4 Lessons from the Life of Noah

 

If you were Noah and God gives you the instruction to build an ark today, would you?

Noah was practically insane to every other person. His family probably wondered what kind of man he had become. Or why would one wake up some morning and begin to make plans to build an ark at a time that rain had never fallen upon the face of the earth?

This was the beginning of the man called Noah and the many lessons we learn from his life as believers today.

1. The Body of Christ is an Ark

Noah's Ark also reminds us of the church of God. The body of Christ is the covering for everyone who wishes to be saved. In the body today, we have the name of Jesus, by which every man that calls is saved. In the same manner, the ark functioned as a safety house for everyone who needed salvation from the flood. The flood in this case also represents the consequences of sin and as the scriptures rightly put it, the wages of sin is death. Noah was also instrumental in building the ark and trying to convince people into coming on board. He represents every believer who today is involved in preaching the gospel of Christ's salvation. Noah's life here teaches us to be radical about God's word and instruction to us, whether or not it sounds logical to people.

2. True Safety is in God

We read about God as the keeper of Israel and the mighty works by the protective hand of God. This same hand of protection came to work for Noah and everyone with him in the Ark. Today, we live in a world of uncertainty and insecurity plagues many nations with terrorism, robbery, kidnapping, cultist attacks, crime and much more. In all these, we must understand like Noah, that our safe habitation is in God.

3. God is Calling You!

Noah's obedience to God's call was strange. At the time when God called him to build the ark, there had never been rain on the surface of the earth. This made it almost impossible for people around him to believe that a flood would wipe off the earth. In the same manner today, God is calling believers to fellowship and intimacy in a manner that defies the logic of men. It is rather unfortunate that like the days of Noah, people see believers as some set of religiously crazy people. However, we must be prepared to answer God's call to ministry whenever and however He commands. 

4. Noah led a Righteous Life

Righteousness is a morally virtuous lifestyle which is powered from above. It qualifies a person to lead God's people. Noah chose to rescue the human race from extinction, demonstrating just this kind of righteousness. According to Genesis 6:7, man had grown so wicked and cruel that God pledged to destroy all living things on earth. In response, God charged righteous Noah to help save the remnant because the Lord's pronouncement of judgement doesn't come without hope for those who love Him. By this, we learn that God knows whom He can count on to get things done and it's not necessarily the one with the most skill, talent or social standing. Rather it's the one who daily walks with Him, the one who hears His voice and follows His lead. That is why God chose Noah, who was just perfect for his work.

Like every other man, Noah had his own weakness. However he walked with God, creating a righteous path for himself. This was the clearance he needed before the Lord (Genesis 6:9). Noah's righteous acts qualified him to be used by God to build an ark in order to save mankind from trouble. Noah still stands as an example of the kind of person God wants to use. God has not changed and even presently he looks for righteous leaders who can help change the entire world.

Like other Lessons from Bible Characters that we have discussed, Noah's life holds much more lessons than we can imagine. As believers today, we must not fail where the fathers of old have failed. As such, these lessons are necessarily compiled in this series to help us grow as believers and to help us excel where these men of old had lapses, all in all to the glory of God's kingdom.