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Noah: Steadfast Preparation

Imagine dedicating all of your time and all of your resources to prepare for an event that’s never happened before, and being surrounded by people who mock you and think you’re crazy. Imagine trying to convince those people that you’re doing what God has called you to do because judgment is coming, and that they need to repent. Imagine knowing that they will all die if they don’t listen to you, but that your words only fall on deaf ears. This is a glimpse into the life of Noah. Let’s see what we can learn from his life.

Noah lived in the world before the flood, known as the antediluvian period. The Bible describes the people of this time as mighty men. They had much bigger, stronger, healthier bodies than we do today, and their intellectual capabilities were vastly superior to ours today. The world they lived in had much less disease and decay and destruction when compared to our day. The people of that period measured their lives by centuries instead of by decades. Yet these people had given themselves over to self-indulgence, lust, gluttony, greed, and violence; every form of iniquity prevailed. Because of their great evil, God purposed to wipe out these antediluvian people. Yet instead of immediately and entirely destroying the human race, however, He mercifully chose a man who was still righteous, and gave that man a solemn message of preparation and warning to the rest of the people. This man was Noah. God told Noah that, even though it had never rained before, He was going to open the windows of heaven and wipe out the earth by a flood. He told Noah to build an ark, and gave specific instructions for its construction. The Bible describes Noah’s response to this message from God; Genesis 6:22 records that, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” How do you react when God gives you a message? Are you careful to do all that He commands you? But wait, there’s more! Not only had it never rained, but this destruction was not going to happen for 120 years. Talk about faith! Hebrews 11:7 says, “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.” We see that Noah’s faith led to a reverent fear of God that showed itself in earnest, steadfast preparation, and resulted in the saving of his household. Noah did not delay to obey God, but got to work at once; and not only started well, but steadfastly held out for over one hundred years of preparation.

What did this look like practically? Well, Noah definitely had to devote all of his time and resources into this work; building a giant ark is not cheap or easy. I’m sure he sold his nice things, quit his side jobs, dug into his savings, and invested everything into this project; I mean, you don’t want to go cheap or cut corners when you're building the only thing saving you from utter destruction by a flood. On top of that, he had the duty to warn the rest of the world about God’s coming judgment and urge them to prepare as well and come on the ark. Preaching, pleading, and begging, daily with a people who mocked him. Doesn’t sound very appealing, does it?  But do you think he cared how appealing it was when their lives were on the line? I highly doubt it. His life became absorbed in this work of preparing for God’s judgment and seeking to save others from destruction. He didn’t let himself get tired; he didn’t give in to the unbelief and jesting of the crowds; he didn’t come up with a plan B; he was all in.

What does this mean for us today? Well, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:37, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” We too have been given a message of impending judgment and destruction! Jesus is coming soon to judge the world, and only those who are preparing like Noah will be saved from destruction. The question is, are we living like Noah, or like the mocking crowd? Do we really believe that everything is going to be destroyed? Do we really live like Jesus is coming soon? Are we begging others to find refuge in the ark, warning them that they will perish without changing their ways? Do we really love those around us, if we don’t seek to warn them of their danger? Are we really earnest? What would the way we spend our time and money tell us about our priorities? Are we investing in the ark? Or do we have a plan B, just in case? Friends, this is serious. Our time is short, and we have a work of preparation to do. We need to be purifying our souls by the faith that leads to obedience to the truth. We need to be devoting our lives to this work of getting ready, and to helping others get ready too. This is what Jesus warns us later in Matthew 24, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” I ask you, are you truly ready? How do you know? Are you living a life of steadfast preparation?


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