Why Would You Say "yes?"*

“The earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.’ Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” [1]

You do have to admit that it was a crazy command. “Build a boat!” And not just any boat! The boat you are to build must be large enough to house all sorts of animals—at least two of every kind! The animals to be collected are to be representative of every kind of land animal and of every sort of flying animal. It won’t be necessary to gather up fish or sea creatures. Whatever is about to happen won’t be devastating to those creatures living in the sea.

Now, here’s the crazy part—there is no ocean, no lake, no major rivers anywhere near where the boat is to be built. There simply isn’t enough water anywhere on which to float the boat you are to build. Nevertheless, the command is clear—build a massive boat big enough to carry a great number of passengers.

And the craziness doesn’t stop with the command to build a boat. The command is to take some of all the animals of the earth, a male and female to ensure that they will be able to populate wherever it is that the boat will carry them. Oh! And you will need to make sure there is food on board—enough to feed you and your family for a long time. Speaking of food, you will need to ensure there is food for all the animals—lots of food! It is apparent that this is going to be a lengthy voyage. When all these tasks are at last completed, you and your family are to go into the boat, after which the door will be shut and locked so that no one else can get in.

Oh, and just one small point of clarification—building the boat is going to take decades. Your work will result in persecution and mockery for yourself and for your family throughout the entire time you are building that great boat. You will be mercilessly ridiculed; after all, no one needs a boat, especially a boat that large! Throughout all those years you spend building the boat, you will be mocked, laughed at, ridiculed. Little children will be encouraged by their parents to mock you, and you will just have to put up with it. Do not respond to the cruel taunts.

Why would you say, “Yes?” Why would you agree to subject yourself to ridicule, even to rejection? What is to be gained through what you will experience? What could impel an individual to jettison any hope of acceptance by neighbours, or even by family members? What would motivate ordinary people to obey the call of God to perform extraordinary tasks?

People who are even casually acquainted with the biblical account of God’s judgement on the earth in the days of Noah will have recognised by now that I’ve been speaking of God’s command to Noah to build the Ark. Noah was just a normal guy, living out his life in the midst of a world that had seemingly gone mad. Then, God spoke to Noah, and he became convinced through prayer and time alone in the presence of the Lord, that he was to build a great boat. This ordinary guy became convinced that he was to perform an extraordinary task. What would convince an ordinary guy to act in such a strange manner that seemed to defy all reason?