Not Just a Bedtime Story!

Most everyone knows the story of Noah’s ark: A man places animals, two by two, into a giant boat he has constructed. It rains for 40 days and 40 nights, and a flood covers the whole Earth…

In the end, the ark runs aground on a mountain peak and God promises never to flood the entire Earth again, using a rainbow as a sign of this.

This basic Noah’s ark story is told to most children as an exciting bedtime tale. What better way to engage a youngster’s curiosity than with a story about a deluge that covers the entire globe?

The common retelling, however, generally glosses over important lessons you can learn from the story.

In fact, conditions of society just before the Flood are strikingly similar to the modern world in which you live.

What was Noah’s time like? The book of Genesis records: “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (6:5). Verse 11 states, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Society before the Flood was one of strange contrast. Despite the world being filled with violence and sin, things appeared normal. Matthew 24 states: “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came…” (vs. 38-39). The activities of “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” are all normal events you see occurring often.

While listening to sermons at Sabbath services, reading The Real Truth magazine, or discussing world conditions with your parents, one thing is crystal clear: there is misery, unhappiness and pain everywhere. Amid all of the terrible events today, however, life continues. You still wake up in the morning and eat breakfast. During the school year, you likely attend class on weekdays and might struggle with complex math homework in the evening. If you are old enough, you may be filling out university applications, saving up to buy a car, and generally planning for adulthood.

This society of extreme contrasts makes life challenging for those striving to live God’s Way. With everything appearing to continue as it always has, it can seem impossible to lead a life utterly different from your peers in the world. Sometimes, you may even become discouraged and feel alone.

Yet Noah made it through similar circumstances. Despite living in a society where everyone committed “evil continually” and life seemed good, the Bible records that Noah faithfully did “all that God commanded him” (Gen. 6:22).

While Bible stories may at times seem simple, when you properly dig into them, an exciting world of information opens up. They can help encourage you while keeping God’s commandments in a world that does not—which is actually one of the Old Testament’s main purposes. The book of Romans proves this: “For whatever was written in former days”—this certainly includes the Flood account—“was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope” (15:4, Revised Standard Version).

The example of Noah found in Genesis chapters 6-9 provides just that—instruction and encouragement to continue living God’s Way during turbulent times.

God’s Instructions

Before the Flood, the population was growing at an incredible rate (Gen. 6:1). Music, art and industry were becoming increasingly sophisticated (4:21-22). Early in human history, men and women lived about 850 years, meaning they had many hundreds of years to learn and perfect their skills. Imagine having eight centuries of experience playing a musical instrument!

Yet there was a downside to living many centuries. Much of mankind completely rejected God’s Way and refused to build good character. This meant they had practiced living sinfully for many hundreds of years as well. For example, think of what would happen if a person harbored an attitude of hatred for centuries—it would become deeply ingrained in his thoughts and actions. In a sense, he would be really “good” at doing evil.

It was during this time that God looked across the entire Earth and found that “every thought” of mankind “was only evil continually.” Because men were corrupted beyond repair, God decided to destroy them in a flood.

Noah alone “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).

God revealed His plan to Noah, and gave him a monumental task: “Make you an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall you make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch” (vs. 14). In modern language, God might have said, “Make a big boat.”

In the following verses, the dimensions and plans for the ark are laid out (vs. 15-16). The sheer size of this sea vessel must have been astounding. Using conservative estimates, it was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet high and contained three decks. In total, this ship was as long as one and a half American football fields—and about as high as a four-story building!

Noah was also instructed to make stables for all the animals and make sure there was enough food for the creatures, his family and himself (vs. 18-21). When God finished laying out these details, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (vs. 22).

In chapter 7, God tells Noah, “Come you and all your house [his family] into the ark; for you have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Gen. 7:1).

Soon after in the account, the ark’s door is shut and floodwaters begin to rise. The timeline seems to clip along: Noah is told to build an ark, he does, and then God floods the Earth.

Yet a lot happened in between these verses!

All Alone

The Bible indicates that from the time God decided to punish mankind to the first raindrops of the Flood about 120 years passed.

Stop and think. Constructing an ark was a mammoth undertaking. Noah had to cut or obtain all the lumber, carefully plan how he would tackle the project, and likely hire and train extra laborers. He also had to gather and store all the grain, hay and dried meat for the animals, and build the many different pens needed for each. A sparrow requires a much different cage than a tiger. In addition, fresh water would have had to be stored on the ark for Noah’s family and the animals—and lots of it. Just one elephant can drink about 50 gallons per day!

