IMITATE THEIR FAITH / NOAH - Continue with "GO OUT OF THE ARK"

God lifted the curse on the ground. Back in the days of the rebellion of Adam and Eve, God had pronounced that curse, making cultivation unusually  difficult.  Noah's father, Lamech, had named his son Noah-probably meaning "Rest," or "Consolation"-and had foretold that his son would lead mankind to a to a time of rest from that curse. Noah must have beamed when learned that he would now see  that prophecy fulfilled and that earth would respond more readily to efforts to cultivate it. Little wonder that Noah soon took up farming! - GENESIS 3:17, 18; 5:28 29; 9:20.

At the same time, Jehovah gave all the descendants of Noah some clear, simple laws to guide them in life-including a prohibition  against murder and the misuse of blood. God also established a covenant with mankind, promising that he would never again bring a flood to destroy all life on earth. As a sign of the reliability of his word, Jehovah gave mankind its first glimpse of a glorious natural phenomenon-the rainbow.  Down to this day, every rainbow we see offers a comforting reminder of Jehovah's loving promise. - GENESIS 19:1-17.

If Noah's story were mere fiction,  it might well have ended with that rainbow. But Noah was a real man, and his life was not so simple.  In those days when longevity was the norm, that faithful man had to endure another 3650 years, and those centuries brought him a lot of pain. He made a serious mistake when he gave in to his drunkenness on one occasion, but that error was compounded when his grandson Canaan committed a more serious sin-a sin that brought grim consequences to Canaan's family, Noah lived  long enough to see his descendants fall into such sins as idolatry and violence in the days of Nimrod. On the brighter side, though, Noah got to see his son Sham set a strong example of faith for his family. - GENESIS 9:21-28; 10:8-11; 11:1-11.

Like Noah, we need to endure in a course of faith.  When others around us ignore the true God or even off serving him, we need to stay on course as Noah did. Jehovah greatly values such faithful endurance.  As Jesus Christ said: "he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." - MATTHEW 24:13.

Next time: Chapter Two/ "He Walked With the True God"

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