Looking into the life of Noah, we find four whole chapters in Genesis dedicated to him- his life, family and calling. Starting in Genesis 6, the story of the flood is begun and woven throughout the story we find Noah’s character revealed and we are privy to God’s divine hand at work, the third side to the story, if you will. God is portrayed as another character, acting as real as someone in the present, but we must remember he was not there in the flesh!!
There are 4 points of character laid out for us as we read about Noah:
♦ he found favor in the eyes of the Lord
♦ he walked faithfully with God
♦ he was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time
♦ he did all that God commanded.
Those are all amazing things that were said of him, but one phrase was repeated that caught my attention. In reference to building the ark and receiving /caring for the animals it is said that “he did all that God commanded”. It seems to me that his character produced the ability to do all that God asked of him.
In the same way today, we need to be walking faithfully with Him in order to be able to hear God’s voice. Doing all that God commands is a result of walking with Him faithfully and listening for His voice. We will be able to hear the commands He gives and He will enable us to carry out those commands regardless of the noise and circumstances around us.
I was mesmerized as I read through the story being aware of the active role God played in its unfolding. Clearly His sovereign hand was working throughout the story:
♦ The Lord brought the animals to the ark.
♦ On the very day they finished receiving the animals and entered the ark the rains began.
♦ The Lord shut them in.
♦ God remembered Noah and sent a wind to make the waters recede.
♦ God called Noah out of the ark.
♦ God provided the animals for the burnt offering Noah would perform.
What an amazing story and example for our life. There is so much to glean here that can be applied to our lives. Just knowing the same sovereign hand that orchestrated the flood is guiding my life inspires me to seek Him. We have access to the creator of the universe and He actually desires to know us and be as involved in our lives as He was in Noah’s.
Does that blow you away as much as it does me?!
Further in the story, we see that despite his righteousness, we also see his humanity. He ends up drinking too much wine, behaving inappropriately and then lashing out at his son. Hmm. I don’t know about you but that sure sounds familiar, at least the screwing up part! But despite that, God still declared him as righteous and extended His hand of blessing on him.
We can take inspiration in that as well because we are a lot like Noah all these years later. If we are saved we are walking with God, are righteous in His sight and have His blessing in our lives. We still mess up, make bad choices and fall down but that doesn’t change how He feels about us! It doesn’t change His pre-ordained blessing on our lives and it certainly doesn’t change our ability to be used by God!
Think about it.
God knew how Noah’s story would go before He gave him the job of building the ark and deciding to establish His line through him. He knew Noah would get drunk, be inappropriate and lash out at his son. But He also knew Noah would use the extra “clean” animals considered worthy of sacrifice He had provided to offer a burnt offering up to Him. God knew Noah would obey all the commands He gave.
God also has a long term plan in His mind. Even the negative “mess-ups” had a higher purpose for God’s over-arching plan for mankind. We see the nations formed that would become Israel’s enemies and provide many learned lessons and consequences for the nation through those “mess-ups”. All events were necessary for God’s plan.
Looking into the life of Noah leaves me refreshed and encouraged. It becomes a clear picture that gives me some confidence as I live my life. I am looking forward to discovering more as accounts and stories of other amazing men and women of faith are unfolded in Genesis! Stay tuned!
{This post is part of of the Blogging through the Bible series and has been added to the link list over at Good Morning Girls site. Feel free to check out the other articles over there!}
