God spoke to Noah, telling him His thoughts about the world in which he lived, declaring that it was ‘corrupt before God’, ‘filled with violence’, and that His decision was that ‘the end of all flesh is come before me’, v. 13, but that Noah should then build an ark to escape the judgment. Instructions followed as to the exact specification of the ark – its materials of construction, size and layout. However ingenious Noah was, he would never have been able to design a suitable vessel for such a purpose of survival for so many different kinds of animals, as well as his own family! Noah was motivated to construct the ark by faith and godly fear, Heb. 11. 7; faith that what God had said would come about, and fear lest he and his family would not be saved.
Noah’s actions in building the ark must have caused a response in the godless world around him, and it could only have been one of ridicule. As well as building the ark, Noah had to work in such a world, perhaps as a farmer, to finance the building and provisioning of the ark. Of course, at the same time that Noah preached righteousness, people lived unbelieving all around him, completely unchanged until the day that he and his family entered into the ark. So, no doubt, wedding ceremonies were planned for that very day, with people looking forward to a joyful time, Luke 17. 27. (Similarly the preaching of the Jewish remnant in the tribulation will go largely unheeded, Luke 17. 26.)
When the day of crisis came, all was prepared, and all went to plan, ‘the flood came, and destroyed them all’, Luke 17. 27, see also Matt. 24. 37, 38, but ‘the LORD shut … [Noah] in’, 7. 16. It is interesting to note that all God’s dealings with Noah’s family were on the basis of his godly character and unswerving faith; it was never ye or you but always thou and thee, for instance when ‘the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation’, 7. 1, see also 6. 8-9. God’s covenant was with him personally, reminding us that all our acceptability with God is in Christ alone, the Beloved, Eph. 1. 6.
