Men of the Bibleনমুনা

Noah

Violence, corruption, hate, selfishness, flowed from the evil hearts of humankind. The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness and declared that every living thing on earth would be destroyed. The flood account in Genesis tells us that Noah was the only blameless person living on earth at the time. He builds an ark according to God’s instructions, and it’s not surprising that the ark consumes our attention. The sheer size of it is astonishing.

And yet, at the heart of the story, is Noah. Here is a man who walked with God; a man who was blameless. Noah was dedicated and obedient to God. ‘So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him’ (Genesis 6:22). Noah was patient, and Noah was persistent.

Noah’s faith was surely tested. It’s not hard to imagine that he was ridiculed for his project. They must have thought he was mad, but Noah was firmly focused on what God told him needed to be done. His hope lay in God’s promise. It was an act of faith that Noah built the ark to save his family and the animals from the flood (Hebrews 11:7) It was through his faith that Noah provided an example to the world. Who he was, and how he acted in obedience to God, condemned the wicked around him.

Noah looked forward in hope to the unseen fulfilment of God’s promises. God worked His redemption through Noah’s obedient faith, and it is the same obedient faith we have in our hearts when we come to Christ.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT