NOAH-THE MAN WHO BUILT THE ARK

NOAH 

The Man Who Built the Ark 

CLICK TO READ ALL THE BIBLE VERSES THAT MENTIONED NOAH

 

Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 

GENESIS 6:8 

  

Most notable quality: Perfect in his generation 

Most notable accomplishment: Built an ark 

Date lived: Before, during, and after the Flood (lived 950 years) 

Name: Noah, meaning “to comfort” or “to rest” 

Major text: Genesis 6–9 

 

Bare Bones Background 

As we approach the biography of the man Noah, the Bible reports nine generations have passed since God created Adam and Eve. Mankind has grown so evil that God has determined to destroy the human race (Genesis 6:13). But in the midst of rampant sin, violence, and corruption, God notices an exception in the life of one man: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). 

 

Quick Sketch 

In the life story of Noah, we come face to face with the moral character God was looking for thousands of years ago: Noah was righteous and “a just man” (Genesis 6:9), and he was obedient in all that God asked of him (Genesis 6:22). 

 

The Big Picture 

 

God’s command—Genesis 6:13–21 

Just as God observes the depravity of mankind in general, He also takes note of righteousness in one individual, Noah. God chooses to explain in great detail to godly Noah what He is about to do and the part Noah will play in fulfilling His desires and His plan. Noah’s contribution will be a massive undertaking—build a boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, then fill it with representatives of every species of life on Earth! 

 

Noah’s obedience—Genesis 6:22–7:5 

Noah’s response to his new responsibilities is immediate. With no excuses, no better ideas, no complaining, no questions asked, Noah goes right to work building the world’s first-ever boat and gathering up the animals and food to feed them for a year. The biblical account says on two separate occasions—first when Noah was given the initial news of God’s intentions and his part in them, and then 120 years later—“Noah did according to all that God [the LORD] had commanded him” (Genesis 6:22; 7:5). 

 

Noah’s significance in Scripture—Genesis 7:6–8:22 

Noah demonstrates faithfulness and obedience as he patiently preaches a warning to friends and neighbors while building a giant boat—an ark—for 120 years (Genesis 6:3). In a sense, Noah becomes the second father of the human race. The New Testament cites Noah as an illustration of God’s patience and grace—God waited 120 years before He brought about worldwide destruction through the Flood. When the 120 years is up, God spares righteous Noah and his family—eight souls total—and destroys an unrighteous world (2 Peter 2:5). 

The Flood is universal, covering the whole earth. All that breathes air is destroyed except for whatever life is aboard the ark. The floodwaters last for over a year, then at last the land is dry again. Noah again shows his reverence and obedience to God by offering sacrifices to Him. God is pleased with Noah’s sacrifices and makes a significant covenant or agreement with Noah and all mankind (Genesis 9:8–17), promising, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done” (Genesis 8:21). 

 

The Portrait 

Against the black backdrop of evil, Noah stood out brilliantly as the only godly 

person on the face of the Earth. The Bible gives this threefold description of 

Noah’s character (Genesis 6:9): 

 

• He was a just man—Noah lived by God’s righteous standards. 

• He was perfect in his generation—Though not sinless, Noah’s life mirrored the image of God and burned bright in comparison to the faint glow of God’s morality as seen in the evil men around him. 

• He walked with God—Only one other human being was given this commendation. That man was Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather (Genesis 5:24). 

 

Life Lessons from Noah 

Noah’s relationship with God was reflected in his influence on his world. Noah was totally sold out to God; therefore, he was qualified to be God’s instrument of salvation and judgment. It didn’t matter to Noah what others thought of him before God asked him to fashion an ark or during the 120 years it took him to build it. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8) and was a pleasure to the Lord. 

What can you learn from Noah’s life and character? 

 

• Noah was obedient to do what God asked—Whether it was the massive undertaking of creating a never-before-boat or the work of gathering up animals, Noah carried it out. 

• Noah was obedient to the letter of God’s instructions—The Lord gave Noah specific instructions for building the ark (the kind of wood to use, the exact measurements, the number of stories and windows). He was also specific about Noah gathering “two of every sort into the ark…male and female” (verse 19). Whatever God asked, Noah did it God’s way. 

• Noah believed and trusted in God—“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of God of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7). 

 

Noah was a reflection of God and that was all God needed to work powerfully through him. The same holds true today: God is still looking for righteous and obedient men and women. If God sees such qualities in you, He can use you powerfully in extraordinary ways to transform your family, your work, your church, even your world. Make whatever changes you must to ensure you are living for God. By faith, do whatever it takes to follow God completely. 

