“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. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:6-9)
1. Stand Out From the Crowd
In the time of Noah, the world was full of evil and wicked people. They were so evil, that it grieved the Lord and he decided to destroy man from the face of the earth with an enormous flood. Noah however, is described as “perfect in his generations” and he walked with God and found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In a wicked and vile world, where nobody was to be spared, somehow Noah stood out from the crowd. Today, thousands of years later, evil still exists and the world is full of war, pain, suffering and sin. What Noah teaches us however, is that we can stand out from the crowd, and we need not walk with the general “flow” of sin and stray from the Word of God. In a world full of evil, Noah still walked with God. Similarly, regardless of all the bad things that happen in the world today, we can stand out and maintain our straight path as we walk with God.
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood…” Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (Genesis 6:14 and 6:22)
2. Do What God Tells You with Full Faith
God told Noah that he would destroy the earth and everything in it. He then instructed Noah to build an ark, and proceeded to give Noah the exact design details. In response, Noah simply did what he was told. He did not argue or question any of God’s instructions, but simply trusted God with full faith. Noah’s obedience was resolute and he did not waver in his adherence to God’s word.
“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.” (Genesis 7:17). “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged” (Genesis 8:1)
3. Trust that God Keeps His Word
God told Noah that he would destroy everyone from the face of the earth, and so he did. We can be assured that when God makes a promise, it will come true. God also promised Noah that he would take care of him and his family as long as they were safe within the bowels of the ark. God did not forget his servant in the ark, and eventually caused the flood to ease in order to bring Noah and his family back to safety. If we read God’s word, and if we meditate on his promises in the Bible, we can be confident that His Word will always manifest.
“And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20)
4. Acknowledge God’s Favor with Thankfulness
Noah was thankful to God for choosing to save him and his family from the entire population and he shows his gratitude with an offering upon an altar he built. When we receive mercy from God, we ought to return to Him abundant thanks. Give back to God according to your ability, and show Him that you are grateful for what He has done for you.
– Images by Jan van ‘t Hoff
Chrism 