“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb. 11:7).
I can hardly think of anyone in the Bible who exemplifies the healthy balance between personal conviction and public expression more than Noah. He exhibits the same balance between his calling as a father and his calling as a preacher–and remains an appropriate model even today.
The text in Hebrews 11:7 spells out every pertinent detail that we need to know of this man. I want to consider him as an exemplary father for all of us. And even if we are not fathers, it would still be good for us as Christians.
This Father and His Faith
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet…”
Here was a man who believed God, even in the matter of rain. What was so significant here, of course, is that there had never been any rain before. Not only did he trust God for what he couldn’t see, he had to trust God for what had never been seen by anyone.
His faith was more than some issue over raindrops. God called for a boat to be built in a certain way, within a certain period of time. His faith has been described as a true faith (he lived up to what God told him), an active faith (he carried out a task for God) and a consistent faith (he did this over a 120-year period).
We need fathers like Noah today. Our world is as wicked and perverse (Gen. 6:5), as well as corrupt and violent (Gen. 6:11), as Noah’s was. If there is anything that should mark us as leaders in our homes, it is faith.
The Father and His Fears
“Moved with fear…”
These three words pack a wealth of meaning. It wasn’t a matter of being frightened: it was a matter of being marked with “reverential care” (Kenneth Wuest). As a man of faith, Noah was able to focus on the future and focus up above–and it didn’t look good. He knew that judgment was coming, and that he had better do something about it.
We have seen his active faith; now we have his active fears. He was “moved,” that is to say, he did something about it. We all have fears as fathers. We have fears from some things and we fear for some things. There is, if you will, a cause and effect in fear. We may fear the world around us, or the world in our home. We may fear the trends in the churches around us, or perhaps something right in our own assembly. These are causes. And the effects are on our children. But remember, it is a godly fear, a holy concern, that is the issue here. Noah teaches us that we should have a divine concern (“fear”) about something, followed by a divine conviction (“moved”). It is one thing to have some sort of upset over some issue, but it is entirely another matter to actually do something about it.
The Father and His Family
“Prepared an ark to the saving of his family”
Noah combined a busy ministry life with his family life–a rare feat indeed. Ministry and family are often placed in one of three categories: Ministry or Family; Ministry vs. Family; or Ministry and Family. In other words, a contrast, a conflict, or a compliment. Noah chose the latter, and so can we.
His ministry model (“prepared an ark”) was matched by his family model (“to the saving of his family”). Noah’s efforts had a direct impact on his family. As he served, he also saved. My understanding is that they built the ark together. I would call that an active family. Do we have any so-called arks that we could build together as a family? This could involve singing together, visiting together, or cooking together; it could mean hospitality, outreach, or campwork.
The Father and His Future
(“By the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”)
The world and eternity are contrasted here. His future lay beyond the raindrops and the ark: he was just passing through, and his future was in the “things which are above” (Col. 3:1). He was in the world, to be sure, but he wasn’t of the world. In fact, it seems that the text teaches us that his behavior was a real offense to the world around him.
Fathers, do we condemn the world by our actions? If we link the phrase “by the which” with the previous statement, it appears that the condemnation was in how he was raising his family. Do our child-rearing practices condemn the world? Does our family life bring shame upon the world? Or perhaps it shames the Lord!
There is a future here, but it is not our future. We are training our children to serve in the next generation. Are we working at it? It doesn’t just happen. It is a combination of everything that we have stated thus far:
1. We must have leaders in our homes who live by faith.
2. We must have leaders in our homes who possess godly convictions.
3. We must have leaders in our homes who know the blend of ministry life and family life.
God help us to follow the Noahic pattern of godly fatherhood in the days to come.