The Ark: More Than Meets The Eye

Last week I read the story of Noah and the flood (Genesis 6:9-9:17). Because people had become very wicked, God decided to destroy them along with the earth and everything in it. Only Noah, his family and a pair of each animal species were saved. The Bible tells us that it only took 40 days to completely destroy the earth and everything in it. However, it would take more than one year to restore the earth back to wholeness. As I read that, I thought to myself, “God, why did you not supernaturally eliminate the water? Why did you choose to let nature take its course and drain the water slowly?” Have you ever wondered that? God was definitely capable of eliminating the water in 2 seconds with a mere word – but He didn’t. Why is that?

I believe it was for the good of Noah and his family. How you ask?

Picture with me if you will what life in the ark was probably like. Everyone outside the ark was dead. Their relatives, in-laws, friends, neighbours… even the woman who sold fish by the side of the road – all of them. Gone! And so there they were, grieving, cooped up for more than a year with nowhere to go except within the confines of the ark. It’s hard enough being stuck with people 24/7– now add animals to the mix. There is probably the eager cock that crowed at 2 am every night and woke everyone up. Or the two monkeys that chit chatted all night long – talking about uu uu aah aah…aah aah uu uu. Don’t forget there were crickets endlessly chirping, hyenas ceaselessly cackling, and frogs that never stopped ribbit-ing. Have you thought about the air quality issue? I mean I have smelled horse doo-doo on the streets and that stuff is foooul! Makes your eyes water. Now multiply that by all the animals in the world…in an enclosed space…with only 18 inches of space beneath the roof to let in fresh air…Ya! Definitely not a good time! Then there is the human aspect. Perhaps Shem’s wife was a bathroom hog. Can you picture Ham and Japheth’s wives going, “Sigh! There she goes again! Hogging the bathroom! I bet you she’s applying make-up! Who is she trying to impress anyway? It’s just us here and everyone is spoken for!” I imagine the introvert in the group was sick and tired of constantly being surrounded by people and animals – yet there was no secluded area they could go to recharge. Do you suppose there might have been someone battling the temptation to eat some of the animals? Fried chicken? Lamb chops? Nice juicy steak? There must have been someone who, like me, questioned why God couldn’t just miraculously disperse the waters so they could exit the boat already! I imagine this person’s faith must have started to wane as month after month went by with no end in sight.

I know I have exaggerated quite a bit here, but bottom line is this… it was likely a very trying situation in that ark. Patience was frayed. Tempers were short. Despair was creeping in. Claustrophobia was setting in.

The thing with trials is this… they reveal to us who we really are. They exhibit our strengths and expose our weaknesses. It is easy to pretend when things are going well – not so much in difficult circumstances – especially over a prolonged period of time. The honeymoon is over at that point and true colors come out! I imagine that at some point, every single person in that ark must have come to the end of themselves and said ‘God, please help me with this shortcoming otherwise I am going to lose my sanity’. ‘Forgive me for my bad attitude’. ‘Please help me to be more patient’. ‘I don’t want to be angry with so and so anymore’. ‘Help me to hold on to faith that you will see us through and let us out of this ark’. ‘Give us the mental and physical strength to endure the waiting period’. ‘Help me to remain joyful and peaceful as I wait on you’. ‘Father please take away this fear and despair and replace it with faith’. You see, as much as the world outside was being cleansed from all unrighteousness, inside, Noah’s family was also undergoing a similar cleansing. God wasn’t about to let them out “uncleansed”. He needed to deal with all their shortcomings and blind spots so they don’t end up like the ones outside the ark who perished from their unrighteousness.

Another reason I think God didn’t quickly dissipate the waters is to teach Noah’s family (and us) a valuable lesson! It takes a very short time to destroy something and a very long time to restore it back. Think of a diet. It takes a week or two of stuffing your face with delicious unhealthy foods to gain weight. However, getting rid of the excess pounds, love handles, and ballooning pooch takes agonizing months, years even (my current situation right now…sigh!) How about a building that is blown up with one switch of a button yet takes years to rebuild? Or trust… one small act can sever the trust someone has placed on you; but rebuilding that trust can take eons – and sadly in some instances it is never restored. The lure of sin is sweet, attractive, and enticing. It takes no time at all to mess up. However, the road back to wholeness can be long and arduous.

So what can we learn from the story of the ark?

Sometimes God will place you in a situation/ challenge/ relationship/ job… and close the door behind you (I like it when the Bible says that God Himself shut the door of the ark behind them – Genesis 7:16). No matter how much you beg to be let out, God would be doing you a disservice if He released you from that situation before He has matured you and equipped you to be able to handle all that He has in store for you (PS, God would never force you to stay – you can still leave – but it would be unwise to do so). Sometimes He waits for you to come to the end of yourself so He can step in. So instead of being upset, impatient and bitter, let us strive to cooperate with God and allow Him to complete His cleansing, transformative, and equipping work in us.

Additionally, let us remember that it is way easier to stay on the straight and narrow road in the first place – as opposed to traversing the broad road – because restoration always comes at a price. No matter what the enemy tells you, sin, disobedience and rebellion are indeed a big deal. They hurt. And it will take some time to restore you back from whence you came from. Thank God for the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for my sins and yours.

I think the ark signifies the means/ events/ circumstances that God uses to transition us from one season to another.

Are you in the ark of trials/challenges? Rejoice! God has a purpose for it. If He has placed you there, I guarantee that although you don’t feel like it at the moment, one day you will look up to heaven and say “God, thank you! I needed that. It was for my greater good.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Are you in the ark of waiting? Hold on. Patiently. Gratefully. Cooperate with God. Your “dry path and fertile ground” are being prepared for you. Don’t give up and jump ship prematurely. Flood waters of destruction await out there – but redemption, restoration, provision and salvation are found in the Lord alone. So be still and know that He is God. (see song below)

Are you finally out of the ark? Don’t forget how closely you relied on God while in your challenging situation. In our busyness it’s easy to shelve God when things are going well. Don’t lose the close fellowship you developed with Him. Furthermore, be an encouragement to those still going through their ark experience. Blessings.

If you found this post helpful please share with others (buttons below). If you don’t want to miss a posting, scroll below (mobile browsing)  or above (desktop browsing) to subscribe to receive postings via e-mail. You may also like our Facebook page or Twitter page.