As far back as he could remember, he loved to sit with his grandfather and listen to the old stories. One of his favorites was of his great grandfather Enoch who vanished without a trace. Many of the townspeople thought Enoch had gone mad with all the preaching he did and went to live in the great forest with the beasts leaving his family behind. But Noah believed what his grandfather Methuselah told him – great grandfather Enoch walked to God’s house and stayed there. Noah had always wanted to walk with God like Enoch.
As Noah walked that morning to his favorite place where he could speak with God in peace and quiet, he realized his spirit had been restless for about a week, and he wondered if the time was drawing near. Methuselah was already 849 years old, and his name roughly translated to “when he dies, judgment.” No one really knew what that meant – not even Methuselah – but some judgment from God made perfect sense given the evil that ran rampant in the world. Noah decided that every morning he would talk to God about his restlessness and the judgment to come. Being in God’s presence always brought peace to Noah’s heart.
Whatever response Noah expected from God, it certainly wasn’t this.
“And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. . . . And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.’” (Genesis 6:13-19)
An ark. Flood waters. Global destruction. Noah couldn’t adequately process all the thoughts that were racing in his head. Had he heard God correctly? It all sounded crazy to him.
God had given him explicit and detailed instructions on how to build an enormous boat. The dimensions were beyond anything Noah could have imagined. Noah didn’t even know if a body of water existed that could support such a large vessel. Where would all the water come from that would be enough to cause this ark to float?
What was even crazier yet was that Noah was not a builder; he was a farmer. Why had God chosen HIM for this task? Wasn’t there someone else more qualified to build this large vessel that would keep God’s people safe during the coming destruction?
Noah remembered great grandfather Enoch, and how Enoch had obeyed God’s call and preached to anyone and everyone who would listen about the loving creator God. Enoch hadn’t been a preacher when God called. But he became one through obedience. Noah would do the same. He wasn’t a builder, but he would become one by God’s guidance and strength.
“Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Genesis 6:22)
For 120 years Noah built the ark and preached. At first he worked alone, and then as his sons were born and became old enough to swing a hammer, they joined him. Noah knew that the people thought he was crazy. Noah heard the whisperings, felt the pain of outright ridicule and rejection. People accused him of making the whole thing up. People claimed he was just hearing voices from an unseen God. What kind of God would instruct him to do something so big and outrageous – something that hadn’t been done before for circumstances no one had yet experienced?
Year after year the ark took shape. Year after year Noah and his sons grew older. Year after year life on the planet continued as before. Sometimes when Noah was really tired, he would wonder to himself if he had actually heard God correctly. Sometimes when things were really rough his wife would ask if all of it was worth it. At these times Noah would head to his special prayer spot. He would connect with the God he loved, and he would remember the faithfulness of his great grandfather Enoch. Noah would return with renewed vigor and determination.
The ark was almost complete the day that Shem came running to the construction site with the news. Grandfather Methuselah had died. When he dies, judgment. It was time. God was right after all.
Through the power of the Word, Noah faithfully obeyed God even when it looked like utter lunacy to do so. Noah remained steadfast to God’s call in the face of ridicule, hostility, and persecution. As a result, the ark of safety was ready for God’s people when the destruction came. Noah was the right choice after all.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:9-13)
This is why Binding Broken Hearts is passionate about getting God’s Word into prisons and into the hands of inmates who so desperately need that Word so that they can hear God’s call on their lives and learn to stand firm and true for God (even when it seems crazy to do so) in the midst of their evil surroundings and in the face of ridicule, hostility, and persecution. Because these are men and women who need Jesus most.
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