Jump Start # 3637

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Noah prepared the ark. He did all that God commanded. God had told him what was going to happen.  In Genesis six, Noah is told by God that “The end of all flesh has come…I am about to destroy them with the earth” (13). Again, the Lord tells Noah, “I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life” (17). In the next chapter, God states, “I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made” (7:4).

Noah knew. There was no surprise or secret. There was going to be a massive flood. All living things were going to die. The salvation of the world rested in the hands of the Lord and what was in that boat. I think it is easy to imagine that the preparing of the ark meant the construction and supplying of the ark before the rains fell. But, as I thought about this, I think there was more to the “preparing” than simply sawing boards and building the ark. And, when we put some thought to this, it helps us as well.

First, there was an emotional preparation that Noah had to struggle with and deal with. A day was coming when every human he interacted with outside his family was going to die. Did Noah have relatives still alive? It would be hard to see the innocent and young facing this outcome. Did Noah tell them that they were going to die?

Emotionally, it’s hard to prepare for death. I’ve been walking through this with a dear family in our congregation. A loved one is soon to pass through the doorway of death. A wonderful believer in our Lord, we know the angels will be coming. We’ve talked about that. We’ve talked about funerals. We’ve talked about the good times. There are physical steps one can take such as making arrangements, buying burial plots, having a will and talking about these things with the family, but that emotional component is hard to prepare.

I wonder, as God closed that door on the ark, if Noah stood there with tears in his eyes.

Second, there was a spiritual or faith preparation for Noah. What God was asking was HUGE. Would there be enough food? Would the ark leak? How would they know where they were going if no one was steering the ark? There wasn’t a helm. And, unlike you and I, Noah didn’t have pages and pages in his Bible to lean upon. Daniel saved from lions hadn’t happened yet. No parting of the Red Sea. No prison doors opened. No dead raised. No Psalms to comfort. No church to encourage. Noah trusted God. The Lord said and Noah knew it would be ok. It would be ok, because the Lord said so.

And, what a contrast to us. We have the Messiah, Jesus. We have pages and pages of Bible history that shows fortified walls coming down, demons fleeing and blind eyes being opened. We know the compassion of Jesus. We stand upon the promises and hope in God. We have so much and I wonder if our faith is so little compared to that of Noah.

Third, there was the commitment preparation. Busy day after day, building the ark, gathering animals and supplies. Preaching as he worked, the days were filled with so much to do. But, then came THE DAY—the time to enter the ark and not to leave it. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually, this was it. There were no more days to do things. There were no more days to walk among the trees of God. No more days to have a conversation with a neighbor. This was it. No going back.

We have moments of preparation as well. A surgery is scheduled. Papers have been filled out. Blood work has been done. Prep has taken place. Now, sitting on the hospital bed, you are rolled down the hallway heading to surgery. This is it.

A bride has a moment like this. Plans and plans and dreams of her wedding have been filling her days. So much to do and then it becomes “the day.” Family and friends show up. Everything is set. And, there is a final moment before she walks down the isle. Excited. Scared. Hopeful. This is it.

A believer has a moment like this. He has been reading and reading his Bible and talking to others. Questions have been answered. He needs to be baptized. He knows now is the time. Excited. Scared. He’s ready to cross the line and become a disciple of Jesus.

Noah prepared the ark. As he was preparing, a world around him was having a blast in selfish sin. Noah was ready. The world was not ready. And, from this, we need to see the lesson for us. Jesus is coming. Am I ready? There is an appointment we have with death. Are we ready? The world is laughing all the way to destruction.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Noah prepared. Have you?

Roger