All of this was done without modern machines or power tools. For these reasons, the entire project could have taken more than a century to complete.

Consider how all of this would have looked to the average onlooker: a man, who was building a gigantic boat in the middle of a field, claimed there was going to be a flood. Think about how you would react if your neighbor across the street started doing the same. You would most likely question his actions and probably think him strange. Naturally, to most people, Noah’s actions seemed crazy.

Just as it would to the average person today, those in Noah’s time found the idea of a giant flood absurd!

Day after day, Noah suffered jeers and taunts from people watching him build the ark. He knew he was doing what God commanded. But it must have been hard to listen to the naysayers for over 100 years.

Think of the constant harassment: “Yeah, right, God ‘told’ you to build an ark.” “Are you crazy, Noah? That thing isn’t going anywhere. There is no ocean around here!” “That guy is just a religious nutcase!”

You may hear similar comments from people in the world when they learn that you obey God’s commandments: “You keep the Feast of Tab-er-nah-kuls? What’s that?!” “Are you Jewish?” “Why do you need to keep the Sabbath? Can’t you just go to church on Sunday?”

In addition, Noah was probably all alone when building the ark. His father, Lamech, was a murderer and had multiple wives. His grandfather did not keep God’s laws. His immediate family may not have even fully supported him. The Bible gives no indication that his wife or all of his three sons were righteous. His great-grandfather Enoch was obedient to God, but he died at age 365, long before the ark was built.

It must not have been easy—but Noah made it!

“Prove All Things”

Throughout the whole ordeal, Noah waited patiently—120 years for the Flood to occur and the animals to show up and enter the ark as God promised (Gen. 7:9). Even after he boarded the boat, he still had to wait another seven days for the rain to start (vs. 4).

Because of his continued obedience, the Bible records, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…” (Heb. 11:7).

When God warned Noah of “things not seen as yet,” by faith, he quickly “moved with fear” and did what God said.

Faith is believing what God tells you. While events or consequences for actions may not happen immediately, you must trust they will. God does not leave this up to blind faith. When He says something will occur, it always comes to pass.

Yet this way of life is not always easy, especially when it seems everyone in the world is against you. When a schoolmate makes a snide comment about your beliefs, when you have to skip a get-together on Friday night, or when you have to say no when asked out on a date—it helps to bring to mind the story of Noah. His example of patient endurance can help you deal with any situation that comes your way.

Noah was utterly convicted of what he believed. In order to make it through 120 years of constant jeering, Noah would have thought long and hard about why he obeyed God.

You must do the same. Instead of blindly believing what the Bible or your parents say, you should take to heart the command in I Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

Growing up, Noah must have also proved what was right and wrong. Recall that neither his father nor grandfather obeyed God.

Ask: Can you confidently answer why you keep the Sabbath and Holy Days? Why you do not eat unclean meats? Why you refrain from dating schoolmates?

Studying the Church’s literature and magazines will help you grow in your conviction of the truth. Then, with God’s commands sure in your mind, you can more easily withstand persecution.

Will You Move with Fear?

In the end, Noah was saved from the Flood because of his continued obedience to God. The same can be true for you.

Due to conversations with your parents and sermons regarding prophecy, you have access to special knowledge of what is coming—a time similar to just before the Flood, when the thoughts of men are approaching being “evil continually.”

The terms and concepts related to prophecy may seem confusing at first, but do not worry. You do not have to understand everything about God’s commandments or prophetic events all at once. Rather, God wants to see that you are striving to live His Way. When learning new biblical principles or about God’s overall Plan, it is best to start with the basics. After the big picture is set in your mind, it is easier to understand smaller details.

Whether you continue living God’s Way and are protected is up to you. As you grow into adulthood, you will choose your own path.

Even Noah’s sons would not automatically be saved. Notice Ezekiel 14: “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it”—a coming terrible time of punishment—“as I live, says the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own [lives] by their righteousness” (Ezek. 14:20).

As they did in Noah’s time, prophetic events will soon surprise mankind. Determine to live God’s Way now, and move “with fear” as Noah did.

Genesis 6:9 sums up Noah’s life with this simple statement: “Noah walked with God.”

As you grow older, what will be said of you? Will you model your life after the ways of this world—or will you also be known as one who walks with God?