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Transforming Characters - Noah - Part II: GS Feb, 2010 |
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We have been meditating on Noah. In that, the concentration was on his blameless life and walking with God in a world steeped in decadence and licentiousness.
Now we’ll see some pragmatic dimensions of Noah’s faith:
* Noah had an exceptional faith as he undertook & accomplished a stupendous task. Noah seems to be a man of the soil. Noah began to be a man of the soil and he planted a vineyard, Gen. 9.20. Then, how was he able to build such a magnificent ark? The dimensions of the ark are interesting: the ark would have been around 150m long, 23m wide & 14m high. The Ark had a ratio (length x width x height) of about 30 x 5 x 3. According to ship-builders, this ratio represents an advanced knowledge of ship-building since it is the optimum design for stability in rough seas and virtually impossible to capsize. The Ark would have an internal volume of 15,18,750 cubic feet.
* Noah’s exceptional faith is manifested in the way he managed the menagerie (wild animal enclosure). He included food for the animals in the ark. It is tough to get to know the food habits of many animals. It is tougher to collect feed, store it, and feed them. It is amazing that he had accepted whatever God had commanded him to do. Willingness to face ridicule is another mark of faith. God wanted Noah to build a huge boat in a dry land. some estimate that it must have taken 120 years to complete.
* We can imagine that the people of that time might have thought that Noah and his family were a bit off their rockers.They probably became the object of ridicule. Not only that, somehow or other, Noah was supposed to round up representative samples of every living creature and get them to board. If he was like most people, he must have worried about how he was going to get that job done.
* Noah believed those things which he had not witnessed or experienced before. Though the world had not witnessed the rain coming from the sky, Noah believed it for God told him so. Architectural genius took God by His words. How did God help Noah in the mission?
* God adequately equipped & empowered Noah. Otherwise it is so difficult to execute such a task. Eventually, Noah completed ark-building, and then God stepped in to complete the rest of the plan.
* God sent animals to Noah so that he didn't have to do the rounding up. He shut Noah and his family inside the ark.
* God sent the flood and He finally made waters subside.
* When Noah, his family and the animals left the ark, they offered sacrifices to God, and God made a covenant with them. He promised that he would never again destroy the earth with water by giving the sign of the rainbow.
There are many more things that God did. The moral is that God equips those he calls. He comes to our rescue as we undertake His work. As we do our part He does the rest, mostly the things that are beyond our ability. What He promises, He never fails.
Some questions to ponder:
* Were the social conditions at the time of Noah's call – like our own or different from our own?
* What was God's opinion of Noah? Why?
* In what ways did Noah show his faith? Why did these actions require faith on Noah's part?
* How did God respond to Noah's faith & obedience?
* What are the areas in Noah that we should imitate?
Dr. David Jayakumar
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Visitors: 197589
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Union of Evangelical Students of India
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