Jesus and the Ark

Verses
Genesis 7:1 says, “The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family…”

Devotion
God does not promise us lives that are free from hardship, trials, or storms, but he does promise to never leave us for forsake us. 

I have homeschooled for twenty years and treasure the times I get to study the Bible with my children.  About two weeks into the lockdown, our Bible curriculum began a new unit of study in Genesis on the story of Noah.  Genesis 7:1 says, “The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family…” We later read that from the time Noah and his family entered the ark until the time they exited was just over a year. Noah and his family endured the ultimate lockdown on the ark, with a menagerie to care for too!  While studying the life of Noah with my kids, God revealed a few things that I hope will bring encouragement to you as our lockdown continues.

Noah is described as a blameless, righteous man, who walked with God. This account is a stark contrast to the rest of humanity during this time. The Bible describes the world during the time of Noah as corrupt, full of violence, and that the hearts of man were evil all the time. How is it that Noah was righteous, even when surrounded by wickedness?  I believe the key is with whom he walked. The physical act of walking may seem simple, but it is a complex process that involves many systems working together. The kinesiology of walking includes spatial awareness, balance, control of one’s center of gravity, a working nervous system, strong muscles, trunk support, working joints in the pelvis, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Remember that the next time you count your steps! 

As we walk with God, there are spiritual practices that need to be continuously strengthened and developed to keep in step with Him.  To begin, we need to seek his direction, so we know where to go. He is our guide. Also, it is essential to trust his timing, because often it will not match our expectations. We must relinquish control and let him lead.  Additionally, time spent with Him reading His Word is vital and life-giving. As we know Him better, we can love others as Jesus does.  Lastly, sometimes walking with God means stopping altogether and resting at His feet. Those of us who can walk, often take the act of walking for granted.  Likewise, we can take our spiritual walk with God for granted.  Let us be followers of Jesus that are attentive to the discipline of the walk.  

Because Noah walked with the Lord, he had a relationship with Him. Noah was ready to listen, obey, and trust God even when it did not make sense. In an arid environment that was landlocked, he was given explicit instructions to build and ark that had one door. He did exactly as he was commanded despite that fact there was not water nearby.  He lived by faith and it was credited to him as righteousness. Just as Noah’s family entered the ark through a door to be saved, God gave us another door that is our salvation, His son.  John 10:9 states, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Through him we have life and the forgiveness of sins.  Just as the ark saved Noah and his family from the flood, the ark is our reminder that we need Jesus. While Noah and his family found protection during the storm in the ark, we can find shelter in Jesus when the storms of life rage.  Jesus is our ark. 

As we cling to Jesus, we can rest in the truth that He is a promise keeper. Amid complete devastation from the flood, a rainbow was given as a sign of His everlasting promise to never flood the earth again.  When life gets difficult and storms come, we often forget God’s promises, but he is always faithful.  His promise to never leave us is one that we can cling to with confidence during the good times and the storms of life.