Noah’s Faith: Part 2 of 7
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. – Genesis 6:11-14
“all Noah knew was that God will judge the earth, and he was supposed to build a big barge. Since it had not rained yet on the earth, it is reasonable to suppose Noah didn’t know what God was meant yet”.
“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 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.”
The judgment of God was announced and man failed to hear and to respond. Modern man either does not believe God exists or he believes that if He is such a nice guy that He would not be unkind enough to judge anybody or anything. This wishful thinking needs to be corrected by proper enunciation of who God really is and what He has already said and done in human history.
Even through God’s wrath we find his mercy, there was 120 days of the ark building that man could have responded to Noah’s preaching. There was room in the upper deck for those who God had anticipated their repentance but found none. God warns before he judges, He delays the promised wrath; His patience should never be abused; it should be cherished.
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.”
When Noah took his big step of faith into the ark, “The Lord shut him in” suggesting that God was gently but firmly assuring Noah that he had done the right thing and that he was indeed secure. But Noah’s faith had already been in evidence for a considerable period while the ark was being constructed. And his faith had preserve during the year-long flood because strangely there is no record of God speaking to Noah during that period. He had to go on trusting through thick and thin, whether he could see and understand or not.
Faith: A Relationship of Trust
TRUST – A five letter word that marriages, relationships, friendships are made by and can be ruined by. It’s the character of that person that either can be trusted or not be trusted. We have all been there in every circumstance of trusting an individual, a friend, a parent or anyone that we know for sure to carry out what you have asked them to do. With being a minister, people trust me in too many area’s of my life to count! From friends and people I barely know telling me about personal situations that I would not even be willing to tell my best friend. It’s a reputation that I have; God has given me that special gift in my life to use it, not abuse it. I take that need, request, of that person and intercede in their situation. Trusting God that He will come through in His timing.
Noah trusted God. From the time that God called Noah to build the ark, Noah had asked no question’s to why He would have him do such a thing, or complain of how long it would take or that he needed more help to carry out this task. Remember God saying “Make yourself”? This means this was Noah’s project. He was not to simply contract it out to
someone else.
Have you found that relationship of trust?
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