Faith Obeys Completely

“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 and heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

God told Noah that He would bring destruction on “all flesh” (Genesis 6:13). He instructed Noah to build an ark as the means of deliverance from the great flood He would send on the earth.

It may have been hard for Noah to envision such a thing. A flood big enough to destroy all life? Would God really do that? Yet because God promised it, Noah took up his divinely given task of preparation. “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22).

God gave detailed instructions about the ark and its cargo. Some of them seem to defy common sense. An ark how big—with just one window? Two of every animal? And only one door to load them? Noah could have made any number of changes. But would a modified ark have survived the flood? Instead of innovation, Noah chose obedience. “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

When God gives us instructions, there is always the temptation to alter them. God warned Israel, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2). The book of Revelation ends with similar words (22:18-19). Despite such warnings, men have tampered with God’s commands in every area—worship, family life, even the plan of salvation. Often it happens because we have trouble seeing why God wants us to do a particular thing or do it a particular way. But a faith like Noah’s obeys even when it cannot see.

Noah could have balked at the size of the job—a job that God evidently gave him 120 years to complete (see Genesis 6:3). No power tools, no precut lumber, and precious little help. As the months and years dragged by, there were surely times Noah wanted to give up. But how else would anyone—or anything—be saved? Noah had a mandate from God! So instead of losing heart, he persevered. “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

Who would deny that the duties we have as Jesus’ disciples sometimes seem too big for us? Raising godly children, teaching the lost, even overcoming temptations—they can seem impossible. And if we faced them alone, they would be. But we are not alone. Like Noah, we must trust in the strength of the invisible God. “The things impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:6). “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Peter calls Noah “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), which suggests that Noah made efforts to warn his neighbors about the coming judgment from God. Perhaps some were curious or even interested at first. But as time passed, many would have lost confidence in Noah’s inspired promise of coming judgment. In the end, only Noah’s immediate family had faith enough to board the ark. Thus Noah “condemned the world” by doing as God had commanded him.

Once again, God has promised to “judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). But people disbelieve what they cannot see. And so, as in Noah’s day, many will be unprepared when judgment comes. Let us have faith that God will keep His promise. Let us be “preachers of righteousness” and prepare others for eternity. “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).