Genesis 6:9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10  And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

The account of Noah and the flood covers three chapters in Genesis. This was a big event. It was an event that God took no pleasure in, but one that was necessary.

Ezekiel 33:11  Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

This verse was directed to the nation of Israel, but the principle is true for all of humanity. God would have rather had Adam obey Him. After the fall God would rather have people repent toward Him and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. He did not make hell for mankind. He made the Garden of Eden for mankind. He also made heaven for mankind. Hell is there for the devil and his angels. Sadly, there will be multitudes of people in hell because they refuse to believe in the true God.
We began to look at Noah yesterday. God called him a just man and a perfect in his generations. God knew the heart of Noah. God can see into the future and He knows the results of our choices. He does not predetermine our next step. He knows where each choice we make will take us. He is God.
Sometimes we think we can project where a certain choice will take a person. We can assume things in a general sense. We cannot see detail like God can. He sees things clearly. We look through a glass darkly.
As we read in verse 11, the earth was corrupt before God. It was not Noah that set the standard. God had set the standard when He made man. He had godly men proclaiming God’s Word to each generation. People lived much longer prior to the flood than after the flood. God made sure that His truth was known to all people at all times.
God has never overlooked man’s wickedness. God is longsuffering. We do not fully understand His longsuffering, but we can certainly be thankful that He is longsuffering. He was going to drastically slow down the wickedness of mankind for a time. He would give an object lesson that would help man to stop and consider the consequences of sin. He would destroy the earth as it was then. The topography of the earth would be changed. All living creatures except for those in the ark would be destroyed by God. Noah was told to obey God. His obedience was a testimony to his faith in God. His obedience did not make him a just man. The fact he chose to believe in God and was made a just man by faith in God, caused him to obey God. The result of God’s salvation is real.
In verse 14 Noah was told to make an ark of gopher wood. Noah did not need to get out his engineering hat to try to develop a plan for this ark. God gave him the plan. We mentioned in another devotional that the ark was a picture of Jesus Christ and the salvation He provides. God is the author of salvation. He has declared the way of salvation. He requires that man follow His way. When a person follows God’s way, it works every time.
Noah was given detailed instructions regarding the building of the ark. If he would follow those instructions in detail, those in the ark would survive the entire time of judgment and come out safely on the other side of it. We know that Noah followed those instructions perfectly. He took the time needed to make each cut right. He measured every piece with absolute accuracy. Noah demonstrated a fear of God that is essential. He demonstrated what walking with God looks like. God’s stamp of approval was on every piece of that ark. It was made exactly as God had commanded it to be. The accuracy used here is a picture of the purity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God and He is without sin.
The building of the ark took a long time, in man’s view. Salvation is not a long drawn out process. It took some 4,000 years after Creation before God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to come and suffer and die on behalf of man. His shed blood is necessary for man’s salvation. All those in the Old Testament who believed in God were saved by believing God and when Jesus died and shed His blood on the cross, He provided the means for those saints to be released into heaven. Their souls are now in heaven. They are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
The ark was a very clear picture of the fact that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will save and those who are saved can weather every storm that they will face on this earth.

I Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God provides all that is needed for His child to walk obediently with Him. No born again Christian can ever blame God or his circumstances for sinning.

Genesis 7:1  And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 7:5  And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

In Genesis 7, after Noah finished the building of the ark, God told him to come into the ark. Notice again that God saw Noah’s heart. He saw that Noah was righteous before God in his generation. Noah did not make excuses for sin. He chose to follow God. God enabled him to follow God. God’s enablement was there after Noah chose to follow Him. God did not force Himself upon Noah. The reality of God was obvious to Noah. He had some good teachers helping him to see the importance of the truth. He also saw much corruption. Because he walked with God, he could see that the corruption was wrong. He did not follow that.
We read in chapter 7:5 that Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. That obedience was the fruit of Noah’s faith in God. Noah did not complain that he had to obey God. He wanted to obey God because he was a true child of God. His wife and his sons and their wives also chose to follow the God of Noah. They made that choice voluntarily. There was more than an outward feeling. It was from the heart.

Genesis 7:16  And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

After all the animals and Noah and his family were in the ark, the LORD shut him in. Noah trusted in God. He did not need to run around frantically to get the animals and then hurriedly get that one stray that slipped by. God brought them all to Noah and into the ark. God decided when they were all there and then He shut them in. The LORD does not expect us to make up the rules. The pressure is off of us. He is in charge, and He has already set the standard. It is important for us to believe what He says.
Noah shows us the importance of this. Noah did exactly as God said and he was saved. Biblical faith is trusting God completely for what He says. God does not accept any human alterations to His clear and precise commands. False religion suggests faith plus works saves. God says faith alone in Him saves. God’s saving faith will change the nature of every true recipient of it.
Pastor Bartel