“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
Matthew 24:36-39
Have you ever tried to imagine what a story in the Bible was really like? Have you ever imagined inserting yourself into the story? We read the stories in the Bible, and sometimes, it feels like we are reading just that, a story, a fairy tale, or even a good moral lesson. We don’t pause to think of the actual circumstances or struggles of the people involved. This is actually a healthy exercise, to imagine what it would have been like to be some of these Biblical figures, and the reason is that their story is, in many ways, our story today.
I haven’t written very much on the story of Noah. Some of us know it was made into a movie a few years ago. Others argue if the earth really flooded. I want to focus on the building of the ark. Noah did not live on the coast or at a port city. God told Noah one day of His plan to flood the earth, because of the wickedness of mankind. He told Noah to build an ark, a large boat, in which he would be able to fit every kind of animal on earth. He gave Noah specific instructions as to the measurements of the ark and what kind of materials would be used to build it. He even told him the order of how to construct it.
Noah and his sons set about building this huge boat. With just a few of them working, it would have taken him quite a while to build it—perhaps months, maybe even years. It would have taken a huge empty space to build the ark—to store the materials, to shape them and to build with them. Imagine a clear space of several acres. As most builders do, I would imagine that Noah would have collected piles and piles of materials before beginning to shape them into something.
Now imagine Noah’s neighbors coming by this big space, nowhere near water, and watching Noah build a huge boat—watching him collect materials, starting to build, and seeing this big vessel rise from the ground. I imagine that many people asked Noah what he was doing, and when he told them, there were probably lots of people laughing at him. I imagine that Noah and his sons felt isolated and lonely—they were missing out on the carousing of their neighbors, working hard, and being ridiculed. It must have been hard to endure this for months (and probably years) on end. Imagine the moments of doubt—i.e. “we’re the ONLY ones doing this, what if we are wrong?” But they kept at it, finished the ark, got the animals on board and sealed themselves inside.
Then one day, the heavens opened and it started raining, as the earth had never seen. Imagine the terror of the people realizing they were going to drown. Imagine people running to the ark, beating on its sides, begging Noah to let them in and realizing that all the begging and pleading was no good. It was too late to follow after the God of Noah. All those good times, all that debauchery, ultimately ended in a horrific death.
Whether the story of Noah happened exactly as told in the Bible, or whether there are metaphorical elements to the story is not what is relevant today. We live in many ways as if we are in the time of Noah. Fewer and fewer people are faithful Christians. There are plenty of people who “identify” as Christians but who lifestyle and practice of Christianity doesn’t really back up their identity. Coming to church for Christmas and Easter doesn’t make one a devoted Christian. Neither does wearing a cross while engaging in habitual unchristian activities.
It’s actually really hard to be a Christian when many of our peers are not. It’s really hard to keep building a Christian life, like Noah built the ark, when it feels like we are missing out on what the crowd is doing. After all, it’s way more fun to go to a party than to pound nails into wood all day. This is why it is imperative that we are part of a strong community that encourages and keeps tabs on its members. Because sometimes I’m working on my “ark” and I am tired and the party looks good. I’m tempted to put down the “hammer” and go with the crowd. And this is when I need one of the other builders to remind me to stop looking at the crowd and keep hammering away at the ark. We need to look after one another in our respective journeys. We also need to invite people to help build the ark, to teach them what God has promised—the eternal majesty that awaits those who have been faithful; and the eternal condemnation that awaits those who haven’t been. We need to teach them that before eternity, we have the satisfaction and the blessing in what we are building today. Today’s prayer is from Psalm 3, a prayer of deliverance, in the case of the Psalms, from enemies; but in the case of our modern Christian walk, a prayer of deliverance from those who discourage our Christian journey.
O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For Thou dost smite all my enemies on the cheek, Thou dost break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the Lord; Thy blessing be upon Thy people. Psalm 3
It’s harder to have faith when your peers don’t, and easier to have it when they do. Get around people who are in the same journey and struggle that you are in when it comes to faith, and let’s help and encourage each other to continue to build the “ark” that God has called each of us to build with our lives.
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