Build a Boat; Plant a Vineyard

Genesis 6:13–14 KJV 1900

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 6:22 KJV 1900

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 9:20 KJV 1900

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

Seasons of Judgment

In seasons of judgment, it is really good to know that God is looking for opportunities to give grace! Ge 6.8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

While God had seen the growth of wickedness in the earth, Noah was a just and perfect man in his generation Ge 6.9, and God also saw that Noah had been righteous before him in his generation.

Genesis 7:1 KJV 1900

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

It is possible to live a righteous life in an unrighteous world! We need the grace of God, but he does give more grace.

Build a Boat

Noah built an ark according to the instructions God had given him.

Take shelter during the time of calamity.

Psalm 57:1 KJV 1900

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: For my soul trusteth in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, Until these calamities be overpast.

Plant a Vineyard

Protection is necessary, but it is not the essence and end of all life! Build your boat, yes; but be ready to plant a vineyard as well.

Faith is the fundamental element

Hebrews 11:7 KJV 1900

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

The writer of Hebrews lets us know that Noah was a man of faith.

If Noah built the ark by faith, you can be sure that, during the flood, his faith led him to see beyond the current deluge. He was not bound by the view of the here-and-now.

Look with eyes of faith! Don’t be cowed by the deluge of overwhelming circumstance. Keep looking up! Believe God! Have faith; he is in control!

The Ark was not Noah’s only - or his final - accomplishment

There is a ‘Genesis 9’ - a new beginning

God reiterated his primary mandate - to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish/bring forth abundantly the earth Ge 9.1, 7. The season of judgment is followed by a renewed commission to abundance.

God made a new covenant with Noah, signified by a rainbow, in which he committed to not destroy the earth by water again, and expectation that the people will no longer mar the image of God with violence toward human beings.

Noah planted a vineyard.

The storm and the ark are not the final outcomes

Just as the ark was not the end of Noah’s contribution to covenant life with God, and just as baptism is not the end of our walk with God, the storm and distress is not the end of God’s purposes in your life.

There is a pattern of redemption in Scripture. The expiry of the old makes way for the new. Old things pass away; all things become new. An old life is put to death, and new life emerges. New doors open when old ones close. Death brings new life. Trouble is redeemed for God. Beauty comes out of ashes . . . all, that He might be glorified!

Cultivate new blessings

Vineyards throughout Scripture are associated with blessings and abundance (symbolic of plenty and luxury), and vinedressing is a favored analogy for cultivating spiritual blessings.

Naboth had a vineyard (1 Ki 21.1-18).

One laudable feature of the wise woman is that she plants a vineyard with the fruit of her hands (Pr 31.16); she invests the blessings she has to produce more blessing.

Isaiah describes God as a vinedresser, and his people as a vineyard in a very fruitful hill (Isa 5).

Jesus used the parable of the vineyard to describe God’s relationship with his people (Mt 20.1-16, 21.33-46).

Vineyards must be tended and cultivated.

Don’t just dwell on the boat; cultivate the next season of blessings.

Seek opportunities to improve yourself.

Spend more time in prayer and in the Word of God.

Look for opportunities to serve and show the love of Christ.

Philippians 1:3–11 KJV 1900

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.