Those that follow my blog know that I hold to a literal interpretation of the scripture. A few days ago, I was driving my oldest granddaughter to school, and we were talking about Noah. I told her that the highest point on earth today is Mt. Everest. (If you didn’t know that the mountain stands just over 29,000 feet above sea level and located in Nepal & Tibet). No one knows if Everest was around at the time of the great flood or if it was created by the great flood, but whatever the highest point on earth was at the time, it was completely covered in water. The whole earth was covered, and all mankind was destroyed by water. Why? “God said to Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13). The whole story of Noah is found in Genesis chapters 6 through 9.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (v.8) Three things come to mind this morning.

  1. Noah was a Preparer. God gave him orders and Noah faithfully began. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year this man worked faithfully preparing for the coming judgment the Lord had told him of. I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet, no one else is either, but in comparing the scriptures with the current events of our times it sure seems the coming of the Lord is rapidly approaching. Are you ready? Have you found grace in the eyes of the Lord? The only hope you have is to be saved by the grace of God. Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith… it is the gift of God.” Are you walking in obedience? I am amazed by the self-deception among Christians. We live by the flesh, making decisions based on worldly wisdom, and then wonder why we don’t seem to have the blessings of God. Prepare. Be a Noah. Get your orders from the Lord, through The Book, and day by day you just walk with the Lord.
  2. Noah was a Preacher. Two things come to mind when thinking about the life of Noah the preacher. One, the Ark was a huge symbol that shouted to the people to repent. When the first trees were cut for lumber it wasn’t much to look at. But as the years passed ultimately 120, the Ark grew. People saw this 450’ long boat with multiple levels being constructed. This brings me to the second thought about Noah the preacher. He constantly told those around him why he was building the boat because it hadn’t rained before. No doubt he was mocked and ridiculed as “crazy old Noah.” If we offer the message that Christ is coming and you aren’t ready, judgment will be on you, and it will be “crazy old you.” Noah the preacher didn’t waver, nor should we.
  3. Noah was a Parent. Noah was a faithful preacher of righteousness and didn’t have any success with the world, but he did with his family. I think that his sons and daughters-in-law looked at him with admiring respect. He lived what he spoke. It is a beautiful sight to behold when fathers live so the children admire them. Evidently, Noah was this type of man. After the boat was built, the Lord sent the animals into the Ark some by twos and some by sevens. Noah’s whole family, only eight people, took refuge in the Ark. I’d say Noah and Mrs. Noah made a difference in the life of their family. We may have children that decide to walk differently than we would choose, very common today, but we should all seek to instill in them a love for God. I know of missionary families that are struggling mightily with guilt because their children have turned from serving the Lord while on the mission field. If we have done our best, don’t let the devil sit on your shoulder condemning you. In my youth and ignorance, I made a few statements concerning parenting. At the time I didn’t have children. Thank God for growth, maturity, and counsel. I’m not so quick to judge these days. I heard about a man that had no kids and seven theories about raising kids. Later he had seven kids and no theories. Remember this, we are sinners as parents, our kids are sinners by birth, and we live in a sinful world. The Lord is sinless, created Adam and Eve as sinless, placed them in a sinless environment and both Adam and Eve still chose to sin. We do our best to train up a child. The word ‘train’ means to give a bent. It is like putting a rope on a small tree that is leaning. You place the rope around the tree creating tension, with the desire of correcting the lean and the hope that it will grow straight in the future. We nurture, disciple, teach and train with a desired goal in mind, a child with a tender heart for the things of God.

Noah walked with God. Let’s seek to do the same.