“Noah
and the Ark” is one of my first memories of a Bible story as a child. Each year, it seems that whichever Read the Bible Through Plan I choose, the account of Noah, in
Genesis 6-10, is a January reading. I’m
glad it is because it is an account full of important reminders for a New
Year.
When
God decided to wipe out mankind and the earth, Noah, his wife, their sons and
sons’ wives were spared because “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and
he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis
6:9) “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22). In obedience, Noah built the ark, exactly
like God told him to build it, from oral directions. After the ark was completed, two of every
kind of bird, every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves
along the ground came to Noah to be kept alive.
He took seven of every kind of clean animal, male and female and two of
every kind of unclean animal male and female, and seven of every kind of bird
to keep their kind alive throughout the earth. That was no small task. Then Noah and his family entered the ark, as
God had instructed, and the Lord shut them in.
The rains came, the water rose, and the earth was flooded, just as God
had said. After waiting months for the
waters to recede and the dry land to appear, the time came for all to leave the
ark. The very next verse says that Noah
built an altar and offered a sacrifice that pleased God. Because of Noah’s obedience, God blessed him
and established a covenant between Noah, every living creature with him, and a
covenant for all generations to come. That includes us! “Never
again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there
be a flood to destroy the earth.”
(Gen. 9:11) And God sent the
rainbow as a sign of the covenant he made with Noah and all life on the earth.
Some lessons from Noah:
* He walked faithfully
with God.
* He chose to do the
right things.
* He trusted God.
* He listened to God.
* He heard what God said,
* He believed what he
heard.
* He acted in obedience,
even when it was ridiculed and misunderstood.
* He followed God’s
instructions completely.
* He was willing to wait
for God’s timing.
* He trusted God’s
provision.
* He recognized and thanked
God for his provision, built an altar, offered a sacrifice and worshiped.
The story of Noah
continues to convict, encourage, challenge, inspire, and compel me to live a
life of faith, trust and obedience to the same God that Noah loved, listened to,
served, and worshiped. What great
reminders of lessons to apply when starting a new year…and finishing it as
well.
Genesis 6:9 and 22
No comments:
Post a Comment