the ark the people mocked because they didn’t believe the warning. In their minds they could not conceive of enough water coming from the sky to make the ark float, let alone cover the land where they lived.
No doubt there was a great deal of humiliation that Noah had to endure yet he did because he placed obedience to God above listening to the ridicule of men. Imagine having your family, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews and nieces laughing about what you were doing… constantly questioning your sanity and that of your children. Think of the strength of will that Noah showed in continuing to build and how he managed to encourage his sons in spite of the rest of his family speaking against him.
4. Noah built…
I love reading how God does things, he was not joking when he said my ways are not your ways…
He told Noah build a boat in the middle of a plain that was miles from water…
He told Gideon to lead 300 men to fight two armies with a trumpet, jug, and candle…
He sent David to battle a giant with 5 stones…
He sent Moses up against Pharaoh with a stick…
He fed a multitude with a packed lunch…
All of these persons have one thing in common, they never questioned they just did what they had to. Noah was told…
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; (Genesis 6:14)
He never asked why, he just built.
The story of Noah is one of overcoming.
He never fell into the trap of following the crowd. He never allowed those around him to dissuade him from the task God had given him, even when it looked ridiculous. He led his family as a godly man should. The end result is that when God destroyed the world only his wife, sons and daughters in law were saved.
Think about that.
There were people alive that had met Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Cain. Had heard about their lives and never learnt the lessons they left behind. When the flood came the bible tells us that God shut the door.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. (Genesis 7:16)
God had to shut the door.
When flood came it was his family at the door who were begging to be let into the Ark. His brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. It had to have been hard to hear the deaths of so many of his relatives, the same ones who would not listen as he preached while building the ark.
Noah teaches us that being called by God sometimes means leaving your family behind. His life teaches us that sometimes we are called on to do crazy, seemingly impossible things, but that we should trust that God knows what he is doing in our lives.
Are you going to be like Noah and build in spite of what people say, or are you going to go with the crowd?
I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians…
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
MARNATHA.