 

What witness did God give mankind before the Flood? 

• His creative handiwork—Romans 1:20 

• His law in man’s heart—Romans 2:14–15 

• A conscience—Romans 2:15 

• The knowledge of sacrifice—Genesis 4:4 

• The preaching of Enoch—Jude 1:14–15 

• The Spirit of God—Genesis 6:3 

• The preaching of Noah—2 Peter 2:5 

 

The Noahic Covenant 

(Genesis 9:16) 

 

It was made by God. 

It was made unconditional. 

It was made to all humanity. 

It was made for all times. 

It came with a sign—a rainbow.

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NOAH, NOE [Nō′ ah]—REST. 

1. The son of Lamech of the posterity of Seth—the tenth from Adam. He died at the age of 950 years (Genesis 5:29-30,32; Genesis 6:8). The LXX version says that the name is a play on the statement, “This same shall give us rest.” 

The Man Who Built the Ark 

Nothing is known of the early life of Noah, who first appeared on the scene when he was five hundred years old. Evidently his father, Lamech, was a religious man and gave his son a fitting name, meaning rest. This much we do know about Noah, he lived in a time when men were universally corrupt, so much so that God said He would destroy the human race (Genesis 6:1–7). 

In the midst of an age of moral darkness, Noah was perfect in his generation. He walked with God and had a life radiant with righteousness. Intimate with God, he learned of His purpose to destroy mankind (Hebrews 11:7), and was given the strange and almost impossible task of building a vessel large enough to shelter his family and a pair of all the birds and the beasts of that time. 

Noah set about the tremendous work of the Ark’s construction. Daily he had to endure the ridicule of the godless. At last the waters of judgment covered the earth, but all within the Ark were safe and saved. What a striking illustration the Ark affords of Christ, who preserves us from the flood of divine judgment. 

Here is an outline for the pastor to extend: 

I. Noah walked with God in spite of surrounding iniquity. There were saints in Caesar’s household. 

Genesis 6:8-12

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 

10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 

12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

II. Noah was obedient when appointed to a difficult task.

Genesis 6:14-21

14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 

15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 

16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 

18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 

19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 

20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 

21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

Genesis 7:5

5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.

 

III. Noah was remembered by God and delivered from death.

Genesis 8:1

1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Romans 8:1

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

IV. Noah, by faith, worked out his salvation.

Hebrews 11:7

7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Philippians 2:12

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

V. Noah warned his neighbors of impending judgment. 

2 Peter 2:5

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

Ezekiel 33:1-20

1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 

3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 

4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 

8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 

9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’ 11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

12 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’ 

13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. 

14 Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, 

15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 

16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! 

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. 

19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. 

20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.” 

VI. Noah built the first recorded altar.

Genesis 8:20

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Hebrews 13:10

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

VII. Noah was honored by God with an everlasting covenant.

Genesis 9:12-17

12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Hebrews 9:15

15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

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PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP

Genesis; Principle #10; Genesis 6:1-11

Holy Living: As the world becomes more and more decadent, we should continue to trust God to enable us to live righteous and Godly lives

https://ssl.bhpublishinggroup.com/QR/GetzBible/0010/

Genesis; Principle #11; Gen. 6:12-22

Reflecting God's Compassion: We must be on guard against becoming uncompassionate when God allows people to live sinful lives and even prosper

https://ssl.bhpublishinggroup.com/QR/GetzBible/0011/

Genesis; Principle #12; Gen. 7:1-8:22

Common Grace: We must understand that God's material blessings represent His common grace and mercy to all mankind

https://ssl.bhpublishinggroup.com/QR/GetzBible/0012/

Genesis; Principle #13; Gen. 9:1-28

Renewing Our Minds: To walk with God daily, we are to renew our minds and be committed to doing His will

https://ssl.bhpublishinggroup.com/QR/GetzBible/0013/

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ALL THE BIBLE VERSES/CHAPTERS THAT MENTIONED NOAH

• GENESIS 5:28-30,32
• GENESIS 6-9
• ISAIAH 54:9
• EZEKIEL 14:12-14,19-20 
• MATTHEW 24:36-39
• LUKE 17:26-27
• HEBREWS 11:7
• 1 PETER 3:18-20
• 2 PETER 2:4-5

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Rick Renner Series about Noah's Ark

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLScsbV_Wt6rfQMD5OGSUwmI3sBYfrytxE