A Trilogy from long ago valid for our times

INSISTENT CALLS

“For after seven more days I wilî cause it to rain on tha earth forty days and forty nights…” Genesis 7:4.

For 120 years Noah had been preaching that tha world would corne to an end, that tha wrath of God would be poured upon every craature which did not repent and abandon his evil ways. He showed, with his own life, that he believed in what he was preaching. He built an ark, according to divine instructions, in which both he and his family, as well as ail those who wanted to be saved, could find shelter. He invested ail his possessions in its construction. Big extensions of forests were eut down to provide timber to build this huge vessel in a place where there was no sea, and in a land
where it had never rained.

Noah was considered a fool by his fellowmen who used to mock him and his family; but this faithful servant of God, in spite of ail tha doubts that sometimes assailed him, continued working meticulously, fully trusting what God had announced to him would happen.

It was his faith in God’s word which made of him “a just man, perfect in his ganarations” (Gen. 6:9), because “Noah did according to ail that God commanded him, so he did.” (Gen. 6:22)

The ark had three floors, and as tha end was drawing nearer, its construction was growing upward, thus becoming a more persistent call to salvation. Each floor was a message, an appeal for reconciliation with God. Many persons, in spite of their jokes and doubts, heard tha voice of tha Lord speaking to their conscience through this mysterious event; above ail Noah’s friends, who considered him a correct, noble, logical,mature man. But tha examination of their own hearts showed them there were many things they had to dapart from. This was a very hard step to take. They clung to their habits and paid a deaf car to tha message that said: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for tha hour of His judgment has corne; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, tha sea and springs of water.” (Rev. 16:7)

Time went by but nothing happened, people continued getting married, having children, building houses, and planting vineyards. Nobody paid much attention to tha sound of tha hammer and tha axe, as tha second floor of tha ark was being built as an invitation for more people to put aside tha vanities of a perverted world. There was tha ark, waiting for them, God’s grâce inviting them. Once again, some consciences were awoken and they considered
answering tha invitation, but they saw that nothing changed, tha sun continued to shine every day, each season offered its best. Spring had its beautiful colors and fragrances and autumn its rich harvest. They would go back to their labor and amusements, deceiving themselves, thinking that later on, when tha signs would be more visible, they would respond. But tha signs were there, under their own noses, in tha violence, thefts, immorality that surrounded them, and even in their own cold indiffarence.

Noah did not give up his mission. In spite of tha many times he doubted, he always overcame himself, and would not permit tha acho of God’s voice to vanish. He had told him, “The end of ail flesh has corne before Me, for tha earth is fîlled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with tha earth. Make yourself an ark…” (Gen. 6:13, 14) vanish. So he went on building.

The moment came for tha third story of tha ark to be built, tha last invitation to humanity, an alarm call, a loud cry that spoke clearly to tha conscience of each single man telling him that if he continued on his way, following tha whims of his own heart, he would drink of tha cup of God’s wrath which would be poured upon humanity “without mercy”. But once again, they paid a deaf ear to such an appeal. A big contrast could be seen between tha world, wasting its last hours of grâce and Noah’s patience, who in spite of ail tha attacks and mockery, kept God’s commandments, and walked in faith, hand in hand with His Redeemer. “Hère is tha patience of tha saints; hère are those who keep tha commandments of God and tha faith of Jasus.” (Rev. 14:12)

When tha ark was finished tha only window through which tha light of heaven would corne in was closed. The animais that were to be saved for procraation and praservation of tha species entered tha ark in perfect order. Then, Noah and his family boarded tha roomy ship, and a powerful hand closed tha door tightly. But tha rain did not fall immediately. They had to wait for tha fulfillment of tha time: “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on tha earth forty days and forty nights…” (Gen. 7:4) In God’s promise there is also a waiting period, a time of expectation in which tha faith of His children is tested, giving them thus tha opportunity to grow in patience and trust in God. “For you hâve need of endurance, so that after you hâve done tha will of God, you may receive tha promise.” (Heb. 10:37)

May tha Lord give us faith and trust in Him to patiently wait for tha time in which He will manifest His graât power and we may receive tha promise we hâve treasured in our hearts.

