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Myths About the Bible: Noah was Mocked?: The Fight Against Apathy

I’ve seen someone mention it in a Facebook post. I’ve heard more than one famous preacher pound the point:

‘There was Noah, in faith, building the ark. The world was mocking, “What are you doing Noah? You’re crazy Noah!” Noah was being ridiculed and laughed at, but he just kept on building.’

The problem is that you won’t find this anywhere in the Bible – not a whiff. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Noah was mocked.

I remember several years ago, after hearing a very famous preacher hammering away about Noah being mocked and relating it to persecution, and how everyone who obeys God will be mocked, I got out of my car, went straight into the house, pulled up BibleWorks, and did an exhaustive word search on ‘Noah.’ I couldn’t find one mention of him being mocked. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover many times since then and still haven’t found it.

In fact, if you consider Jesus’ words about Noah, this was likely not the case at all:

  • Matthew 24:37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

The fact of the matter is that the people of Noah’s day didn’t realize what was happening. They were too busy with other things to really care even if they did. That’s the point of Christ’s words. And so it goes with the ungodly. They continue not to care.

Now there are those who are mocking God’s people to be sure. But the fact that they were not mocking in the days of Noah should be an encouragement to us in some sense. As a preacher, this is encouraging. There was Noah, setting Christ before the world in the form of a type or shadow in the ark. And the world was indifferent. Preachers learn quickly that it is apathy, rather than ridicule, that gets to you. You can fight ridicule. It is hard to fight apathy. Indifference is one of our great enemies, and it has always been this way.

  • Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

If we are to get a ‘moral’ from Noah, it is that we must persevere through apathy. Will we be mocked as Christians? I don’t doubt it. But more often people just won’t care. We must stand, even if we stand alone and no one cares, or even notices, that we are standing. God cares, and that is what matters. The world doesn’t care if we are becoming heirs of the righteousness that comes through faith. Yet we stand forgiven.

Some Reflections on Halloween – I am what I am

I’ll be the first to admit that Halloween bothers me. Frankly, I don’t see anything positive about it. Yet I try not to be smug about it, especially when talking to my children. I’ve been in the presence of such anti-Halloween smugness and I don’t like it. Some said to me recently that my talking about the anniversary of the Reformation (which began on October 31, 1517) offended him.

‘Why?’ I asked.

‘Because I’m an atheist,’ answered the offended party.

I could have gone on to defend myself. I wasn’t really talking about God, per se. I was only talking about Martin Luther. Is the name Martin Luther a great offense? But I didn’t defend myself. I went on the offensive instead.

I replied, ‘I don’t particularly care for Halloween, but I’m not offended by the fact that your a grown man who wants to dress up like a little kid.’

You see, I’m not offended by Halloween. I get it. I understand. But therein lies the problem.

In the book of Genesis, we read the story of Jacob conniving his father Isaac into giving him a solemn, patriarchal blessing that Isaac fully intended to give to Jacob’s brother Esau. In order to gain this blessing, Jacob proceeded to put on a costume. He dressed as his older brother in order to deceive his nearly blind father.

Isaac asked, ‘Who are you, my son?’ To which Jacob replied, ‘I am Esau, your firstborn’ (Gen. 27:18-19).

Years later, Jacob had an encounter with another man from whom he wanted to receive blessing. But this man was of a different sort. In some sense he was no man at all, though he appeared in the form of man. After Jacob came to recognize this man he would say that he was none other than God in the flesh (Gen. 32:30).

Jacob wanted this man, who was God, to bless him. He wanted what he had had to trick his father into giving him. He was so desperate for this blessing that he wrestled with it until his hip was disjointed, still refusing to tap out.

‘I will not let you go until you bless me,’ Jacob said. And the man, who was God, asked him a familiar question: ‘What is your name?’ (Gen. 32:27).

What was Jacob’s answer? Would he continue his lies? No, this time he would own up: ‘I am Jacob,’ he said. And from that moment on he would be called Israel (v. 28). Jacob, in finally owning up to who he was, was becoming a new man. That’s what an encounter with Jesus Christ does to you – it causes you to finally own up, and then transforms you.

Halloween is the primary day in the year when our need to put on costumes and play the part is most clearly expressed. We do it every day of our lives. On Halloween we pretend to be a cartoon character to get candy. Other days we pretend to be sensitive and kind so we can get the girl. On Halloween we pretend to be a witch to scare our little brother. Other days we put on an angry face so that our employees will fear us. On Halloween we put on a clown face to get a laugh. The rest of the week we act like a clown so people will think we’re funny. On Halloween we put on a princess costume to say trick or treat. Other days we try to look like princesses so that a handsome prince might notice us.

The Bible teaches that man has an innate propensity to put on airs and play-act, that man is like a wax nose that will become whatever he feels he needs to be in order to be blessed. And Halloween is just one living parable, one striking illustration of this phenomenon.

I understand that for many Halloween is just ‘innocent’ fun, but let the example of Jacob hit home – you will never enter the Kingdom of God if you cannot own up to who you are. Our culture is full of people who are constantly trying to play the part – to dress like the latest fashion icon, to sound like the latest pop star, to be the type of person who is accepted by those whom we deem praiseworthy. Perhaps we should spend Halloween dressed as ourselves. That’s scary enough.

Can you see who you are? Better yet, can you accept it? Can you say to God, ‘Here I am Lord, warts and all’? Can you say, ‘I know my sin, it is ever before me’? If you can, then you’re not far from the Kingdom. You’re not far from being able to say with the Apostle, ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am’ (1 Cor. 15:10).

