Bible Matters 429: Noah the Prophet

You’ve heard the story of Noah’s ark a hundred times.  You may have just considered it a bible story, used to wow the little children.  One man, Ron Wyatt, prayed to God to use him, to prove the bible real.  Ron Wyatt found Noah’s Ark in the Mountains of Ararat.  It is an amazing story of the power of prayer.  You say you believe in God and you want to go to heaven, but don’t believe in Genesis, then time to rethink and rekindle that belief.  Watch this video before you read on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoTkguzRaCU

Not once did you think of Noah being a prophet.  Noah lived a righteous life in the midst of wickedness that covered the earth.  It repented the Lord God, that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 

Genesis 6:5-6,22- And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

In the midst of this wickedness was one man that feared God.  When you recognize the power of God and fear him, only then will you find grace in the eyes of God, like Noah did. 

Genesis 6:8,9,10 – But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.  And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

God’s message is sent to those that fear God. 

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Acts 10:34-35 – Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Acts 13:26 – Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

At 500 years old, God gave Noah the directions to build an ark of gopher wood to save the things of this earth.  Noah could have chosen great riches, silver and gold, but he didn’t. 

Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

God spoke to Noah and Noah did as God commanded.  It took 100 years to build the ark. 

Genesis 7:6-7 – And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.  And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

Noah and his family spent over a year in the ark under God’s guidance.   They knew the power of God.   After seeing all of man wiped out by the flood, they would have feared God.   They worshipped God!  They knew how to serve God, by doing his will.

Genesis 8:13,15-16,20 – And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.  And God spake unto Noah, saying,  Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.  And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord ; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

God blessed Noah and his sons.  The rainbow was given in remembrance of God’s covenant with mankind.

Genesis 9:1,8-9,12-16 – And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;  And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

The righteousness of Noah shined forth.  God was looking for his sons to remember his power and to fear God.  The knew of the wickedness that offended God.  They knew of their father’s righteousness that pleased God.  All God was looking for was for the earth to be populated with the knowledge of God, of his power and for man to do as commanded by God.    

But, there were three sons with different ideas, different desires and different levels of fear.  God told them to remember him by the rainbow.  These sons were trained by Noah the prophet.  He guided them on how to live a righteous life pleasing to God.   

The Sons of Noah – Migrated in different directions:

Japheth – Europe

Shem -Asia

Ham -Africa

Japheth and his descendants, after the flood, are believed to have migrated to areas around the Black and Caspian Seas, Asia Minor, and the Greek islands (Aegean Sea Region). They are also thought to have settled in the islands of Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes.   Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the river Tansis, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on the lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before.l

Shem and his descendants, after the deluge, are believed to have migrated in areas on either side of the mighty Euphrates River and in the Arabian Peninsula. They also reached a section of Western Asia Minor and, according to Josephus, as far East as the Indian Ocean. Shem’s progeny gave rise to the Persians, Assyrians, Chaldeans (Babylonians), Syrians, Lydians and others.

The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus; seizing upon all that was on its sea-coasts, and as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus; seizing upon all that was on its sea-coasts, and as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own.  The descendants of Ham also populated many parts of northern and eastern Africa, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and other areas. Canaan, Ham’s fourth son, lived in the part of the Holy Land later known as Judea and lent his name to the designation of the general area (the Land of Canaan).

Not all of the children of Noah sought fame, silver and gold.  Some went off to live life to the glory of God, loving him and loving their neighbor.  Abstaining from the things that displeased God and doing the things that please God.  God was not worried about these individuals destroying the earth.

God recognized that man could revert to wickedness very quickly. God needed to send a message in the form of a man to reset civilization to the things of God.  Not in the worship of the things of man, but in the worship of God, in peace with man.  It was through the line of Shem that God sent Jesus, bringing a message of love.  Love for God and love for your fellow man, seven days a week.   

To God, that is all that matters.  Worshipping God at church on Sunday, while hating your fellow man is not in God’s plan.  God will send you a message of love.  Like Noah, you can choose to follow God’s message or if you have no fear, you’ll continue to do acts pleasing to self.  Today, chose to fear God and follow his commandments.  Love God and love your neighbor.  Pray to God daily, that the love of God will reign supreme and for man can cease in the murder of others and stop the wars that ravage the earth. 

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.