Day 4 Bible Reading

Genesis 7 & 8, Matthew 4: 1-22, Proverbs 1: 1-7

Genesis 7: 6 (ESV)

“Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came up on the earth.”

I’ve read the Noah story many times, but this is the first time I noticed Noah’s age. In Genesis 5, we find out that age 500 he fathered, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We never find out when God ask Noah to build the ark. All we know is Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters started. It struck me that Noah was building ark for perhaps 80 years or more, if one assumes that his three sons were old enough to help him. That’s a long time to work on the ark project. I’ve been brainwashed by the Hollywood depictions of the Noah story, where we get the impression that Noah built the ark in 10 years, maybe less. Noah is the first example of an obedient follower of God. I have a hard time imagining working on a project for that long. Did Noan not doubt? He had to wait, and let’s be generous, maybe 50 years or more for God’s word to come true. I am shamed by Noah’s patience. I pray for God for things and I expect it to happen fairly quickly. I think I need a sign that says “Remember Noah’s patience. His ark project took over 50 years, And he literally saved the world.” I need to meditate on Noah’s patience and remember his faithfulness and obedience to following God’s mission for him in his life.