How Long Can You Tread Water?
People may not have a Bible or even read one but almost everyone has heard of Noah’s Ark. There are books about it, pictures and paintings of it, movies about the search for the ark, statues, ties, wallpaper, all kinds of things with a Noah’s Ark theme.
Knowledge of the flood is universal. Accounts of the flood are found on every continent and they all refer to a totally destructive flood that happened very early. In fact, this familiarity with the story is the greatest obstacle to our visiting this scripture. We look at this story with our minds made up. We think that there is nothing new about Noah and the Ark.
The earth was in terrible shape. Everyone except Noah and his family had turned away from God. They were all doing their own thing, ignoring God. The scripture says Noah was righteous, blameless and walked with God. Now Noah wasn’t perfect. We find out a little later that Noah had a problem with wine. What made Noah different from everybody else was his faith and obedience.
Let’s take a closer look at Noah here. First, scripture tells us Noah was a righteous man. He was a man who did what God wanted him to do, not what the world expected him to do. He did what was right, earning him the title of “righteous”. He lived his life according to God’s standards.
Secondly, he was a blameless man. Even though Noah lived according to God’s standards, no one had anything against him. He must have had a good relationship with his neighbors. They probably thought he was a little strange but they did not question his sincerity. He was trusted and respected by his friends.
Lastly, he walked with God. This means he spent time daily, maybe even hourly with God. He didn’t just show up at church on Sunday to “check-in” with God. It was a strong and steady relationship that had been built up over the years.
When someone is described as righteous, blameless, and walking with God that says a lot. It says something about the depth of their relationship with God. It means there is a strong desire to actively seek God and be close to Him.
Because of this closeness and their relationship, the instructions Noah received were very specific. This is where the obedience and faith springs into action. There was a clear call from God and Noah had the choice to respond or refuse. Now there is a difference between our accomplishments and “God” accomplishments. Our accomplishments can be done by human strength or knowledge but a “God” accomplishment is always at least slightly impossible. Noah and his family could build the ark. They had 120 years to get it done. It wouldn’t be easy, but it could be done. But then God added the animals. That made it a “God” accomplishment. Noah and his family couldn’t have gathered up all those animals without God’s power. I don’t think Noah was a zoologist.
But Noah’s first task was building an ark. One of the things that jumps out at me from this text are the specific details regarding the Ark’s dimensions and how it was to be put together. The amazing thing about these plans given to Noah about this ark is the detail. God tells him specifically what materials to use, how much to use, and the design of the ark.
God tells Noah to, “Make yourself an ark…” This means that this was Noah’s job alone to complete. No subcontractors. 300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits. Given that a cubit is approx. 18”, that makes the ark 450 feet long x 75 feet wide x 45 feet tall. This is 1½ football fields by 1/4 the length of a football field, 4 and ½ stories high. This was all done by hand. NO POWER TOOLS!
We are so familiar with this story that we don’t really think about what Noah is being asked to do. Noah was asked to build a boat that had a carrying capacity of 522 standard railroad cars, or eight trains of 65 cars each! The ark was certainly big enough to do the job; if the ark carried two of every species of animals, there would be around 35,000 pairs of animals.
Now that sounds like an awful lot of animals but consider the average size of a land animal is smaller than a sheep. The ark could carry 136,560 sheep in half of its capacity, leaving plenty of room for 8 people and enough food and water for people and animals for 12 months.
So, the ark was big enough to carry everything necessary. God gave Noah the detailed plans on how to build it and what to use to build it. He gave Noah 120 years to build the ark. God also gave Noah neighbors that probably had great fun at his expense. Families on vacation probably made a detour to stop by and see the “guy building the boat in the desert”.
Every time I hear about Noah’s Ark, I think of Bill Cosby. Have any of you heard his bit on Noah? Well, there were actually 3 parts to that. The one you’re most familiar with involves the exchange between Noah and the Lord. The second part is the exchange between Noah and his neighbor. His neighbor is giving Noah grief about getting that boat out of his driveway so he can get to work. When the neighbor asks for a hint as to what the ark is for, Noah replies, “How long can you tread water?”
Finally in another conversation between Noah and the Lord, Noah loses it. He starts ranting and yelling at God, telling him he’s letting all the animals go and he’s burning the ark down. God asks Noah, “How long can you tread water?”
Cosby’s version is totally fictional, and totally wrong, of course. Noah may have been ridiculed by his neighbors but nothing in scripture implies that he ever argued with or yelled at God about his task. Noah was a man of faith who was obedient to God, even though he couldn’t possibly see the outcome.
The African Impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of more than 30 feet. Yet they’re kept in a zoo caged in with a 3 ft. wall. The animals will not jump if they can’t see where their feet will fall. They won’t jump if they can’t see the outcome. Too many of us are like that. We’re shut down by a 3-foot wall. Just because we can’t see the other side, we won’t jump. It takes faith to leap over that wall.
Noah had this faith and obedience. You can’t spend 120 years building a 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high boat in the middle of a desert without faith and obedience. You can’t go around rounding up 35,000 pairs of animals, male & female, without faith and obedience.
Finally, it happens. The clouds and thunder and water come. Can you imagine what it must have been like when people, realizing what had happened, began to bang on the sides. Noah and his family, it tells us in chapter 7, verse 16, have been safely locked inside by the hand of God. Noah had done what he could. God used Noah to try and reach those that had turned their backs on God and His ways. The people had 120 years to change but they refused to listen.
The story of Noah’s Ark is a good one, but it’s more than just a kid’s story of animals two by two. It’s also a story about God using ordinary, everyday people with faith. And God is still using people like that today.
He won’t ask us to build an Ark in your backyard but he does still call us to be faithful.
He may call us to reach out to people that make us uncomfortable.
He may call us to take a risk financially in order to reach others.
He may call us to do something no one has ever done before.
He may call us to care for someone who won’t appreciate it.
He may call us to love someone we consider unlovable.
Most of all, He will call us to show faith and follow where He leads.
God can use you to do what you never thought possible. Just because you’ve failed in the past doesn’t mean that God can’t use you now. God is looking for someone to leap over that 3-foot wall. He’s looking for someone with the faith of Noah. Someone willing to simply do what He says. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to do things God’s way rather than your own? Are you willing to trust Him rather than yourself?
Over and over God uses ordinary people. God called the reluctant Moses to lead his people to freedom. God called young David to defeat the giant. God called the teenagers Mary and Joseph to be the parents of our Savior. God called Saul to be a great witness for Jesus. God specializes in taking ordinary people and using them in extraordinary ways. He’s calling you. He WILL use you . . . if you’ll let Him.
