Noah
did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)
“And
Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.” (Genesis 7:5)
Noah
became a laughing-stock when he embarked on his ark construction project. The
people did not have the wildest clue what that huge structure was all about.
They had never seen anything like that before and therefore could not make
attempts at guessing either what its final purpose or the definite use would
be. In conclusion, they considered Noah
had lost one of his bolts. But Noah had a purpose for building the ark. He was
carrying out God’s instructions. “I am going to put an end to all people, for
the earth is full with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy
both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in
it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it;”
(Genesis 6:13-14)
Without
any shadow of doubt, Noah went to work on God’s instructions. He was certain it
was God who had spoken to him. With the help of his sons, that project became a
reality but only after 120 years. Those were the days when people lived long.
When God puts a purpose in your heart to achieve it does not matter how long it
will take. What is important is whether you are on track and whether you would
plan your part to the very end. Noah did. Noah’s assignment was not only to
build an ark but to preach the Word, but to bring his people to repentance.
Remember that “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his
time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)Why would a righteous God want to do something like that? Wipe his
creation from the face of the earth. There is no smoke without fire. “Now the
earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for
all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” (Genesis 6:11)
God
intended to put an end to wickedness and filth by washing it away as waste and
debris under the flood.“I am going to
bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every
creature that has the breadth of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.”
(Genesis 6:17) Wickedness is contagious and God wanted to have it done away
with in order to make a fresh start. To realise this he instructed Noah to
expect a pair of every animal to come to the ark; he should stock up food as
well for their livelihood. When the stage had been set and the different phases
of the plan had been accomplished, God was prepared to put his plan into
action. All along Noah collaborated with God following his instructions to the
letter. God then instructed him. “Go into the ark, you and your whole family
because I have found you righteous in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1)
The
timing was right, the detail precise. “Seven days from now I will send rain on
the earth for forty days and forty nights and I will wipe from the face of the
earth every living creature I have made.” (Genesis 7:4) God confided in Noah
every aspect of the plan as it unfolded. Nothing was hidden from him. They were
in the ark seven days before the rains came.
