And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark
The ark completed; or, the termination of definite moral service
I. THE TERMINATION OF AS ARDUOUS TASK.
1. This termination would be a relief to his physical energies.
2. This termination would be a relief to his mental anxieties.
3. This termination would inspire a sad but holy pride within his heart. And so Christian service often reviews its work, its calm faith, its patient energy, and its palpable result, with sacred joy, but when it is associated with the judgments of heaven upon the ungodly, the joy merges into grief and prayer. The best moral workman cannot stand unmoved by his ark, when he contemplates the deluge soon to overtake the degenerate crowds around, whom he would fain persuade to participate in the refuge he has built.
II. THE INDICATION OF ABOUNDING MERCY (verse4).
1. This indication of mercy was unique. Its occasion was unique. Neither before or since has the world been threatened with a like calamity. And the compassion itself was alone in its beauty and meaning.
2. This indication of mercy was pathetic.
3. This indication of mercy was rejected. The people regarded not the completion of the ark, they heeded not the mercy which would have saved them at the eleventh hour.
III. THE SIGNAL FOR A WONDROUS PHENOMENON (Genesis 7:8-9).
IV. THE PROPHECY OF AN IMPORTANT FUTURE. LESSONS:
1. Let the good anticipate the time when all the fatigue and anxiety of moral service shall be at an end.
2. Let them contemplate the joy of successful service for God.
3. Let them enter into all the meaning and phenomena of Christian service. (J. S.Exell, M. A.)
God’s invitation to the families of the good
I. THAT THE FAMILIES OF THE GOOD ARE EXPOSED TO MORAL DANGER.
1. This danger is imminent.
2. It is alarming.
3. It should be fully recognized.
4. It should be provided against.
II. THAT THE FAMILIES OF THE GOOD ARE INVITED TO MORAL SAFETY.
1. They are invited to this safety after their own effort, in harmony with the Divine purpose concerning them.
2. The purpose concerning them was--
(1) Divine in authority;
(2) merciful in intention;
(3) sufficient to its design.
III. THAT THE FAMILIES OF THE GOOD SHOULD BE IMMEDIATE IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THE DIVINE REGARD FOR THEIR SAFETY. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The house in the ark
I. AN EXHIBITION OF DIVINE CARE.
II. A MANIFESTATION OF PARENTAL LOVE.
III. THE IDEAL AND JOY OF DOMESTIC LIFE. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The ark; a word to parents
I. THERE IS AN AWFUL PERIL HANGING OVER YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN.
1. Divinely threatened.
2. Generally disbelieved.
3. Absolutely certain.
II. THERE IS SALVATION PROVIDED FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN.
1. Divinely constituted.
2. All-sufficient.
3. Popularly neglected.
III. THERE IS A SOLEMN OBLIGATION RESTING UPON YOU IN RELATION TO YOUR CHILDREN.
1. If you do not care for them, who do you expect will?
2. If you cannot induce them to come, who do you expect can? (Homilist.)
The deluge
I. THE GLORY OF PURITY.
1. Uncontaminated in the midst of impurity.
2. Intrusted with the Divine intentions.
3. Employed in warning others of their danger.
4. Safe in the midst of dangers.
5. The true mark of distinction between man and man.
II. THE POWER OF EVIL.
1. Rapid in its increase.
2. Complete mastery over the heart.
3. Terrific in its results.
III. THE SAVING POWER OF GOD.
1. Employed wherever faith is found.
2. Employed in conjunction with man’s efforts.
3. Employed only in the ark. (Homilist.)
A whole family in heaven
I. GOD IN THE SCRIPTURES DEALS WITH FAMILIES BOTH IN SAVING AND DESTROYING.
II. SPECIAL OBLIGATION ON HEADS OF FAMILIES TO BRING THE HOUSEHOLD TO CHRIST.
III. UNSPEAKABLE JOY OF THE FAMILY REUNION AFTER THE STORMS AND SEPARATIONS OF EARTH. What greetings--memories--unalloyed fellowship--blissful employments. (The Homiletic Review.)
