Noah: Faith in the Face of Unbelief

Genesis 6:13-22, “And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.  And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.  You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.  And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.  But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.  And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.  And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.’  Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”

Based on my recent visit to the Ark Encounter <https://arkencounter.com/>(Williamstown, KY) [1], I have decided to write on the beginning of the story of Noah and the call to build the big boat, known as Noah’s Ark.  Again, as yesterday, I am receiving no reward or payment for mentioning this place.

Noah was warned by God that the whole world was going to be destroyed due to wickedness of man. Rather than beg and plead with God or question God, what did Noah do?  He did all that God said to do.  He did not bug God with his thoughts and concerns.  He simply did.  Hearing is good but listening is better.  Listening is a skill that Noah had.

God gave Noah directions on how to build the ark and how to fill the ark.  God gave measurements on how long, how wide, and how tall the ark should be.  Noah followed that to the exact cubit.  Noah worked long and hard hours to complete this before the flood water were going to rise.  He faced ridicule for what he was doing and questioned at every turn.  Yet, Noah kept to the task at hand and built the ark.  He also worked to load the ark with the animals that would be used to repopulate the Earth.

This ark is huge at 510 feet long, so this was no easy feat to accomplish.  Noah showed the resolve to finish what God told him to start.  In the end, Noah and his family was saved, along with 2 of every type of animal on the Earth at the time.  Because of the faith of Noah, God rewarded him.  God was there with Noah the whole time.

If God tells you to do something, will you be like Noah or will you ask 10,000 questions?  Be like Noah!  Be willing to jump in with both feet when God calls you to action.  God rewards those who put their trust in Him.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the story of Noah.  The lesson learned by his faith shows that You are a God that honors all promises.  You truly take care of Your creation, even when destroying it.  I pray that all those who know You and come to know You will obey Your voice always.  When You speak, we need to listen.  Listen attentively.  You are truly our Father in Heaven always and forever.

In Your name we pray,

Amen

[1] Address:  Ark Encounter 1 Ark Encounter Dr, Williamstown, KY 41097