A Colossal Building Project

To my readers: Sorry for not having any blogs the last few days, but I have been in the process of moving back here to Colorado and unpacking things so that I can start doing my blogs again. Unless something unforseen happens, I will be doing my blogs everyday again as I did about a year ago, so please forgive me. Thank you for reading my blogs. I would like to reach out to as many of you as possible because the days are coming and we all need to be awake in faith and working for God, so that those who are strong in Faith and work for God can enjoy his promises for everlasting life on Paradise earth after the Resurrection.



Consider this assignment from Noah's viewpoint. Because Noah''s was a man of God, he knew that Jehovah could destroy the ungodly. Before that would happen, however, there was work to be done-a work that required faith. The construction of the ark would be a colossal project. God had specified its dimensions. The ark would be longer than some modern day sports fields and as high as a five-story building. (Genesis 6:15) The builders would be inexperienced and few. They would not have the sophisticated tools and equipment available today. Moreover, since he did not have Jehovah's ability to foreknow the future, Noah had no way of knowing what situations would develop over the years that might either help or hinder the building project. Noah likely pondered many questions. How would he gather the animals? What food would be needed and how much? When, exactly would the foretold Deluge occur?

Then there were the social conditions. Wickedness abounded. The mighty Nephilim-the hybrid offspring of wicked angels and women- filled the earth with violence. (Genesis 6:1-4, 13) Furthermore, ark building would not be a project that could be carried out in secret. People would wonder what Noah was doing, and he would tell them. ( 2 Peter 2:5) Could they be expected to approve? Hardly! Some years earlier, faithful Enoch had proclaimed the destruction of the wicked. So unpopular was his message that God "took him," or cut his life short, evidently to prevent him from being slain by His enemies. (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; Jude 14, 15) Not only was Noah to proclaim a similarly unpopular message but he was also to build an ark. As that ark was being constructed, it would serve as a powerful reminder of Noah's faithfulness in the face of wicked contemporaries!

Noah knew that the project had the backing and blessing of Almighty God. Had not Jehovah himself assigned the work? Jehovah had assured Noah that the and his family would enter a completed ark and be preserved alive through the global Flood. God even underscored the certainty of that with a solemn agreement. (Genesis 6:18, 19) Likely, Noah recognized that Jehovah both anticipated and evaluated all that was involved before making the assignment. Moreover, Noah knew that Jehovah had the power to step in to help him when needed. So Noah's faith moved him to action. Like his descendant Abraham, Noah was "fully convinced that what [God] had promised hie was also able to do."-Romans 4:21.

As the years passed and the ark took shape, Noah's faith was fortified. Construction and logistic problems were resolved. Trials were overcome. No opposition could halt the work. Noah's family experienced Jehovah's support and protection. As Noah pressed on, 'the tested quality of his faith worked out endurance." (James 1:2-4) Eventually, the ark was completed, the Flood came, and Noah and his family survived. Noah experience the fulfillment of God's promises, as Joshua did later. Noah's faith was rewarded.

Next time: Jehovah Backs Up His Work

Watchtower, 1999