Bio – Noah

c. 3000 BC

Noah was a good man in a bad world. Since the days of Adam, mankind had grown steadily more evil, and God was filled with anger and disappointment. Noah was righteous and had great faith in God, while those around him were sinful and wicked. God planned to send a great flood to wipe the world clean, so that life could start afresh, and only Noah would be spared to perpetuate the human race after his wicked contemporaries had died.

God commanded Noah to build an ark to house both his family and two of each species of land animal and bird—a male and a female—so that his creatures might repopulate the earth after the flood. He gave detailed instructions to Noah, who followed them diligently, though he was mocked by those around him. When the ark was finally complete, Noah gathered together the animals and housed them in the ark, along with the necessary provisions, before joining them with his wife, his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.

Noah and his family remained on the ark until the flood waters died down and the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat. When it was at last time for them to emerge from the ark, along with the animals, the very first thing that Noah did was to build an altar to God and make offerings to him in gratitude and praise.

God promised to never again send such a flood to destroy the earth, and placed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder of this covenant with Noah and all creation.
Noah died 350 years after the flood, at the age of 950.

Noah had complete trust in God, and never questioned God’s instructions, in spite of how daunting the task must have been, and despite the taunts and derision of his fellow men. He obediently did as he was told, diligently building the ark—a task which took years—and then carefully tending to the animals on board. Before the flood, while building the ark, he consistently—though unsuccessfully—tried to persuade those around him to change their ways. He showed virtue, patience, perseverance, and unwavering faith.

Copyright ©2020 International Publishing Services (IPS) Sydney Australia