Noah: Moving With Godly Fear
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” — Hebrews 11:7
Soon after God created man and put him on earth, man corrupted it. In Gen. 6:5-6, we’re told that the flood came about because God “grieved in His heart” due to man’s sinfulness. God is touched—He’s touched by our goodness, but He’s also touched by our wickedness. In the days of Noah, it pained God to see what man—His creation—had become. So in Gen. 6:7, He tells Noah that He “will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.” He then tells Noah to build an ark, with specific instructions on how to do so.
Noah believed God: In Gen. 6:17-18, God warns Noah. And Noah takes that warning very seriously. God said it, and Noah believed it. But the flood wasn’t going to happen overnight. Noah waited 120 years, and he didn’t lose heart. How long do we wait for something before we get impatient? Noah didn’t put it off. He didn’t become discouraged. He wasn’t distracted. And, he didn’t have anything to compare it to. There was nothing in human history to base upon what God said was going to happen. To Noah, God said it and that was all the evidence he needed (II Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:1).
Noah obeyed God: By faith, Noah did something. By faith, he prepared the ark. His faith resulted in action. But it wasn’t just any kind of action. It resulted in obedience. His obedience was exact. God gave him specific instructions how to build the ark (Gen. 6:14-16), and “thus Noah did” (v. 22). That’s being moved by Godly fear—when our faith is strong enough that it moves us to do what God commands of us. It was the way of life for Noah.
Noah was saved: As Heb. 11:7 says, Noah “prepared an ark for the saving of his household.” Noah was warned of the destruction to come and he prepared for it. And his preparation led to his and his household being saved. God was patient with the wicked men in Noah’s day, yet the flood eventually arrived. Likewise today, God is patient with the wicked. Yet, destruction is coming (II Pet. 3:6-10). The question is not whether the earth will be destroyed. The question is: Will we be prepared for it?
One of the greatest lessons of the flood is salvation (I Pet. 3:20-21). Destruction was coming, and the only way Noah and his family were going to be saved was if they listened to God, built the ark and then got inside of it. Have you heard and obeyed the plan of salvation—the plan that will save you come the day of judgment?
