Noah, and the Flood.

Okay - as stated last month, I am planning (DV) to look at one well-known passage from the Tanakh (the Hebrew/Jewish Scriptures; the 'Old Testament/Covenant') each month. Each passage will take 3-4 posts but, if enough people show an interest, I plan to follow this through for a number of months.

This month we move from the Creation record, to the Flood, and look at the Biblical character of Noah (Noach in Hebrew) - the only man in his generation who was considered, by God, to be righteous. So we read that: "In his generation, Noach was a man righteous and wholehearted; Noach walked with God." (Gen.6:9; Complete Jewish Bible).  In the Hebrew language, Noach is described as "tzadik" (righteous = right in the sight of God), and "tamim" (pure; innocent; complete, faultless). This is in complete contrast to the time in which he lived: "The earth was corrupt before God, the earth was filled with violence. God saw the earth, and, yes, it was corrupt; for all living beings had corrupted their ways on the earth." (vs.11-12, CJB). Only six chapters into the Bible, and the world is already filled with violence and corruption. Of course, this is what happens when mankind turns its back upon its Creator, and seeks to live its own way, rather than follow His way!

The result of all of this was that Almighty God vowed to destroy every living person - with the exception of righteous Noach and his family. These eight people would be miraculously saved in an "ark" - the English language word comes from the Latin 'arca', meaning a chest or box in which items were kept safe. The Hebrew word, "tebah" means simply "box" so, in spite of the fact that it's described/depicted as a boat in a lot of children's books, it was simply a large wooden box! This also answers the criticism that Noach and his sons would not have had any boat-building skills as they did not live close to water (some unwarranted assumptions in that claim, but we'll let them go!). Almost anyone can build a box! Of course the point of the ark was not that it would be seaworthy, but rather that it would preserve the lives of the people in it!

Noach may not have understood what he was doing; he may have been subjected to mockery; he may have been totally ignored. But Noach obeyed God, even although he saw no evidence of the coming deluge, and had never experienced anything like it before. Indeed, that is the reason why he is included in the the letter to Hebrew disciples of Yeshua, in the Brit Hadashah (New Testament/Covenant): "By trusting, Noach, after receiving divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Through this trusting, he put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting." (Heb.11:7; CJB). His absolute faith on God, that resulted in such an uncompromising obedience, was the reason that he was able to truly enter a place of total rest, when the flood eventually came. In fact, the meaning of his Hebrew name is "rest"! He was not a man who leaned on his own understanding of a situation, but one who trusted in the Word of the Lord - and was obedient to it!

Too often we try to reason everything out - the Greek influence! - and make sure that something makes sense, or agrees with our theology, before complying with Father God's commands. The Letter to the Hebrew disciples of Yeshua, again: "For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest (noach - the rest of obedience); so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience." (4:10-11; CJB).

If there is just one lesson to be learned from the record of Noach, it is surely one of unquestioned obedience - regardless of the cost. May all of us who claim to follow Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) be found also to be obedient - for our own good, and for the greater glory of Father God.