The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah.
Genesis 7:16
Then the Lord shut him in.
Noah was the only man to find favor with God amidst a wicked and depraved generation. He obeyed and did all that the Lord commanded him to do, facing mockery and ridicule doing a task that he had absolutely no experience ever doing. Through his obedience, God brought about the protection of Noah’s family, destroyed the rest of mankind, and repopulated His world through this one man. Now that is some impact through one obedient man!
God gave Noah the stupendous task of building this huge ark, single-handedly. He then also had to bring in every kind of animal, reptile, and bird, in their pairs. If that was not enough, he had to also plan and stock sufficient food for each of these species, besides for his own family, for an extended period of time. What an array of skills and abilities he would have required.
But, after Noah had entered the ark, with his family and all the animals, the Bible says God closed the door behind him! He was shut in!
Noah was shut in this huge waterborne zoo, which continued to rise on the torrential flood waters. Shut in with the smells, the noises, and the absolute cacophony of animals and birds. Not for just a day or two, but for a whole hundred and fifty days! He was shut away from possible friends and neighbors that he loved. Noah was firmly and truly shut in. And it was God who shut him in! Now is that what you get for obedience, one may wonder? But God had not forgotten Noah. He remembers Noah, establishes a covenant with him, and blesses him (Genesis 9:8-17).
In our faith walk too, obedience to God, may lead to situations in which we feel shut in or shut out! Faith in Jesus Christ means shutting yourself away from the pleasures and patterns of this world. Faith in Jesus Christ could mean shutting yourself away from others and doing things very different from what others around you may be doing. It could be lonely, it could be noisy and smelly too. It could mean hard work. It could mean getting out of your comfort zone.
But the beauty of this walk with Jesus is that when it is He who shuts you in, you are not forgotten. He protects you. He watches over you. He plans for you, and uses you, to bless the world around you. And most importantly, He is with you all the way, you are never alone. And that my friend is the thrill of the adventure of the Christian faith walk.
Is that joy and thrill yours today?
Prayer
Lord, help me remember that wherever I may be shut in today, You are there with me, watching over me.
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