by Pastor Jim Kang

THE PERSEVERANCE OF NOAH
An Exposition of Genesis 7

Out of all the Old Testament saints, one of my favorites is Noah. That’s because he exemplifies what perseverance of a saint looks like. According to Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe, a man who perseveres may not see the fruit of his labor in his day. He said, “Ours is a ministry of faith, and we don’t always see the results. The harvest is not the end of the meetings or of the church year. The harvest is the end of the age, and the Lord of the harvest will see to it that His good and faithful servants will get their just rewards.” Here in North America where many professing Christians choose whatever is convenient and whatever is the easy way out, we need to learn what it means to persevere and what it means to be steadfast. Hence, consider the perseverance of Noah.

How Long Did Noah Persevere?

Twice in Genesis 7 the age of Noah is mentioned when the flood finally came (vv. 6 and 11). According the text, Noah was 600 years old.

Now, do you know when Noah was told by God to build the ark? According to Genesis 6 it was around the time when Noah became the father of three sons (vv. 8-13a).

Well, when did Noah become the father of three sons? According to Genesis 5:32, Noah was 500 years old. Now, do the math. How long did Noah take to build the ark? In other words, how long did Noah obey God and keep God’s command? That’s 100 years! By the time you read Genesis 6:22 that’s already 100 years. But when you come to Genesis 7:4 and 7:10 seven more days are gone. And the narrative repeatedly points out his obedience (6:22; 7:5 and 7:9). All that to say, Noah obeyed God and kept God’s command for over 100 years!

It’s hard to find someone who’s consistent for 10 straight months (let alone 10 straight weeks). But for Noah, it’s 100 years of obedience and perseverance!

Now, do you think Noah had it easy to persevere? Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 24:37-42. According to Jesus, the people lived every day as just another day. That is, people doing whatever they pleased – eating, drinking, marrying, and partying. It’s hard to focus in fulfilling God’s will and obeying his command when all around you people are doing whatever they please. It’s not that eating, drinking, and marrying are inherently wrong or evil. However, those things which are part of God’s common grace can become distractions, weights, liabilities, and even idols. They hinder your vision. Even when you sing the hymn “Be Thou My Vision,” you may not mean it because the meaning of those precious words have disappeared.

So, Noah did not have it easy to persevere. But he was determined to obey God’s command and fulfilled God’s will at all cost. John Calvin said Noah had forsaken the world so that he may live.[1] That’s the cost Noah paid to obey and persevere.

In his devotional book My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal.”

Also, J.C. Ryle’s book Holiness, Ryle makes this observation that is common in our day as it was then. He writes, “Nothing is more common than to see people receiving the Word with joy, and then after two or three years falling away, and going back to their sins.”[2] That implies that you have to give time and observe people at least two to three years to see their true color.

Why Do People Fail to Persevere?

One of the reasons such is the case is because people are not willing to take what it costs to be a true disciple. The cost can be their self-righteousness and pride. Another is laziness. Another is worldliness or love of the world. Another is simply their sin. They enjoy their sin too much to let it go. Jesus said in John 3, “People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” On the contrary, he said, “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Another cost is true repentance. Some simply do not want to repent because 1) they don’t see the need to repent, 2) they are stubborn to remain in sin, and 3) all of the above. Again, listen to J.C. Ryle:

“I grant it costs much to be a true Christian. But who is in his sound senses can doubt that it is worth any cost to have the soul saved? When the ship is in danger of sinking, the crew think nothing of casting overboard the precious cargo. When a limb is mortified, a man will submit to any severe operations, and even to amputation, to save life. Surely a Christian should be willing to give up anything which stands between him and heaven. A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing! A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown.”[3]

So, do you think Noah had it easy to persevere? Imagine having to persevere against people mocking at you for 100 years! There’s no biblical text that’s clearer than 2 Peter 3:3-6 in regards to Genesis 7. It says:

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.” (2 Peter 3:3)

Imagine mockers mocking at you for 100 years!

What is clear from Genesis is that in between those 100 years there is no record that God ever spoke to Noah. There was no revelation from God. God was silent during those 100 years that Noah faced mockery, persecutions, and hardships. Remember, Noah lived in a time when there was no Bible. There was no pastor to run to. There were no online sermons. There were no discipleship groups where he can receive encouragement. There was no Lighthouse Bible Church, let alone any church to hear the voice of God. Yet he persevered and obeyed God for over 100 years! If that’s the case, then you and I have absolutely no excuse for failing to obey God and persevere with joy!

What Kept Noah Going?

So, what kept Noah going for 100 years? The answer is simply Noah believed God’s covenant promise in Genesis 6:18! How do we know that? Because the Bible says so.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

The fundamental problem with many of us is that we don’t believe. We say, “Yeah that’s what the Bible says, but…” I can assure you that all the problems that you may be having can be traced to this fundamental problem, namely not believing God and his word.

During the 100 years of God’s silence, it is safe to assume that Noah asked questions such as “Is today the day that the flood would come?” “Is today the day that God’s promise be fulfilled?” I’m sure he often checked the weather to see if there’s any clouds forming. If so, he would have been asking “Is today the day?” You can imagine the disappointments and discouragements he faced when the day did not come. Not to mention depressions and dark times he had to endure.

Have you been in times like that? Perhaps you’re in it now. If not, you will be some day.

Even though the Bible credits Noah for his faith (e.g., Hebrews 11), I can assure you that the journey or the process wasn’t easy for Noah. So often in our Christian life the issue isn’t about whether we’re going to make it to the finish line. Rather, the issue is the process or the journey in getting to the finish line. So when we read the patriarchs’ faith in Hebrews 11, we need to realize that behind the final product, there lies many tears and toil, and many trials and errors of those men. No one became mighty in faith overnight. All that to say, the process matters!

If anything, Genesis teaches us what the patriarchs went through to become the examples of faith. More importantly, even in spite of many patriarchs’ lack of faith, God showed himself to be faithful to his promises. And by God’s faithful grace, he shapes us through the process of persevering! Again, process matters! Hence, you need to learn to remain faithful, available, and teachable. That’s what you and I need to cultivate in our assigned journey called the Christian life!

[1] John Calvin, “Genesis” in Calvin Commentaries, 22 Volumes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 264.

[2] J. C. Ryle, Holiness (Moscow, Idaho: Charles Nolan Publishers, 2001), 82.

[3] Ibid., 86-86.