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Bulletin articles
God’s Ark
History’s most famous boat is always referred to as “Noah’s ark.” After all, Noah built it. But the truth of the matter is, it was not his; it was God’s ark. God commissioned it. “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…” (Hebrews 11:7). And God designed it. He told Noah, “This is how you shall make it…” (Genesis 6:15), followed by a list of specifics.
Human wisdom might have called for some changes to God’s plan. “Cover it inside and out with pitch” surely did not produce a very aesthetic vessel. One door would never meet modern fire codes. And how could one window provide sufficient ventilation for a zoo full of animals? Perhaps it was a really lonnnnnng window!
If any of these alterations occurred to Noah, he did not act on them. To the contrary, the Bible says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.” In fact, for emphasis, it says that twice (Genesis 6:22; 7:5).
Had Noah changed any of God’s specifications, then it truly would have been “Noah’s ark.” He might have still called it “God’s ark,” but it would no longer be God’s. And it would have floated about as well as a bottomless bucket!
Noah had too much integrity to tinker with God’s will. He built by faith, which comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). And he built in reverence, a respect for God that knows His way is always best, regardless of whether we see why. Noah simply obeyed.
Modern man needs to learn the lesson of God’s ark. When we change God’s blueprint, the result is our product, not His.
People have taken God’s plan for the church and altered it in every way imaginable: its purpose, its work, its organization, its worship, its entrance requirements, etc. They still call it the Lord’s church, but it isn’t even a distant cousin to the church you read about in God’s word. The same thing is true of marriage, baptism, and a number of other divine provisions.
In the days of the flood, disobedience characterized the lost, not the saved. That hasn’t changed.
- 20230903_Gods_Ark.pdf (194.12 kB)
