The RemnantSample

In the center of the vast clearing, his magnum opus slowly took shape. Piles of logs surrounded the worksite, and hired men cut and hauled the massive timber into place. Noah made sure the blueprints were precisely followed. It was a technological marvel, yet scoffers would laugh at the old man’s project and ideas. Out of the possible multitude of people alive at the time, only Noah was found to be righteous.

Noah’s the first character in the Bible who is described as righteous. Spared from God’s judgment, he and his family were given the massive task of building a stadium-sized floating zoo. But as each beam of wood was laid into place and the project steadily climbed upwards, the wickedness of man conversely bottomed out.

Can you imagine how weighty the task and lonely the calling on Noah’s life must’ve been? If ever a man stepped out in faith, and risked his reputation and his fortune to obey God, it was Noah.

If, like Noah, you feel alone in an increasingly hostile world that hates God, hates you, and hates your message of righteousness, take heart. There’s a fascinating structure to the story of Noah’s ark, that’s worth noting.

A chiasm is a literary device where a series of ideas are presented in order, and then the sequence is reversed. The first line mirrors the last, the second line mirrors the second to last, and so on.

Lest we think Noah’s ark is just a story about God’s judgment or Noah’s faithfulness, the chiasm shows us it’s a story of God’s remembrance of his people; his holy remnant.

Here’s the story of Noah’s ark presented as a chiasm.

• God plans to destroy mankind (6:7)
  • Noah builds the ark (6:14-22)
    • Noah enters the ark (7:7)
      • 7 days of waiting for the flood (7:4)
        • 7 days later the flood came (7:10)
        • It rained 40 days and 40 nights (7:12)
        • The water prevailed on the earth 150 days (7:24)
        • God remembered Noah (8:1)
        • The waters receded from the earth 150 days (8:3)
        • At the end of 40 days, Noah opened the window (8:6)
        • 7 days later he sent out the dove (8:10)
      • 7 days of waiting sent another dove (8:12)
    • Noah leaves the ark (8:18)
  • Noah builds an altar (8:20)
• God promises to never again destroy all living things (8:21)

*Modified from Genesis: Beginning and Blessings by R. Kent Hughes

God’s remembrance of Noah is the center point of the chiasm and the center point of the story. It wasn’t that God forgot Noah, but his remembrance was his covenantal action towards him. You can trust the God who remembered Noah remembers you too. Your works of righteousness are not unseen, and the mockery and insults you’ve endured are not unnoticed. He preserves his faithful remnant. No matter what you’re going through, you can trust him today! Come hell or high waters, he’s the God who remembers.

Questions to Consider:

1. How does considering the chiasm of Noah’s Ark encourage you in your walk of faith today?
2. Is there an area of your life you’re waiting on God to “remember?” Call out to him prayer and remind him to remember you! (Be assured, he hasn’t forgotten!)
3. God’s true representatives are often proportionally small compared to the whole population. Noah alone was found righteous in his day. Does this encourage you to live faithfully on mission in an unbelieving and hostile world? Why or why not?