"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Hebrews 11:7
Before we get into it today, take a moment, open your Bible, and read Genesis 6:5-7:24
How does Noah respond to God's instruction?
What might Noah have had to lay aside in order to endure in faith?
Put yourself in Noah's...sandals. He worked tirelessly in the dry heat, not a single rain cloud in the sky, on the instruction of God. Days turned to years. His actions were met with scorn and mocking from his community as he faithfully constructed the ark. How strange would it be to suddenly have the knowledge in your brain of how to build a gigantic boat with no prior experience or learning. I used to beg God to do that for me when I needed to take a test. It was not nearly as important, but the desperation was there. As you consider the human nature of Noah, answer the the following questions:
If you were Noah, what struggles would you have been tempted by?
What sin would have clung closely to you?
What is the expression of Noah's faith?
What do you think his hope was in? What is he bearing witness to or believing about God?
I imagine Noah's exit from the ark resembled the morning after a particularly powerful storm. Celebratory yet solemn, relieved yet tense, hopeful yet reverently afraid. I can imagine their senses being overwhelmed by fresh air and sunlight and their awareness of God's power shocking their systems. Bound up in the wood of the ark, they found salvation. Their feet touch dry land and Noah builds again, this time an altar. His response to the torrent of all he'd experienced is worship.
What kind of honor does Noah recieve in Hebrews 11?
We may not know what it feels like to experience and survive a worldwide, cataclysmic flood, but down here we do know the emotions that come with riding out a hurricane.
I imagine Noah's exit from the ark resembled the morning after a particularly powerful storm. Celebratory yet solemn, relieved yet tense, hopeful yet reverantly afraid. I can imagine their senses being overwhelmed by fresh air and sunlight and their awareness of God's power shocking their systems. Bound up in the wood of the ark, they found salvation. Their feet touch dry land and Noah builds again, this time an altar. His response to the torrent of all he'd experienced is worship.
As you go about your day, consider and ponder this last question. How is worship an expression of faith that grows our endurance amidst circumstances that are hard to experience and hard to understand?