Faith Like Noah

Reviewing a bedrock story of the Christian faith

Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY. As an amateur apologist, I was pumped. Critics of the Bible have cast doubt on the popular Genesis tale for millennia, viewing it as mere Christian folklore, and a trip to this museum would equip me to defend this part of Scripture more effectively. However, my expectations were shattered.

Before I go any further, let’s allow the text to speak. Here’s Genesis 6:1-6, followed by verses 11 and 12.

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart…

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

The people God created had descended into utter sinfulness and chaos, living for themselves, pursuing every evil desire, and rejecting His holiness. It was a world of spiritual anarchy, and it broke God’s heart. Let’s read verses 7-10.

So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Next, God talks to Noah and gives him one of the most famous commandments in Scripture. Notice verses 13, 14, 17, 18, and 22.

And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch… 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. 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…”

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

I chose not to include all the specific dimensions of the ark because that’s not the focus of our study, but I certainly do not intend to dismiss them as unimportant. I simply want to highlight the fact that God was going to destroy His wicked creation and save the eight people who chose to get in the boat.

That is, effectively, the story of Noah, and it was told beautifully by the exhibits at the Ark Encounter. So what was so shocking about the museum? Why did it shatter my expectations? To be succinct, I arrived expecting to gain apologetic ammunition, but I left empowered to evangelize. And though I’m still struggling to share the good news, the fire within me is rekindling. I don’t want to swagger off to the battlefield with a box full of brass; instead, I feel compelled to go out into the world with a heart full of love, compassion, and duty. The museum reshaped the way I view the story of Noah. I now know that this event is foundational to my Christian identity because I can see that it is much more than a battleground for the authenticity of Scripture; it is an image of God’s broad judgment and exclusive salvation.

As in the days of Noah, God has promised to bring this physical world to an end, but this time, it will be for eternity. Jesus Christ will return to judge this world, destroy the wicked, and rescue His people. The narrative in Genesis 6-9 paved the way for this final event, and we cannot afford to miss the forest for the trees. We cannot get so caught up in the details that we fail to see the big picture— unless we get in the boat with Jesus, we have no hope. We need to walk through the door of the ark, putting on Christ and having our lives changed by Him. Let’s do just that. Let’s respond to this story with conviction, believing that God will bring this world into judgment and save His people, and compassion, recognizing that Jesus Christ is our only hope and sharing that truth with the world. In other words, let’s have faith like Noah.