A family sermon
I. THE CALL.
1. It was a call from the Lord.
2. A personal call.
3. Effectual.
4. A call to personal action.
“Come thou.” Noah must come, and he must come to the ark too. For him there was only one way of salvation, any more than for anybody else. It was of no use his coming near it, but he must come into it. Come, make the Lord Jesus your refuge, your deliverance, and your habitation. Now it would have been of no use for Noah to have gone on making preparations for his dwelling in the ark: that he had done long enough. Neither would it have done for Noah to go round the ark to survey it again. No longer look at Christ externally, nor survey Him even with a grateful eye for what He has done for others, but come now and commit yourself to Him. There stands the door, and you have to go through it, and enter into the inner chambers, or you will find no safety. Neither would it have been of any use for Noah to go up to the ark and stand against the door and say, “I do not say that I am not going in, and I do not even say that I am not in already; I have got one foot in, but I am a moderate man, and like to be friendly with both sides. I am in and yet not in. If the door was shut I do not know but that it would cut me in halves; but, anyhow, I do not want to be altogether out, and I do not want to be quite in. I should like to stand where I could hurry in as soon as I saw the water coming up; but, still, while there is another opportunity of taking a walk on the dry land I may as well avail myself of it. There is no hurry about it, is there? You see, if a man keeps his finger on the latch of the door he can pop in as soon as ever he sees the first drop of rain descending, or the water coming up anywhere near him; but is there any reason for being so decided all at once? No, that would not do for Noah. God said to him, “Come into the ark,” and he went in at once. Noah must not hesitate, or linger, or halt, but in he must go: right in. Again, Noah must come into the ark never to go out again. “Come thou,” saith God, “into the ark.” He is not to make a visit, but he is to be shut in. As far as that world was concerned, Noah was to be in the ark as long as it lasted. When the new world came, then he walked out in joyful liberty. But you and I are in Christ, not to be there for a time, but to abide in Him forever and ever.
II. THE OBEDIENCE (Genesis 7:7).
1. Unquestioning.
2. Immediate.
3. Once for all. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Safety in the ark
I. THERE IS A DELUGE OF WRATH COMING UPON SINNERS.
II. THERE IS AN ARK PROVIDED FOR PRESERVATION.
III. GOD GRACIOUSLY INVITES SINNERS TO COME INTO IT. (G. Burder.)
Noah and the ark
I. His INGRESS, or entrance into it.
II. His PROGRESS, or safe entertainment in it.
III. His EGRESS, or joyful departure out of it. (C. Ness.)
The eve of the flood
1. God gave special notice to Noah, saying, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous.” He who in well-doing commits himself into the hands of a faithful Creator, needs not fear being overtaken by surprise. What have we to fear, when He whom we serve hath the keys of hell and of death?
2. God gave him all his household with him. We are not informed whether any of Noah’s family at present followed his example: it is certain that all did not; yet all entered with him into the ark for his sake. This indeed was but a specimen of the mercy which was to be exercised towards his distant posterity on behalf of him, as we have seen in the former chapter. But it is of importance to observe, that though temporal blessings may be given to the ungodly children of a godly parent, yet without walking in his steps they will not be partakers with him in those which are spiritual and eternal.
3. It is an affecting thought, that there should be no more than Noah and his family to enter into the ark. Peter speaks of them as few; and few they were, considering the vast numbers that were left behind. Noah had long been a preacher of righteousness; and what--is there not one sinner brought to repentance by his preaching? It should seem not one: or if there were any, they were taken away from the evil to come. We are ready to think our ministry has but little success; but his, as far as appears, was without any: yet like Enoch, he pleased God.
4. The righteousness of Noah is repeated, as the reason of the difference put between him and the world. This does not imply that the favour shown to him is to be ascribed to his own merit; for whatever he was, he was by grace, and all his righteousness was rewardable only out of respect to Him in whom he believed; but being accepted for His sake, his works also were accepted and honoured. (A. Fuller.)
The closed ark
We can conceive an angel anxious for the rescue of the world, but unknowing of the exact time for the fulfilment of its doom, looking curiously down each morning of the seven days, and saying, as the open door presented itself first to his eager gaze, “Thank God, it is not yet shut”; and how, while the evening shadows are closing down around the ark, the door still stands inviting any to enter within who are willing, and is the last object of which he loses sight, he again exclaims, “Thank God, it is yet open.” But conceive his sorrow when the seventh day arrives, and when, as he looks, lo! the door is shutting! The ark has folded itself up, as it were, for its plunge, and the bystanders and the shore are being left behind; the day of grace is about to close. No! one other offer yet, one other cry, one other half-opening of the half-shut door, but in vain; and then the angel shrieks, and returns to heaven, as he hears the thunder of the closing door, and as, alas! he perceives in the blackening sky, that while the ark shuts, the windows of heaven open. (G. Gilfillan.)
Christ not an insecure refuge
Some parts of the coast abound with caves. In one of these was found the body of a poor Frenchman. He had been a prisoner and had escaped from prison, and for a long time concealed himself there, probably in the hope of escaping by some vessel which might pass. Many a weary day passed, however, and he still remained a prisoner, till at last, not venturing to leave his retreat, he perished from want. So it is with those who seek refuge in insufficient places. “They make lies their refuge, and under falsehood hide themselves.” Alas! how often they find out their mistake when it is too late. (G. S. Bowes.)
