Once Adam and Eve tasted of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they and the generations after them, leaned towards the evil rather than the good. For ten generations, the sin of man escalated until “the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.” (Genesis 6:6 NKJV) He vowed to destroy man, but “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (v. 8)
God conceived a plan to rid the earth of the corruption. He established a covenant with Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his sons’ wives to start afresh.
The Bible records that Noah was “righteous” and “blameless”. It reveals nothing about the character of his wife or daughters-in-law, however, we can assume that they must have at least respected Noah’s wisdom and leadership as they made the decision to join him on the ark.
It couldn’t have been an easy choice. To join hundreds of animals in a giant boat for an unknown period of time would have been unpleasant to say the least. And yet, they willingly entered, trusting God to protect them and provide for them.
Though the sons of Noah were well advanced in age, none of them bore children until after the flood. The eldest son Shem was a hundred years old when he entered the ark. Two years later, he and his unnamed wife had their first child. It was from that child that Abraham, David, and Jesus all descended from.
We need to be willing to trust God when he makes us wait and to follow him when he asks us to step into uncertain journeys. Though we can’t see the future he has planned, we can trust that his way is always the best way.
Scripture Background: Genesis 6-10
