Day 48: Live By Obedience

Read: Genesis 6:19-22

Growing up, some Saturdays in our home consisted of doing chores. We had a household helper, something that was common in our culture. But, even though we had this help, my mom tried to instill hard working values in us. She did this by making us do things we didn’t necessarily want to do but had to do. She was hoping that, through hard work, we would learn how to do basic tasks and follow through on assignments. 

I can remember how much I hated doing these tasks, and how I didn’t do them as well as I could have. It’s unfortunate how I let simple chores ruin a whole day. In this passage, Noah was given several tasks as well. God had specific instructions for him, and Noah was entrusted to complete them. His entire life had just been an example of following through with everything God told him to do. 

As we’ve seen in previous days and as we went over Noah building the ark, he has truly proved to be an obedient man. Now that he finished the ark, it was time to fill it. In Genesis 6:19, God says, “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.” “Every living thing of flesh…” and that was just the first step! 

Some depictions of Noah and the ark, seem to suggest that this was a quick progression of all the animals entering in one long line in under an hour. I think we forget just how long that enormous task must have actually taken, definitely several years. But he still strived to do it. 

Genesis 6:22 is key in all of this, “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” He just did, he didn’t complain or rebel, with no excuses, he did what God told him to. Another thing to consider in all this is that he was doing this while literally the entire world was against him. In Hebrews 11:7 it says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” 

Noah didn’t live by example, he lived by faith (Heb. 11:7). There won’t always be someone there in your life to pour into you or be the example you need to be. The thing is, we can’t rely on anyone else when it comes to how we live out our life. We need to listen to God’s call, accept the plan He has for us, and live it out. This entire week, that’s what the life of Noah shows us. 

There will be hard things in life that God will ask us to do or go through, but we need to remember that there is a purpose for everything that happens. Do you struggle with this reality? Ask God to give you a heart like Noah’s – accepting, pure, and who’s ultimate goal is to serve Him.