The exemple of Noah

From Noah, the Bible gives us far more than a beautiful children’s story.

He is a man placed by God as a living sign ; both a warning and an encouragement.
Genesis 6:5 says: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
And in the midst of all that we read: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord”* (Gen. 6:8). “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time; Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9).

We already see three important truths:
— Grace: Noah does not begin with his own merits, but with God’s grace.
— The righteousness of God: he is called “righteous” because he believed God (Hebrews 11:7).
— He walked with God:  his way of life was consistent.
He did not merely profess faith—he lived in the presence of God.

Noah is a "preacher of righteousness" ! It is 2 Peter 2:5 that gives him this title:
“God saved Noah, a preacher of righteousness…”
The construction of the ark, over many years, was already a sermon in itself.
Without saying a word, a huge boat standing on dry land declared: God has spoken, judgment is coming… but there is a door to salvation.
By his obedience, Noah exposed the world without ever needing to provoke anyone. His faithfulness highlighted the unbelief of others.
He did not content himself with building; he called people to repent and believe the message of God.

Hebrews 11:7 says: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

We can note several strong points:
— Noah had no Bible: he relied solely on the word he had received from God; he did not look at circumstances or at people.
— He was moved by reverent fear—not panic, but the awareness that God must be taken seriously.
— He was persevering: he kept building even though nothing indicated that rain would ever come.
— He became an heir of righteousness by faith, not by works. He is a prophetic sign for us !

Luke 17:27 says: “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark; then the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Today as well, many live as though there were no judgment, no return of the Lord, and no need to repent.
But Noah reminds us that God’s patience has a limit, and that judgment is not a poetic metaphor but a reality.

Christians have often seen the ark as a foreshadowing of Christ: one single way of salvation, one ark, one door ; just as there is only "one Savior". It is God who shuts the door of the ark and guarantees the safety of all who enter.
Judgment falls outside, not inside: the same water that destroys the wicked keeps the ark safely afloat.

From Noah we may retain the following:
— He believed God when no one else did.
— He preached through both his words and his life.
— He saved his family.

May we be like Noah and do the same! He was a man of grace, of faith, filled with the fear of God, used to warn his generation—and still warning us today. This warning from God should still resonate loudly in our ears today! God will judge, but He has prepared a refuge: Christ ! Believe His word and enter the ark of His salvation !

Franz