One act of faith has penetrated by heart as I have studied this chapter and that is Noah’s building of the ark. Even people who have not gone to church all their lives typically have heard of Noah’s ark. For those of us who grew up hearing the story of Noah, his huge ark and the flood that destroyed all mankind, the story can easily become one that we gloss over. As I studied Hebrews 11, I began to understand the faithfulness of Noah in an entirely new light.
Hebrews 11: 7 says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
I would like to share with you a few of the insights on this verse and the story of Noah that I found in the various commentaries on the book of Hebrews that I have been using. Hang in there with me. The first one is a bit technical but I think it will bless you.
Word Biblical Commentary (Hebrews 9-13) tells us, “Noah’s action in constructing the ark according to the specifications that God had given (Genesis 6: 22) reflected an attentiveness to the divine instruction. He was convinced of the certain occurrence of the events which God had disclosed, but which as yet lay in the unseen future. Faith conferred upon those events a reality so substantial that he did not hesitate to act as though they were already beginning to happen. He appears to have recognized that the word of God is performative; it sets in motion circumstances that will eventuate in the promised reality.”
Now listen to what The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews says. “Noah doubtlessly had a lot of things of his own to do. To surrender all his time and effort to building a boat took a special kind of commitment. He probably had little idea about what an ocean-going ship was like. Certainly he had never seen, or even heard of, a giant ship such as the ark was to be. He had no experience in shipbuilding, no easy access to building supplies, and no help except that of his sons. Even they were not able to help for many years after the ark was begun, because they were not born until after Noah was 500 years old (Genesis 5: 32). One of the greatest practical acts of faith in all history was Noah’s cutting down the first gopher tree for wood to make the ark.”
Whew!!! That is a lot to chew on and digest if you really think about it. Noah paid attention, he believed the unbelievable and unseen, he devoted time to something that seemed absurd and he did it without the help and support of anyone else.
That last sentence is the one that really got me to thinking. “One of the greatest practical acts of faith in all history was Noah’s cutting down the first gopher tree for wood to make the ark.” How often do you think Noah thought, “This is ridiculous. What in the world am I doing?” We are not told that he ever hesitated but rather moved forward in faith when God called. Would I have stepped out in faith like Noah did? Would you have stepped out in faith like Noah did? It is certainly something to ponder, isnt’ it?
