No doubt, you have heard Colton Dixon’s song, “Build a Boat” on Kinship Radio.
It’s a very popular song and we play it often. And, of course, it’s about Noah having the faith to build an ark relying solely on God’s word that it was going to be needed. As the lyrics of the song say,
“I will build a boat in the sand where they say it never rainsI will stand up in faith, I’ll do anything it takes”
And that would have made our beloved and revered old Noah a nut-case.
It had never rained before. The “science” did not in any way support the idea, the concept, or even the hint of a world-wide deluge that would wipe out all life on earth. Genesis 6:9 says:
“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.”
As the only blameless person living on the planet, and his close fellowship with God, Noah wouldn’t have just been in the minority, he would have been absolutely, certifiably insane by the standards of everyone else everywhere.
Most Biblical scholars think it took Noah somewhere between 50 and 75 years to build the ark. I can imagine his neighbors talking about him for decades:
“Hey Marge, what’s that crazy old man next door doing now?”
“Same thing he’s always doing, Bob –hammering and sawing and pounding on that big wooden thing in his backyard. “
But Noah kept at it.
In hindsight, Noah is a hero because he had the faith to keep going, he trusted God, and he was right to do so. The flood did come. His detractors and critics were ultimately cancelled in a way more permanent and final than even today’s cancel culture can cancel.
But in all the days and weeks and months and years until that first drop of rain hit the dust, do you wonder if old Noah ever had his doubts? Did the critics calling him a crazy old nut-case ever get to him for even a moment?
The Bible doesn’t hint that was the case at all. The account in Genesis sounds like Noah and God talked on a regular basis. Genesis 6:22 says:
“So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.”
And there’s the deal: a lot of us think things are getting closer and closer to the way they were when God told Noah to build that boat. I’ve got one friend on Facebook (God bless his heart) who is dead serious that the end of the world starts at the end of this month. So, has my friend gone off the deep end and he’s Looney Tunes, or is it really “Th-th-that’s all folks!” when October first rolls around?
I don’t know, but I know the Bible says no man knows the day or the hour. (Matthew 24:36.) Not even the angels or Jesus Himself know the exact time.
What we do know is that with every moment we have on this earth, that day draws ever closer –so every moment we have to share the love of Jesus with others is precious and valuable.
And if believing and trusting God when the world says it’s crazy to do so makes me a nut-case like Noah, then so be it.
Today’s Praise
Hebrews 11:7
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. (NLT)
I’m afraid your FB friend will be disappointed but hope it doesn’t make him lose his faith. A lot is happening that point toward End Times but as Scripture says we don’t know the day or hour.