Noah's Ark

By A. A. Meeks, Sr.

God created the heavens and the earth and all they contain in six days. The last of God’s creation was man. “...God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...’” (Gen. 1:26). God made Adam from the dust of the earth, and his wife, Eve, from a rib taken from Adam. Adam and Eve were given a beautiful garden as their home, but when they sinned (disobeyed God), He drove them out. From that time, man became more and more evil until, “...every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).

When man became so wicked, God decided to destroy His creation with a flood over all the earth (Gen. 6:7-13).

But there was a good man whom God wanted to save. His name was Noah. So God told Noah to build an ark (a large boat). The ark was to be built of gopher wood. It was to have rooms (we are not told how many). It was to be covered inside and outside with pitch.

The ark was very large. It was three hundred cubits long [about 450 feet], fifty cubits wide [about 75 feet], and thirty cubits high [about 45 feet]. It was to have three decks, one window, and a door.

Noah built the ark just like God told him. “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Gen. 6:22).

In Heb. 11:7 we are told, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household....” God told Noah that He was going to destroy the earth with a flood, and told him to build an ark to save his family.

Noah’s salvation depended on two things: (1) believing God and (2) building an ark. If Noah had said, “I believe you, God,” but had not built an ark, he would have perished with the rest of the people of the world. His faith caused him to do what God said. GOD DOES NOT TELL US TO BUILD AN ARK today. Only Noah was told that. But God, in His word, does give us commands to obey; and if we really believe God like Noah did, we will obey God like Noah did.