Scripture
Genesis 6:22~7:1
[22] Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
[1] Then the LORD said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is 106th Lecture on Genesis. I will continue the Genesis Lecture from where I left off in the previous one.
While building the ark and preparing the food, Noah obeyed just as he was inspired in his heart by God. Since he had a heart to obey just any word of God without using any fleshly thoughts, all things went prosperously, and he experienced the work of ‘Jehovah-jireh.’
By the way, as you accomplish perfect obedience, it is not true that your experience or knowledge itself is useless. The ultimate and primary factor that helped Noah to build the ark was, first of all, his faith to rely on God, and yet he was also able to use a good deal of his personal knowledge and skills. Likewise, as you do a certain work, you will face situations where you must possess knowledge, experience, skill, or talent at least a base level for it.
Suppose you try to run a restaurant business. Let’s say that you know nothing about cooking, and you opened the restaurant in a deserted place. But you pray to God, “I believe You will bless my business to be prosperous.” Now, how can you really expect it to go well? Of course, if you pray with spiritual faith and receive God’s work, you can receive the blessing of prosperity in any given situation and condition.
But, it is not proper only to pray for blessing without doing what you are supposed to do. It is the same as wishing to receive a blessing without properly preparing a vessel to receive it.
The opposite is also true that no matter how good the experience and skills you might possess, it is difficult to receive blessings without trusting in God. You can see results only to the extent that you diligently make efforts within your fleshly capability and limitations. But, if you face a situation that goes beyond your fleshly limits, you cannot help but collapse and fail.
Chances are that those who depend only on their knowledge, experience, or skill will not obey the word of God. It is because they consider themselves to be wise. Then, God Himself cannot lead them in their ways.
Dear brothers and sisters. There is another thing you should realize through Noah’s obedience. That is, perfect obedience is to obey without changing of mind until the word of God has been accomplished.
The Bible doesn’t clearly say how long it took until Noah finished the construction of the ark. If you imagine the size of the ark, however, you can easily guess that it couldn’t be built in a few months, if not years. During the long period of time while Noah was building the ark, the worldly people laughed at him and ridiculed him. Since they couldn’t understand what Noah was doing at all, they called him a fool and played jokes on him.
What would you think in your heart if you were in Noah’s shoes? Would you become nervous or anxious, and begin to doubt the word of God? Noah was not at all like that. Even after years, or decades, Noah didn’t doubt the word of God. He didn’t become nervous and wonder, “Will it be today? Or, maybe tomorrow?” Until the word of God was accomplished, he just continued to build the ark.
This is the attitude of perfect obedience. Although the word of God seems slow to be accomplished, you must believe His word and show the deeds of obedience without changing of mind till the end. Then, when the time has become most precise, God surely keeps His word of promise. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Some people doubt when the word of God is not accomplished right away. They lose their fullness and they may even fumble in their test or trial. Noah didn’t become nervous in any situations; he endured the long period of time and obeyed with firm faith.
The reason Noah could do like this was because he maintained clear communication with God. He also understood why God was going to bring about the Judgment of Great Flood, and what kind of life he and his family would lead after they were saved. However, as the time of judgment approached, Noah’s heart was burning for those who would be destroyed by the flood. Once the ark was ready, the flood was going to come. Countless people knew nothing about it or did not believe that it could really happen. They continued to live in sin and evil, and it hurt Noah’s heart.
And so, Noah diligently cried out. No matter how hard he cried, nobody listened to him. At that time, Noah made a confession to God the Father, and the Father told me about it in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Let me introduce a part of it.
“Father, As I build this ark, I can feel the day is imminent. I’m not happy about this ark. My heart actually burns rather badly. I haven’t been lazy. According to the time, I depended on the word of the Father to put together all things. I’ve been faithful in all aspects day and night. But, as I see the things becoming readied one by one, my heart is burning because the day is getting closer and closer.
All the commands that the Father gave to me, I put all of them in my heart to keep them, and as I accomplish them one by one, the day is nearer, and the ark is taking on its shape, but as I see the people in the world, my heart is burning and burning again.
It is because I know the Father’s heart. It is because they don’t listen to me when I tell them; they don’t pay attention to me when I tell them. Though they have ears, they don’t hear. Though they have eyes, they don’t see. They waste their days without knowing where they are coming from and where they are going to, and that is why my heart is burning so.
According to the Father’s command, I and my family will enter the ark, and according to the Father’s word, all the things will enter the ark. As I think of what will happen to the people, my heart is burning all the more.
No matter how much my heart is burning, how can my heart be like the Father’s heart! How can I ever understand the Father’s heart? I can truly forsake everything that is mine by fully trusting in the word of the Father. Although I cannot understand the Father’s heart perfectly, I can feel why the Father commanded me to build the ark, and why the Father is accomplishing the works one by one through me. Yet still, my heart is burning because I now feel the day is just around the corner. So please, may my Father understand my burning heart for them.
Father, what should I do? They don’t know the Father; they don’t see though they see, and they don’t hear though they hear. In the Father’s plan, all things are being revealed like this, but they don’t realize it. How can I ever make them turn back.
Father, however, this son will do the best I can until the day the Father commands; may all things be done in the Father’s will. May the Father always guide and lead this son so that this son may not do mistake but make things done precisely.”
Dear brothers and sisters. Can you feel the burning heart of Noah? The righteous man, Noah, whose heart resembled the heart of God the Father, had a heart of love and mercy. Noah could also feel the heartache of God the Father and His true concern as He looked down on the souls.
To the extent you cultivate your heart into spirit, your love for souls will also grow. The situation of this end time is much worse than the day of Noah.
Jesus also said in Matthew 24:37-39; “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” God the Father wants to save just one more soul, and so He clearly explained to us ‘the Message of the Cross,’ which is like the ark of Noah in a spiritual sense. Noah’s ark looked foolish to those who didn’t believe in God, just as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “…the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.”
But this verse continues to say, “…but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Therefore, we should preach the ‘Message of the Cross’ to those who live in this time with the same fervor and burning heart of Noah’s. We must preach and preach again along with the works of the Power that proves this message. To accomplish the ‘end-time’ providence of God who desires to save just one more soul, I urge you all in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ!
