“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Hebrews 11:7
In the company of a defiled human race, stood one with the audacity to give their all to God. He was sure of his hope and entirely certain in his uncertaint. Through his deepest imagination he would not have the ability to create for himself a picture of rain.
The idea was Absurd.
The population of the earth had grown so degraded and base that the Lord was “grieved to His heart” and "sorry that He had made man on the earth.”
But.
Noah.
Was.
The.
Only.
Exception.
A.W Tozer begins his book “Knowledge of the Holy” with this statement:
“What comes into our minds when we thing about God is the most important thing about us.”
When Noah turned his thoughts toward the Lord his response was the fear.
The beginnings of wisdom.
Wisdom is discernment and discipline co-existing.
Noah understood what He was supposed to do (Discernment)
and he acted accordingly (Discipline).
And the Lord’s response? “Noah, you find favor in my eyes.”
The Lord established a covenant with Noah,
He rescued Him from His wrath on the earth,
and gave him the promise of a new beginning - rid of all sin and wickedness.
(Sound familiar to the covenant promises we have in the Lord as believers today?)
But, nothing of great value comes without cost.
In scripture, when a promise is given, there is a sacrifice.
An act of surrender.
A death.
And what was Noah’s price he paid?
A man who made the choice to live for the glory of a God the whole world blasphemed must not have been the most popular guy on the block. I’m positive that he was shamed by the world around him.
His reward? – God’s covenant
God gave warning to Noah of the flood, but He didn’t just pick him up with a divine hand and hang him in the abyss above the waters.
No, Noah had to build an Ark, a labor costing Him the majority of His life.
His reward? – Salvation from the floods of Gods wrath
“Noah did this: he did ALL that God commanded him.”
When the time came for the first drop of rain ever to fall, Noah packed up his family and two of every kind of animal according to its kind and embarked on a 150 day journey.
150 days.
That’s like… 3,600 hours.
or, 21,600 minutes.
In an ark, sailing on a never-ending ocean among the company of multitudes of animals and all the smells, sounds, and discomforts that came along with them. You can take your imagination as far as you desire with that one.
I’m sure that wasn’t a pleasant experience.
His reward? – new beginning
God’s sovereignty works in perfect harmony with the responsibility of man.
In our pursuit of obedience, let us walk with the realization that the road to eternity isn’t paved with gumdrops and lollipops. You climb the peaks of victory and joy then find yourself hidden in the valleys of loneliness and frustration.
So, therefore, depend on Jesus, our God of perfect obedience.
The One who authored faith then perfected it through His holy life.
The One who saw the Joy of salvation before Him
and continued, according to the will of His Father, to endure the cross.
He suffered shame and died in order that He may bring us life.
The One who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God
in all power, majesty, and glory.
And for His name sake, leave a legacy of faith.
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