w.o.w.

The Bible is full of many fascinating characters. In Genesis 6-8 we are introduced to one of the most famous. He's the boatbuilder called Noah. 

Three qualities stand out in these pages that take us to the heart of the man that he truly was.

✔︎ He Walked With God

✔︎ He Obeyed God

✔︎ He Worshipped God

➡️ Noah Walked with God 

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

When humanity was drifting further and further away from God, Noah walked towards God.

Of all the metaphors in Scripture used to describe the Christian life the idea of walking has to be my favourite! 

In the early chapters of Genesis we read, “They (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). I believe you have in that sentence a picture of God’s original intention for his creatures. Therefore, from that moment on we read of people like Noah who “walked with God”. 

The magnificent words from Isaiah offer much encouragement in connection with this thought. 

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

(Isaiah 40)

Had I written that sentence I would have turned it on its head. I would have mentioned walking first because running and soaring are much more exciting activities, are they not? But Isaiah knows what he’s doing! 

And here’s why. There’s something about walking that is steady and continuous. It takes greater commitment to walk a steady, continuous path, than to catch the warm thermals of air and soar to new heights or engage in a 100m sprint which is over in seconds.

The rhythm, momentum, discipline and simplicity that we find in the art of walking is greatly commended by Isaiah. And to the believer, like Noah, who walks with God he promises spiritual renewal as we navigate the changing terrain of life.

Noah would encourage us to Walk On.

Secondly,

➡️ Noah was Obedient to God

“Noah…did all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22).

What appeared to be counter-intuitive is the very thing that Noah chose to do! He set about building an ark to the specific dimensions that were set out by God at a time when the vessel lacked any possibility of seeing active service.

Around 20 years ago I attended a leadership conference at Gartmore House, near Aberfoyle. The keynote speaker was an American professor from Dallas Theological Seminary called Howard Hendricks. Something he said over those few days has in many ways shaped my understanding of the Christian life. He said, “The Christian life is the life of Christ reproduced in a believer by the power of the Holy Spirit in obedient response to God’s Word.” That single sentence could be unpacked over many paragraphs. However, in connection with Noah and his obedience to God, Hendricks’ statement reveals how this is possible. It requires God’s Word, my willing obedience to it, over a period of time which will lead to the end result of spiritual growth.

Therefore, the central issue of Christian living is not how much I know about God’s Word but how much I am willing to put it into practice. There is a moment in Noah's life recorded in Genesis 9 (verses 20-27) when Noah wandered from the path of obedience into sin. However, the importance for believers in times like this is to recognise our sin, confess it before God and continue thereafter to walk with God in faithful obedience to his Word.

The hymn sang at my baptism on March 28 1981 puts it like this:

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Noah would implore us to Hold True.

And finally,

➡️ Noah Worshipped God

“Noah built an altar to God…” (Genesis 8:20).

The first activity that Noah engaged in after his adventure on the high seas was to offer himself in worship to God.

W.O.W. He walked with God…He was obedient to all that God asked him to do…and did it all out of a deep sense of reverence and love for God. He worshipped God.

John Piper once wrote, “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.”

Noah would ultimately urge us to Look Up because…

…nobody and nothing is greater than God.

(Picture - Near Callander)

lessons from the house of mourning

 Shortly before Christmas my dear mother-in-law died after a short period of ill health. The Christmas season was a mix of precious family gatherings coupled with sadness that she is no longer with us. At her funeral service last week there was a lot of tears within our wee family circle but also a deep sense of gratitude that she played such a significant role in our lives.

These past few weeks have caused me to fall back on Scriptures that I have often passed over, occasionally wondered about, but have never really stopped long enough to give them due consideration.

Tucked away in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, King Solomon writes,

“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting…The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:2,4)

Has there every been a generation like ours so committed to avoiding life’s pain as described by Solomon? The modern world has done all it can to anaesthise itself against the raw realities of life. People live with a penchant for pleasure above everything else.

However, these ancient sentences from the Hebrew Scriptures reveal a different, more realistic, and healthier view of life…and death.

And so taking Solomon’s words to heart I asked myself two questions. Firstly,

What Do We Discover In The House Of Feasting?

➡️ We Encounter Carelessness

I spoke to someone recently who went to a friend’s party. On the whole everything went well until a big argument broke out towards the end of the evening. It turns out that tongues had been loosened with one or two drinks, ill advised words were spoken and some drama followed! Careless words are not uncommon in the house of feasting.

➡️ We Experience Emptiness 

Spend any amount of time in the house of feasting and we realise that no amount of pleasure can ultimately satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.  

And so secondly,

What Lessons Do We Learn In The House Of Mourning?

➡️ We Gain a Proper Perspective on Life

I lived in Campbeltown in the early 1990s and built a friendship with one of the guys from the American Airbase situated at Machrihanish. We met every Tuesday morning at 6.30am to pray and discuss our walk with God. Occasionally when I preached I would find a little card on the pulpit with a quote to encourage me. One that I kept for many years came from the 18th century pastor and and writer, Richard Baxter. It said, “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” I have always found this a sobering sentence to reflect upon. It echoes the words of the apostle Paul, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15).

The house of mourning teaches that…

Life is a precious gift. Therefore, live gratefully.

Life is incredibly fleeting. Therefore, live wisely.

 

➡️ We Develop Empathy With Others

The apostle Paul, again, offers the following advice, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). As we support the brokenhearted we become more empathetic to all they are going through. There is something wholesome about walking with God and with others through pain and suffering.

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning…” None of us would choose to visit this house because of the sadness and heartache we discover there. However, when life’s path leads us to this dwelling place we are taught truths that cannot be found in the house of feasting. It simply has no resources to offer anything of substance to this conversation. A wise person's heart carries truths that have the potential to sharpen our focus on the importance of living wisely and loving others.

(Picture - The Isle of Arran)