On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives.
Into the Text
The Bible doesn’t provide a definitive number for the world’s population at the time of the flood. We know that mankind had multiplied, yet only eight people were saved. Eight people. Noah, his wife, their three sons, and three daughters-in-law. Why these eight people? We already learned that Noah “walked with God.” But what about the others?
While Noah was building an ark, his wife was raising a family. Though Noah’s wife is not named, we see that God graciously preserved her life. It would be through her family that God would once again repopulate the earth.
It was a gift of grace that allowed Noah and his family to be saved through the ark. At the end of the forty days and forty nights of rain and then waiting for the floodwaters to recede, God commanded Noah and his family just like He did to Adam and Eve: “be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Genesis 8:17).
God did not tell them to go out and make their names great and live how they saw fit. It was a call to a life of faithful obedience.
Oftentimes living an obedient life goes unnoticed by others. The day to day decisions to live by the Holy Spirit, rather than our flesh, can feel small and even insignificant. But they aren’t. God sees them all. Matthew 25 says that when we are faithful with a few things, we will be put in charge of many things. Be obedient and faithful with every decision the Lord gives you, and see what adventure awaits.
Prayer
Mighty God, you are holy and righteous. You are the Creator of all things, and still you care for me and know me. Thank you for seeing me, loving me, and saving me! Amen.