Lesson 7: Strategy
The Ark speaks to those who want to serve God…STRATEGY. How to do things? Now the flood was going to subside. Obviously, Noah and his family wanted to get off The Ark which they had been there for about a year with all animals in a limited space. Nevertheless, Noah was smart. Further to his intelligence and experience, he did not make decision solely on his own. He would like to interact with God respecting His advice and guidance, particularly when he knew he was going to step out into a new world that he hadn’t known before. The Bible tells us how Noah interacted with God. It shed lights to us how we work with God walking into the future. Here are:
Noah’s Search – The Bible says that God opened the floodgates of the heaven and burst forth all the springs of the great deep for 40 days (Genesis 7:11). The waters flooded the earth for 150 days (Genesis 7:24). Then the flood began to subside gradually in about a year. Noah opened the window (Genesis 8:6) first to observe the environment. However, we may know The Ark window was opened at the top and now The Ark was resting on the mountain top. And he could neither see nor confirm whether the land had been dried up. So strategically, he sent out birds to do the surveillance. Noah was patient that in 4 different times he sent out the raven and doves to radar the new environment until he has a clue the flood totally subsided. Even having evidence of dryland, Noah was prudent to remove covering from The Ark and checked by his own that the surface of the ground was confirmed dry (Genesis8:13). Noah was smart strategically. He has reliable information from the birds. He could get off The Ark by his own judgement when he saw the third dove come back with fresh olive leaf and later, the fourth dove even didn’t return. But Noah didn’t. He was patient and waited even though I can imagine Noah and his family were very excited to go out of The Ark to meet the new world, just like our city locked down for months because of COVID-19. Nevertheless, Noah submitted to God’s timing.
God’s Summon – God and Noah interaction. God watched and controlled the whole process. He instructed Noah to build The Ark. He told Noah and his family getting in The Ark. Now, when time came, He told Noah go out of The Ark. God turned a page to a new world, He instructed Noah and granted him a mission which was comparable the very first human Adam in the old world. For Noah, he paid attention to God. He listened and obeyed. It was God who took initiative and Noah followed. This interactive relationship between God and Noah teaches us put God as God when we serve Him. Be sensitive to His will.
Noah’s Sacrifice – the spiritual man Noah. The very first thing Noah did after flood was he remembered God that he built an altar to God and sacrificed burnt offerings on it. No one told him, and neither God. It was Noah who took self-initiative from his heart to God. Burnt offering carried a meaning of Noah offered himself to God, expressed his thanks and God’s saving grace and continued to rely on Him. And God was so touching that when He smelled the pleasing aroma and then He made covenant with the whole earth through Noah. What a merciful God is when He sees people like Noah express love and gratitude to Him, saying, “Never again will I curse the ground…” (Genesis 8:21a). Yes, our God is desiring and looking for His people to show love and respect to Him. And His promising return is beyond our imagination.
God’s Sign – Rainbow is hanging over the depraved world. God blessed Noah and his sons. He entered covenant with Noah and his descendants and all living creatures that He would never flood the land again even tough “every inclination of human’s heart is evil from childhood.” (Genesis 8:21b). Let the whole world know, God set His rainbow in the cloud as a sign of the covenant. As we know today, rainbow is a refraction phenomenon in sky after rainy storm and thunder. It gives us a clue of God and His judgement and mercy. From generation to generation, God is faithful to hang the rainbow in the sky to remind us why there is a rainbow. And it’s also a warning signal calling for return and repent from sin.
Interaction between God and Noah gives us some meaningful lessons on the strategy to serve Him. Noah did have done his part. He himself have a working plan. Yet he listened to God and obeyed God. He honoured God and expressed his first love and gratitude in priority. And God was the Director of the whole process. He was watching, controlling and caring. He called the shot. He bestowed grace to the whole earth through a single righteousness man Noah. Does this give us some thoughts on our role in our family, workplace, church or community? What God wants us to do and to be?