Genesis 6:22 - Meaning and Application

Noah’s care and hard work in building the ark can be seen in several ways.

First, it showed his faith in God’s word. God had told him that the world would soon be drowned, and Noah believed it. He feared the coming flood, and that fear moved him to prepare the ark. We should take God’s warnings about his wrath against all sin seriously. His threats are not empty alarms. Many objections could have been raised against this warning, but Noah’s faith stood above them all. People might have asked how the wise God, who made the world, would so soon undo it again. They might have wondered how the God whose mercy fills his works could allow innocent creatures to die because of human sin. They might also have asked where enough water would come from to cover the whole earth, or why only Noah was told. Yet Noah believed God anyway.

Second, his work was an act of obedience to God’s command. If he had only followed human reasoning, many objections would have stopped him. He had to build a huge structure, one he had never seen before, with exact measurements. It would take a long time, much labor, and great expense. The warning was for a time far off, so the work would stretch over many years. His neighbors would laugh at him for believing such a message, and people would likely mock his building as Noah’s folly. Still, Noah pushed through all these objections by faith. He obeyed quickly and willingly, without complaining or arguing. When God said, “Do this,” Noah did it. He also obeyed carefully and steadily. He did everything exactly as God had told him, and once he began, he kept at it until the work was finished. So he did, and so we must do.

Third, Noah’s work showed wisdom for his own safety. He feared the flood, and so he prepared the ark. When God warns of coming judgment, it is wise and right to prepare ourselves. Pharaoh’s case gives a warning about hardened hearts (Exodus 9:20, Exodus 9:21), and Ezekiel speaks of the danger of refusing God’s warning (Ezekiel 3:18). We must be ready to meet the Lord in his judgments on earth. We should run to his name as a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), and hide ourselves in our chambers when he judges (Isaiah 26:20, Isaiah 26:21). Above all, we must be ready for death and for the final judgment. We do that by building our lives on Christ the Rock (Matthew 7:24), and by going into Christ as our ark.

Fourth, the ark was meant to warn a careless world. It gave clear notice that the flood was coming. Every blow of Noah’s axe and hammer called people to turn from sin and prepare themselves too. If the building did not persuade them, it still left them without excuse. By it, Noah condemned the world, because his faith and obedience showed their unbelief and carelessness (Hebrews 11:7).