A Hundred Year Job

                                              

Hebrews 11-Part 6
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.   Hebrews 11:7

Review:
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice.
By faith Enoch was translated.
By faith Noah built an ark.
{Resource: Charles Spurgeon]

Background:
In the previous lesson we talked about the geneology of Enoch. He was Noah's great-grandfather. Enoch had a son name Methuselah, whose son was Lamech, whose son was Noah. During that time, the world had corrupt, evil, wicked, violent people. God was sorry that He had made man on the earth (Genesis 6:6). He planned to destroy everything, wiping it all out, even the earth.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8)
In Hebrew, grace comes from a root meaning "to bend or stoop"; thus, the condenscending or unmerited favor of a superior person to an inferior one is implied. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Noah was a  righteous man. He was the only blameless person living on earth at the time. He walked in close fellowship with God. (NLT tells us.) So God didn't kill everyone nor every living thing. He decided to save a remant of 8 people-Noah and his wife, Noah's 3 sons and their wives and pairs of animals. God told Noah His plan.

What I plan to do for God isn't important. What He plans is important. What He plans to do where I am is critical. Will I let God use me to accomplish His will, His plans?


LET IT GLOW

Our key verse says By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet...

Actually, God warned Noah about something that had never happened before-a flood from rain, and one that covered the entire earth. We see Noah's faith by his agreeing that the flood would come and doing what God told him to do regarding the flood. He was moved with fear. Real faith will always do something. The book of James repeats this theme. (Guzik)

Why did God warn Noah about what He was about to do. God saw Noah's faith, righteousness (lived by God's righteous standards), and they walked and talked together.
Noah was a favorite of God; his faith rested in the Word of God. (John Gill)

What was God about to do when He told Noah to build an ark? God was about to destroy the world. He wanted to work through Noah to accomplish His purposes of saving a remnant of people and animals to repopulate the earth. God always speaks with a purpose in mind. He reveals Himself to increase faith that leads to action. God didn't ask Noah, "What do you want to do for Me?" Instead, God revealed what He was going to do. It really didn't matter what Noah's plans were. (Experiencing God, by H.&R.Blackaby)
Do I listen to God's warnings in the Word? Do I heed His warnings?
God remembered Noah, which is found in Genesis 8:1. God remembers those who live righteously and express their needs to Him. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

LET IT GROW


Probably the longest I have ever stayed at one job has been six years. I do the bookkeeping at our family shop, which is only two days a week. However, there is a job that I have had for almost 40 years, washing my husband's dirty dishes. I can't imagine doing it for sixty more years. Realistically, I'm not too worried about it. I plan on being in heaven before that happens.
But I do I wonder what it was like sending a husband and three sons off to work on building a giant boat during the week. And they were doing it inspite of the fact that it had never rained.

What else did Noah do? By faith Noah:

• was moved with fear; Noah's fear caused him to obey because He believed God would do what He said He would do;                                                                                                                            It was the awful sense of fear of the judgments of God upon the wicked; a reverence of God; a religious fear with which he worshipped God; this fear rose from grace; is a fruit of faith; (John Gill)
• prepared an ark according to the pattern he was given. Noah followed explicit instructions for the details of the ark. He worked diligently for 120 years. He had a working faith, not a do-nothing faith.  MacArthur says there may have been as many as 72,000 creatures and a million species of insects, for eating for a year, on board. Noah was instructed on how to make an ark, as Moses was, in like manner, how to make a tabernacle (8:5). (The ark was 450' long x 75' wide x 45 ' high and a barge-like vessel, 3 stories, with a top window and a side door. Falwell) Someone (can't recall who) said that Noah was 500 miles away from any body of water.
• saved his family from annihilation; God shut the door, securing his family by grace, just as He does us who are saved;  
• condemned the world by his faith; Noah's godly conduct, without preaching at all, could have convicted the sinners; as a preacher, Noah declared the people would be condemned; so by his words and actions, Noah reproved and condemned them.
• became the heir of righteousness according to faith; not of the law, but of the righteousness of Christ received by faith or through faith in Christ, the antitype of the ark. (John Gill)
• heard God declare the rainbow (and saw it) as a sign of His covenant with the earth, that no other universal flood to occur (Gen.9);
• built an altar after everyone and everything was out of the ark (Gen. 8:20) and offered burnt offerings to God.

Noah was a man who believed in God as Creator, Sovereign, and the only Savior from sin. He found grace for himself, because he humbled himself and sought it. He was obedient, as well. But Noah wasn't spared because of his good works alone. (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

What can be said of my life? By faith Linda...

LET IT GO

Live by grace and faith.

Stay in God's ark of protection.