You feel the innate, and powerful, need to cover up your nakedness. But why? Is it because God’s grace is not sufficient? Is it because Jesus’ love, and Jesus’ atoning work, is too weak? Jesus’ death was horrific because he was dying for horrific people. Does that offend you? The cross is a stumbling block because we are prideful.

If you can’t understand why Jesus had to die such a horrific death it is because you have not owned up to who you are. Maybe it’s time to stop playing dress up.

Or perhaps if we’re not dressing up today we’re spending our night being scared to death by horror movies. Something in us makes it enjoyable to see villainous, hateful, superhuman monsters and vengeance, slaughter, hellfire and brimstone. We like it because it’s not us on the receiving end. It’s always the other guy that gets his head chopped off.

The Bible tells such a horror story in one sense. Doom is impending. The winnowing fork is in hand. But it is no monster who holds it. It is God Almighty the righteous:

Psalm 7:12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.

The good news is that the other Guy – Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, stands in our place and takes to arrow shot for us. That’s what should exhilarate us! And it’s no movie. It is a living drama that we get to be a part of. If we have eyes to see.

But you’ll never see if you don’t own up to your part in the story. You’re the villain, because you put him on that cross by your sins. You want to be the hero. That’s why you dress up like Superman. But you’re not.

The only outfit you need is Christ’s robes of righteousness. Admit who you are, in the presence of Christ, and see if he doesn’t transform you into a new person. He took the shot so that you could become a new person, made over in him image. ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am’ – in Christ.

Snippets: The Wrestler

In the book of Genesis, the life of Jacob could very well be summarized as ‘the wrestler.’ From his mother’s womb, literally, he is fighting, scratching, clawing, cheating, wrestling his way to blessing. He grabs a heel hook in the womb, clutching at Esau’s leg. He plays the heel before his father’s death bed, lying his way into receiving the patriarchal pronouncement of blessing. He engages in a match of wits against his uncle Laban for the hand of his youngest daughter Rachel in marriage. And all this is summarized and epitomized in his great wrestling match of Genesis 32.

The wrestler, Jacob, is jumped from behind by a sneak attack in the pitch black of the night. He finds himself fighting for his life, only trying to cling and clutch to the one who was overpowering him. He wouldn’t let go. Until he received blessing. He wanted something he had been searching for, wrestling for, for his whole life – congratulations. He wanted to be praised, to be accepted, to be acknowledged. He wanted to be the one to have his hand raised.

His father wouldn’t congratulate him. He wouldn’t bless him. He had to pretend to be his older brother Esau to get Isaac’s blessing. The words of the man with whom he now wrestled resound: ‘What is your name?’ (32:27). He had been asked this question before. He had answered with a lie: ‘Your first born, Esau.’ But now he comes clean: ‘I am Jacob.’

Jacob was transformed in this encounter. He would walk with a limp the rest of his life. The sun would now shine on him. When he left his homeland for fear of Esau, we are told,

  • Genesis 28:11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set.

But things were changing, and now,

  • Genesis 32:31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

He was hurt, but he was healed. He had finally admitted who he really was, only to be told that he was now a new person. He had always been the loser, but  now his hand was raised in victory:

  • Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

What can change a man’s life in such an astounding way? The true Wrestler, the great Wrestler.

The Hebrew word abaq, which we translate ‘wrestled’ in vv. 24, 25 literally means, ‘to get dusty.’ The implication is that one rolls around on the ground and his body is covered in dirt . This is what it takes for a man to be transformed in such a way – to be reborn, to be blessed, to be crowned with victory – God must become dirty.

Who was it that wrestled with Jacob that day? He tells us in 32:30:

  • So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

God, covered in dirt.

This is why the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ happened – so that we all could could prevail through his humanity. He was born in a dusty barn, plied in the dusty trade of carpentry, washed the dusty feet of his disciples, smeared mud on the eyes of the blind, died the death of the unclean upon the cross, so that in his wrestling, our hands might be raised. He is the Wrestler, and his crown is our salvation.

Do not let go of him until he blesses you.

Abraham’s Near-Sacrifice of Isaac

The absolute claim of God upon us and our children is greatly impressed on my mind from this account. Abraham’s child is shown not to belong to him but to God and it would appear that the same is the case for all parents. My children are not truly mine but God’s. Therefore he, having an absolute claim upon them, can do, or have me to do, with them as he wishes.

Generally this is also the case with all things. God has absolute claim upon all things he has created, including my children and me. If God should desire to consume the galaxies, darken the sun, thrown down the stars, flood the earth, or take my life, or the life of my loved ones, I can make no objections, for his claim on all things is absolute, he being the almighty Creator.

Yet while the claim of God is absolute I do not despair because the compassion of God is absolute as well. That is, while God is all-powerful and just and lays claim on our lives and existence, yet He is not wicked or cruel or unfairly demanding but rather compassionate and merciful. He lays claim to us yet ‘sees to it’ that his claims are met by his own power.

Thus, as he demanded much of Abraham, he also supplied Himself what he demanded. He demands sacrifice, yet he supplies the sacrifice by his own means. Hence the gospel is set forth not only in the picture of Isaac as an only beloved son to be slain pointing to Christ, the Son of God, but also in the words of Augustine, ‘Command what you will, and grant what you command.’

Therefore, we tremble under God’s claims, for they are absolute, and rejoice in his compassion for it is equally great.