THE END OF THE ADVENTURE

“And tha waters receded continually front tha earth. At tha end ofthe hundred andfifty days tha waters decreased. Then tha ark rested in tha seventh month, tha seventeenth day of tha month, on tha mountains ofArarat. ” Gen. 8:3, 4. The graât adventure had corne to an end, and an adventure with God is a guaranteed success. Actually an adventure always involves a risk, it is “an enterprise of uncertain results”, and in Spanish tha expression says to “embark on an adventure”. This is exactly what Noah and his family did, they boarded (embarked) tha ark, that huge vessel whose construction had been commanded and led by God even in tha most insignificant datails.

It had been raining for forty days and nights unceasingly, and tha ark was sailing guided by a powerful invisible hand. The huge vessel had no steering wheel, tha graât Captain who makes tha planets travel on their orbits was guiding that vessel with its precious human cargo, to salvation. The journey had been hard, sometimes that huge mastodon of gopherwood covered with pitch inside and outside (Gen. 6:14) moved as a leaf on tha wind, and tha animais in panic would cry in unison. The bleating of tha sheep could be heard mixed with tha mooing of tha cows, tha neighing of tha horse mingled with tha barking of tha dog and tha mewing of tha cat with tha crowing of tha rooster, and not even that roaring of tha lion could silence tha howling of tha wolf. There were moments in which Noah wanted to fiae, to get off, above ail when he lost his balance and ended up on tha other end of tha “room” or on tha floor. How long would mis voyage last? Would he finally reach his destiny?

And what was tha sensa of it, after ail? He remembered tha voice of tha Lord telling him: “The end ofallflesh has corne before Me, for tha earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with tha earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood…” (Gen. 6:13, 14), and he had faithfully followed His instructions. But, was he to be tha only one to be saved? He had abandoned every thing and invested ail he had in tha construction of tha ark, and now that he was secure and protected among those thick walls, and it was obvions that tha Almighty God had his life in His hands, again doubts assailed him. How was it possible?

Since tha vessel had only one window that pointed to heaven, he could not see what was going on around him. The people were hopelessly struggling for one more minute of life. They climbed to tha roofs of tha houses or desperately clung to a tree that had been uprooted and were carried along by tha waters that flooded tha earth. His triais were nothing compared with those of tha people who had rejected God’s grâce. For them there was no hope of salvation, and as they clung to life, they just prolonged their agony. Noal had been chosen by God, due to his faithfulness, since, as Abraham, he had believed in God and his faith had been counted as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6).

When things calmed down a little, and tha ark slided gently upon tha waters, Noah would “corne to himself” and feel ashamed for having doubted God’s infinita love. Doesn’t it also happen with us, as we are traveling toward that heavenly Canaan, that we sometimes find tha trials too hard and tiring and want to get off tha ship? But thanks to God’s infinita grâce and mercy, we find tha door tightly locked and no way out, no way back, because “tha righteous
and tha wise and their works are in tha hands of God.” (Eccl. 9:1) As tha psalmist says: “You hâve hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. ” (Psalm 139:5, 6)

“Then tha ark rested in tha seventh month, tha seventeenth day of tha month, on tha mountains ofArarat.” (Gen. 8:4) The mountains of Ararat are two peaks in tha territory that now belong to Turkey. They reach a height of 5,182 and 4,000 meters respectively, higher than any mountain in Europe.

When, by faith, we start a journey with God, we “embark on an advenrure” in which we face ail sorts of dangers but without fear, trusting completely in tha power of His love, He will make us reach tha highest peaks, as He promises to His children who keep tha Sabbath day, “According to tha commandment” (Luke 23:36), and He will make us “Ride on tha high hills of tha earth” (Isaiah 58:14). God’s promises are Yes, and Amen. (2 Cor. 1:20)

May tha Lord give us faith and trust in Him so that we may reach not only tha mountains of Ararat, but Mount Zion, because “on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall beholiness.” (Obadiah 1:17)
AMEN.

DOVE OR RAVEN?

“So it came to pass, at tha end of forty days, that Noah opened tha window ofthe ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to andfro until tha waters had dried up front tha earth, He also sent out front himself a dove, to see if tha waters had abated front tha face ofthe ground.” