Christ in Noah (4)

Concluding our consideration of Noah, we intend to look at the Responsibility he had.

Noah and Responsibility 

Noah was entrusted with an exceedingly important work for God. His family was dependent upon the proper completion of his work, as was the survival of the animal population. God saw fit to place this responsibility upon one man.

The plan originated in the heart of God, but it was down to Noah to move in obedience and to embrace his responsibility. We see that he did this perfectly, for a repeated refrain in the record of Noah is "Thus did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (see Gen 6.22, 7.5, 7.9, 7.16).

The Lord Jesus was also entrusted with a work, the magnitude of which cannot be fathomed. It was too great a work to be placed into the hand of any mere mortal, and no angel or arch-angel was sufficient! However, there was One equal to the task, and God instructs us "Behold My Servant" (Isaiah 42.1; 52.13).

The work involved providing salvation for the world, for "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3.17), and the Father had perfect confidence that the Son could, and would, complete the task.

Not only could and would the Son of God do it, at Calvary He did do it, and the words written of Noah here could be written over the Saviour "according to all that God commanded Him, so did He" (Gen 6.22).

Noah built an ark according to the divine plan, and the moment came when, with the ark completed, deliverance was available. The Son of God has provided salvation by His death according to the divine plan, and with that work finished, salvation is now available.

"Oh wondrous grace that found a plan,
To rescue guilty fallen man,
And ease him of his load;
And found a ransom in the Son,
To save the sinner, lost, undone,
And meet the claims of God"

The responsibility entrusted to the Saviour was to provide salvation - and He has done it. The responsibility now rests upon the sinner to enter into the salvation provided. Only those who enter into salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus are safe from coming judgment. Noah's family were called, "Come ... into the Ark" (Gen 7.1), and by taking a step of obedience they entered into safety. So every sinner is called by the Lord, "Come unto Me", and those who respond in obedient faith, enter into eternal salvation. May you live up to that responsibility today.

"Only a step to Jesus, 
Then why not take it now!"