Noah's Faith - Pt 1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. 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. (Hebrews 11:1-2, 7 ESV). Noah's Ark hasn't lost any of its fascination over the centuries. Men are climbing the icy slopes of mountains in faraway countries hoping to find fossilized remains of the masterpiece. Whether or not they'll be successful is open to question. Just this week I saw a program detailing the description of the flood and the possibilities presented by the Scriptural evidence. It is interesting that references to a flood are to found in ancient traditions and myths in all parts of the world. They vary dramatically in detail and credibility. They do suggest that somewhere in the human experience there was a flood. There was a common knowledge of such an event. Over the generations the record of such an event was corrupted for the most part. But the earth bears evidence of a flood. The Bible is the only trustworthy record. However, the great lesson to be learned from this experience is not in the fact of the flood or the scientific possibilities of the ark. The great truth is in the faith of Noah. Such faith is a lesson all of us could learn more about! For the remainder of the week we’ll look at several truths that emerge from the life of this faithful patriarch. Faith is better understood as we see it in the lives of the great men and women of the Bible. The truths of Scripture become clearer when they breathe. First, we learn that faith is a relationship of trust. You have heard others say, "Trust me." That was God’s message to Noah. It was a huge step of faith. There had to be fear and trepidation in his heart as he faced the unknown. He built the ark, stepped into it and "the Lord shut him in" (cf. Genesis 7:16). I'm sure that it was reassuring to have God to shut him and his family in. It is probably like the comfort of a child at night when the parent goes and tucks the child in bed. This probably reassured Noah that he had done the right thing. There is no biblical record where God spoke to Noah while he was building the ark or while he was on the ark for a year. Through the cataclysmic flood Noah had to go on trusting God. He trusted God regardless of his lack of understanding or his ability to see the outcome for himself. I read a story sometime ago where a man was in a dry parched land. He had no water. He was about to die. He came upon a ranching homestead in that dry parched land. There was an old water pump there. It was the type you have to pump by hand. Next to the water pump was a container of stagnant water with a note attached. The note read you must take this container of water and pour it into this pump to prime it. When you are finished drinking, fill the container and place this back upon the pump so the next traveler can prime the pump and have some water. Well, for a man about to die he had to make the decision. Is this note still valid or do I drink the container of water? The man decided to believe the note. He poured the water into the old pump and began to pump and water came forth. It was fresh water. He had all he wanted to drink. He filled the container and placed it near the pump for the next weary straggler. Noah decided to pump. What’s your decision today?