St Denys Church

Genesis 6 vs 9 – 22

A Crazy Building Project?

Many of us have experience of building projects in one shape or form. Whether it be:

Noah’s ark is a very famous building project. Its image appears all over the place these days, and I’ve brought a few images to give examples. Quite a number of them are very cute. But it also is often seen as being a very crazy building project, for a number of reasons:

So should we just hold our hands up and admit the Ark was and is a crazy building project? Something that should be simply to be used as a cute model for children’s toys and nursery decorations? Something of no relevance to any sane person?

I think not. All major building projects make statements. The Bird’s Nest Stadium says ‘China is innovative, stylish and embracing the future’. The Ark also makes a statement, in fact I’m going to look at five statements.

Large Ship

These statements are not new or radical, but they are as relevant today as when the Torah was first compiled, and when the Ark was first built.

1) The Ark says: God hates evil.

Verse 11: Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
vs12: God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt! The language implies people were literally destroying themselves.

You can imagine the Ark slowly taking shape, visible for all to see, making a statement. Noah reckons there’s going to be a flood because he says there’s a God, and God hates the bad stuff we’re doing, saying and thinking. A statement to be accepted or rejected or simply ignored.

Again and again this is a message repeated through the Judges, the Prophets, Jesus and Paul. He condemns adultery, lying, robbery, lust, drunkenness, greed, gossip, selfishness. And he praises helping the vulnerable in society, supporting each other, being honest with each other, making sacrifices for each other, honouring your parents. Yes, while we need to acknowledge that God does allows violence and killing to happen, the Bible makes it clear, that his ideal is goodness, righteousness and love.

Imagine if every time you saw an image of Noah’s ark, you spent a moment reflecting on what you had thought, said and done. It’s easy to let life just lead you on and not actually reflect on what you’re doing. And then before you know it, you’re not the person you want to be: grumbling, gossiping, criticising, daydreaming about the next best thing. Maybe the Ark could be a small prompt, to stop and review your day.

Because God has standards, he hates evil.

2) The Ark says: God has the authority to judge people.

13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

The Ark was needed because God was about to wipe out a mass of people with a flood, because he’d judged them to be a very bad bunch. This is not a very nice or popular image of God. It’s scary, and it’s unattractive and it certainly doesn’t fit with the cuddly images of Noah and his Ark that you find in toy shops. It can make you angry, how dare he declare a death sentence on so many people.

And yet again this is a consistent message about God: he has the right to look at individual human beings, to assess their hearts, minds and actions, and decide what to do with them. He judged Adam and Eve’s actions and declared a punishment, he judged the Children of Israel when they disobeyed him in the Sinai Desert, he judged the actions of the Israelites in the Promised Land, the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the New Testament tell us he is going to judge the actions of all people one day.

Now this should not be misconstrued to say, every time there is a flood, natural disaster or wide spread epidemic, that it is automatically God judging and killing bad people. We’re in a different phase of history. And yet the principal remains consistent: God has the power to judge people and one day he will.

So here’s another thought, when you look at an image of the Ark, where do you imagine God would put you? In the Ark or in the flood waters?

A God hating evil, A God with the power and right to judge. Many of you have heard it all before. But I do feel it’s good to restate this, because sometimes it’s possible to get a bit complacent. It’s not a particularly cheerful message is it, but because there was an ark, and not just a flood, then we can reach to this next statement.

Open Water

3) The Ark says God provides a rescue plan, a way to escape destruction.

The plan is a floating box, not really a ship as we would think of it, with steering so it’s direction could be controlled. No, it was simply a box, offering protection from destruction. God says to Noah:
vs17 "I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish."
vs18: "But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you."

Why was Noah and his immediate family to be rescued? Because
vs 9: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God

Because he was close to God, he was making a stance against evil and unlike anyone else, he was ‘walking with God’. God was offering protection for his friend!

It’s interesting to watch God’s rescue plan unfold through the Old and New Testament. This plan is initially based round one person & his family- Noah, then the plan expands to a nation – the Israelites. Then from one nation, a rescue package is given to the whole world, it’s the death and resurrection of Jesus. God as man killed on the cross. Because of his death we don’t need to be judged as guilty, even if we’re really horrible. Like Noah put faith in God and built the Ark, we need to put faith in God and accept what Jesus has done.

So here’s another suggestion, when you see an Ark, imagine it as being Jesus. And imagine your self sitting safely within the Ark, not being destroyed by the flood. That’s where faith in God puts you.

