Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. – Genesis 6:22 (ESV)
What a lot of questions Noah could have had! First of all, he could have wondered, “Why me?” Then, he could have asked, “What’s a flood?” He could have even wondered who was going to clean up after all those critters. Instead, he never disobeyed – nor even hesitated. The Word tells us simply, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him.”
As Noah built an ark on dry ground, he was undoubtedly ridiculed. Yet he didn’t falter. He had to get tired and frustrated, yet he never wavered. He might have even thought what he was doing was futile, yet he doggedly continued his work. We are never told that he felt unequal to the task, we are only told, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him.” Would that we could have such blind dedication to God’s calling, for when we reach that platitude, it could be said of us, “But (they) found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).
Adapted from the Discover & Respond 40 Day Devotional (http://fh.org/40daysdevotional). Photo by Jennica Reis, used with permission.
Noah stood alone in a godless culture, a man who loved and feared the Lord. He walked before God and was chosen to build an ark to become the father of a new world. He must have been ridiculed – can you imagine stepping out in faith having never seen a flood and build a ship the size that Noah did?
In Hebrews 11:7, it tells us that Noah acted in reverent fear:
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. (ESV)
At times, I’m afraid I’ve lost a reverent fear of God. It’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking about God as the “Big Man in the Sky” and not as a Holy God (Proverbs 9:10), Almighty (Revelation 1:8), Lawgiver (James 4:12), Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6), and Ruler (Matthew 2:6). The Bible doesn’t paint a picture of a weak God, the Bible shows us the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). The God I worship is an Almighty Rock (Psalm 95:1). When He says something, it is true.
Noah stepped out in faith to do something many in the world considered crazy. He did so in reverent fear, but also did so without complaint, without argument, and he did all that was asked of him (Genesis 6:22). He was afraid, but his fear was a reverent fear of God, not a fear of man. He wasn’t afraid of what other people thought of him, he was afraid of God.
How many times do you step out to do something with a fear of God?
I’m guilty of worrying too much about what other people think of me. I’m guilty of considering what others say or think more than I fear God and stepping into the plan He has for my life.
Noah “became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith.” What I have I missed out on?
I will likely never know.
I pray that God convicts me to have a spirit with a reverent fear. I pray God uses me to fulfill His plan.
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