The family in the ark
I should like to see every father in this room safe in the ark; and then I should like to see each one of you fathers bring your children in. There is no safety for them or for you outside. They will not come in unless someone tell them of the danger of remaining outside. Who can tell them so well as you? Who can teach them that sin biteth like a serpent, and that its fangs are deadly, but you? They need your help, your prayers, and your influence. I would say to each father as God said to Noah, “Come thou, and all thy house.” Come in yourselves, and be sure not to forget to bring your children in with you. (D. L. Moody.)
The whole family in the ark
“Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” You can’t spare any of them. Think of which one you would like to spare. On a western lake in America there was a father journeying with two daughters, and they were very poor. Their appearance told the story without a word of explanation. A very benevolent gentleman in that part came up to the father and said, “You seem to be very poor.” “Oh!” said the other, “if there’s a man in this world poorer than I am, God pity him, and pity me, and help us both.”--“Well,” said the benevolent man, “I will take one of those children and bring her up and make her very comfortable. I am a man of fortune, and you may find great relief in this way.” “What,” said the poor man. “What!--would it be a relief to have my hand chopped off my arm? Would it be a relief to have my heart torn out from my breast? What do you mean, sir? God pity us.” Ah! no, he could not give up either of them, and you cannot give up any of your family. Which one would you give up? The eldest? Or would it be the youngest? Would it be the one that was sick last winter? Would it be the husband? Would it be the wife? No, no. “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” Let us join hands anew and come into the ark. Come father, come mother, come sister, come brother, come son, come daughter. It is not the voice of a stormy blast, but the voice of an all-loving God, who says, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” The Lord shut him in. (T. de Witt Talmage.)
Entering into Christ as into an ark
When I was in Manchester, I went into the gallery one Sunday night to have a talk with a few inquirers, and while I was talking a business man came in and took his seat on the outskirts of the audience. I think at first he had come merely to criticise, and that he was a little sceptical. At last I saw he was in tears. I turned to him and said: “My friend, what is your difficulty?” “Well,” he said: “Mr. Moody, the fact is, I cannot tell.” I said: “Do you believe you are a sinner?” He said: “Yes, I know that.” I said: “Christ is able to save you; “ and I used one illustration after another, but he did not see it. At last I used the ark, and I said: “Was it Noah’s feelings that saved him? Was it Noah’s righteousness that saved him, or was it the ark?” “Mr. Moody,” said he, “I see it.” He got up and shook hands with me, and said: “Goodnight. I have to go. I have to go away in the train tonight, but I was determined to be saved before I went. I see it now.” I confess it seemed almost too sudden for me, and I was almost afraid it could not live. A few days after, he came and touched me on the shoulder, and said: “Do you know me?” I said: “I know your face, but do not remember where I have seen you.” He said: “Do not you remember the illustration of the ark?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “It has been all light ever since. I understand it now. Christ is the ark; He saves me, and I must get inside Him.” When I went down to Manchester again, and talked to the young friends there, I found he was the brightest light among them. (D. L. Moody.)
For thee have I seen righteous before Me
True moral rectitude
I. TRUE MORAL RECTITUDE MAINTAINED IN DEGENERATE TIMES. Sinful companions and degenerate times are no excuse for faltering moral goodness. The goodness of Noah was--
1. Real.
2. Unique.
3. Stalwart.
II. TRUE MORAL RECTITUDE OBSERVED BY GOD.
1. It is personally observed by God.
2. It was observed by God in its relation to the age in which the good man lived. “In this generation.”
III. TRUE MORAL RECTITUDE REWARDED BY GOD.
1. Rewarded by distinct commendation. God calls Noah a righteous man.
2. Rewarded by domestic safety. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The illustrious one
I. THE CHARACTER WHICH NOAH SUSTAINED. “Righteous.”
1. Few of the ancient worthies are more frequently or more honourably mentioned than Noah (Ezekiel 14:14; Luke 17:26; Hebrews 11:7).
2. The faith of Noah was a lively, active faith; it produced obedience to the Divine command.
3. He was a man of deep piety.
4. He was a genuine philanthropist (2 Peter 2:5).
II. THE TIME WHEN HE SUSTAINED THIS CHARACTER. “In this generation.”
1. This generation was completely given up to infidelity and iniquity.
2. In this generation it is probable that Noah would meet with opposition and insult from all quarters.
III. THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS SUSTAINING SUCH A CHARACTER. “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.”
1. While the flood was teeming upon the ungodly with dreadful impetuosity, Noah was safe in the ark, instructing his family, and communing with his God.
2. While the evil-doers were swept from the face of the earth and their names buried in eternal oblivion, Noah came safely out of the ark, became the father of a new race, and finally died in peace.
IV. APPLICATION.
1. Noah heard, believed, and obeyed God. Do we imitate him?
2. Noah was righteous in that generation of universal degeneracy, when he had every difficulty, and no encouragements. Are we as righteous in this generation, when we have but few obstacles and many advantages? (Benson Bailey.)