The crazy building project of the Ark, making bold statements: God hates evil, God has the authority to judge people, but God provides a rescue plan. And it’s a message consistent through the Bible.

Well, I warned you the Ark wasn’t simply a cute little cartoon image with lots of sweet little animals popping their heads out of the portholes. But talking of animals, lets move on to a fourth statement the Ark makes.

4) God wants to protect nature.

Now this might be stating the obvious but I’m going to do it anyway. Nature mattered enough to God so that the elements that couldn’t survive a flood (air breathing animals) were protected along with the humans. vs20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground,Recent watchers of the quiz show ‘QI’ will now be aware that although many animals were to go in pairs, ch 7 says that ‘clean’ animals were to go in Ark in sevens! So the animals went in two by two but some entered in sevens.

More significant than the number of animals, though is the reason for bringing all the animals in. God is very clear on this, they’re in the Ark vs 19 “to keep them alive with you”. The animals were not on board for the humans to have something to eat, vs 21 indicates that food was to be taken separately. So as well as ensuring the continuity of the human line, God also wanted to ensure the continuity of animals. Was Noah the first conservationist?

From the point when God expresses delight at the natural world he created, through his conservation of animals in the Ark, to Jesus declaring how precious and beautiful sparrows and lilies were, to images of a peaceful and unified natural world once Christ comes again, there is a consistent message. The natural world matters to God.

And so it should matter to us. Care for creation is not an optional extra for Christians. This does not mean we all need to become expert bird-spotters (although we do have a few of those), rather it means we regularly reflect on whether are actions are helping or hurting the natural world. Maybe that’s another question to ask when you see a picture of an ark. How has my travelling, shopping, eating, housework, working, relaxing affected nature?

So we can see the Ark is making statements about our spiritual state and out practical activities. Let’s look at one more statement.

5) The Ark says: God gives people building projects to undertake.

I assume that God could have made an Ark appear out of nowhere immediately if he wanted, but instead he got one man and his family involved in the building project. God wants Noah to do the construction work and the Bible tells us vs22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Noah had spent his very long life time walking with God, and so when God asks him to do something he does it. And this is not a brief project. It’s not like putting together a flat-packed shed from B&Q. This is mammoth project: tree felling, heavy lifting, carpentry with a team of one plus his 3 sons. This took years. Think about the pain, the exhaustion, the mistakes, the tedium. Yet he did it, he stuck at it, he stayed loyal. He did what he believed God wanted him to do, although there was no one else to back him up and say he was right. Appearing to many as being quite crazy. And yet thousands of years later, he is praised by the writers of Hebrews for his faith. That is faith in action.

And this is how God consistently works, giving men and women the responsibility to do something for him. Abraham had to go for a walk, Esther had to persuade a powerful king, Peter had to give up his job, Martin Luther King has to stand against racism.

When you look at the Ark picture, ask yourself what has God asked you to do. Is there a job, a role, a task, a project which you think you should be doing on behalf of God and in partnership with him? Praying for St Denys school, running an business in an ethical way, feeding the elderly people, running a music group for children, supporting the people from St John’s Wakitaka, supporting a website that aims to engage Christians in debates about our culture, building links with other cultures (even within this community), writing resources for others to use, having a prayer meeting at work… or something else.

If you’re not sure what your crazy building project should be, ask him to make it clear – if you’re willing for the cost! And if he’s asked and you’re not doing it, then maybe you could start.
And maybe if you started but have given up or lost your impetus, how about giving it another go. Noah’s example reminds us, Ark building is not always about adrenalin, sometimes it’s just stamina.

Conclusion:

So there you have it, looking at this ‘crazy building project’ and these we’ve seen it makes some significant statements.

To be honest, I don’t think that I’ve actually said anything radical or new. But you know that’s what I actually find most mind-blowing. The statements made by the Ark are consistent with the messages found throughout scripture. Particularly linking with what Jesus did.

And for me, this is what makes the Ark authentic. When I hear the questions and doubts about the Ark, the Flood, the Animals, did it or didn’t it happen, I am strongly compelled by the fact that this is not some random, haphazard story, but one that reflects key themes of the whole of The Bible. Its consistency convinces me of its authenticity.

So I hope you see why I’d argue that the Ark is something more than a crazy building project. And I hope that when you catch a glimpse of an Ark somewhere in your house or out about, it inspires you to stop and think a moment: