One Man's Faith

Noah's faith affected his family but the rest of mankind missed the boat.

Genesis 6:5-8 The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the LORD was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart.

7 And the LORD said, "I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing--all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them." 8 But Noah found favor with the LORD.

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If you think our world is bad, consider what Genesis says about the world before the flood, in just a short time the way of Cain had increased to the point that "everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil."

When you read the genealogy in Genesis chapter five it is easy to not realize that the world population could have been a few billion people before the flood came. That would make the ratio of self pleasers to God pleasing people a few billion to eight.

We think we have it so bad but it is very possible that evil may have been far worse than it is in our day. Today we still have thousands of God's people on the planet compared to only eight out of billions of people back in Noah's day. You probably know hundreds of people that do not fit the description of "everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil."

God chooses one family to be a part of his plan to start over, God knew that Noah and his family had the faith to build the ark, a special boat without sails, oars or a rudder. The occupants of the boat didn't have any control, their faith in God made it possible to trust him for the direction, the speed and their final destination.

Noah Was A God Pleaser
Noah was a righteous and blameless man. (Genesis 6:9-13) Noah believed that events that never happened before would take place. Noah trusted God's design specifications for the ark. (Genesis 6:22) Noah dedicated a large amount of time and resources to build the massive ark. Noah warned the people around him (1 Peter 3:20 / 2 Peter 2:5) Noah waited on God before leaving the Ark (Genesis 7:1-24)

Imagine the ridicule as the Ark project got started, when people asked what he was building and why, they had never seen rain and there wasn't a large body of water around. It seemed like Noah was just a crazy man wasting his life and resources away.

Besides the neighbors, Noah must have also been mocked by the suppliers and the laborers that contributed to the project. There were men that made good money in the lumber business, there were laborers, carpenters and people that applied the waterproofing.

After the Ark was completed there were the suppliers for the food and supplies that they would need to set-up household on the boat. There were probably people that visited the project maybe some that went inside and took a tour of the Ark. They saw it, they touched it and heard the message from Noah but at the end of the day they shared crazy Noah stories with their family and friends.

Think about the reactions when the animals started showing up in pairs. It seems to me that the animals would validate Noah's warning and prove that he wasn't just a crazy old man but this was another missed opportunity to receive grace and avoid the coming judgment.

God could have supernaturally provided the Ark and flooded the Earth immediately or he could have wiped out man in some other way but instead there was a season of grace, a delay of justice that allowed the message of salvation and repentance to spread.

The good news was ignored by everyone, all of Noah's friends, his extended family and his business associates that helped build the Ark, they were physically so close to the truth but spiritually they were so far. Noah's faith didn't make any difference to the culture, their wickedness was so great that they were blind to the truth of Noah's faith and obedience.

Blinded By Sin
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

The letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church makes it clear that people are blind to the truth. The glorious light of the good news is right in front of them but they can't see it, grace and mercy is available but it makes no sense to them, the same stubbornness that we see in Cain still exist today.

Sadly, the rebellion continues, the flood put a temporary end to the injustice in the world but it did not change the human heart. Mankind keeps on rebelling against God and his glorious standards, we stubbornly redefine marriage, distort sexual relationships, we think one man is better than another because of pigment, and we kill our babies everyday without any sign of remorse.

We are so wrong for thinking that God doesn't really care about morality and injustice or he would have already intervened. Don't be fooled, the day is coming when God will judge mankind, just as he did in Noah's day, he will protect his people and then he will judge the earth. But this time his people will be taken away to their forever home so that the earth can be destroyed by fire.

Just like the days before the flood, it will seem like God is okay with how things are going, all of the everyday things that happen will keep on happening, plans will be made to marry, have a family, change jobs and go to parties, it will be business as usual for the planet right up to the end. (Matthew 24:36-39)

We all belong to Adam, we all have the craving to go the way of Cain, but we can choose to belong to Jesus and get caught up to live with him for eternity.

RELATED ARTICLES

Thinking Outside The Box (answersingenesis.org)
Timeline For The Flood (answersingenesis.org)
The Global Flood Of Noah's Day (icr.org)

Looking For A Better Country

God's people usually find themselves living in a culture that is hostile to their faith.

 

Hebrews 11:13-16  All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

14  Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.  15  If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.  16  But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

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Do you get upset with the lack of morality in the world around you? Good! It should make you feel uncomfortable. Are you grieved that the world seems to be against what you believe and doesn't care about your morals? Get over it! God's children shouldn't feel too comfortable here in this world and we shouldn't expect the world to live up to our standards.

How do you think Noah felt? I think it is easy to rush through the story about the flood and miss the point of how immoral everybody in the world was with the exception of Noah. I suspect that the world was worse than it is today yet Noah was still living to please God and while he was building the ark he was evangelizing his neighbors. (2 Peter 2:5)

Matthew 5:10-12  God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  11  "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.  12  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

In the Old Testament people like Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel and his cool furnace friends, Esther and Mordecai all obeyed God and brought him glory. When God exiled his people from the Promised Land because they didn't obey him there was usually somebody that lived in opposition to the culture, somebody that didn't deserve to be exiled, somebody that had to live with the consequences of the sin of the rest of the nation. Those people didn't whine about the way the people around them lived and why they passed laws that did not honor God.

The New Testament gives us examples like John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and ultimately Jesus. The world hated the man that was the ultimate example of love and so they will also hate us as well. The gospel message was spread across the world because faithful men were willing to endure persecution. (John 15:18-21, 2 Timothy 3:12)

God's people have seldom ever lived in a culture that welcomed them in and had great respect for what they believed. We can get mad about the decline of Godly values in America but we should realize that God's people have never had it so good.

God's people should be easy to spot in a hostile culture but too often we are easy to spot for the wrong reasons. Throughout history we have been the people that have made the news for what we are against and for taking an ugly stand for it. Jesus told us that the world will know us by our love but a lot of people say that they know us by our hate.

Be Still and Wait
Psalms 37:7-9  Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper--it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.

That verse is great advice for us as we live in this world full of evil. Don't worry, don't fret, don't get mad about it! Is it keeping you awake at night? Are you obsessed with watching or reading the news? Are you afraid of the future?

Just be still and wait. What! That's isn't natural! We like to handle things ourselves. We like to help God do what he needs to do. But God tells us to get out of the way, "I am at work here and you don't know what I am up to."

Just be still and wait. In a hostile culture you are forced to rely on God and lean on his strength. We have no human power to lean on, our reliance on people or things gets stripped away when God is all that's left.

Matthew 12:18-21  "Look at My Servant, whom I have chosen. He is My Beloved, who pleases Me. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally He will cause justice to be victorious. And His name will be the hope of all the world."

Lord help me to follow your example, help me to be still and wait for you and help me to trust in you when the world around me seems to be drifting so far away from the truth found in your word.