May 9, 2012

Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation."


Thank God for writers like Blackaby.  So many of the Old Testament Bible stories have been hijacked by vacation Bible school, Sunday School quarterlies and surface preaching so that only the big picture gets preached/taught.  Noah and the ark is one such story.  Flood, pairs of animals and the rainbow are important aspects of the story and certainly fodder for Cecil B. DeMille, but verses like the one today have just as much meat on the bone and are perhaps contain a greater caution/message than the often recounted sections of the story.

We all know that Noah was chosen by God because he was a righteous and faithful man.  His life was one of devotion to God.  However, Noah's three sons and their wives were also saved from death.  No where in Genesis is the faithfulness or righteous living of the sons or wives listed as a reason for their inclusion on the ark.  It appears they were spared a watery grave simply because their father, Noah, was living in obedience to God.

While it is true the sons/wives still had to make the choice to get on the ark, it was their father's lifestyle that presented them with that opportunity.  For argument's sake, let's assume that the sons were living a God-centered life.  With the world in Noah's time so far removed from God, their only example of godly living would have come from their father, Noah.  Quite a bit of pressure on fathers!

Is my life leaving people toward the "ark"?  Do my daily interactions lead people toward salvation or toward destruction.  Sure I may not be inviting people to do a line of blow, visit a strip club after work or cheat on a spouse, but is my life "convincing those around me of the wisdom of following God". (p. 167)  


May my life be a witness to God's peace, love and wisdom.  My lifestyle should point people to the ark of salvation not the floods of destruction.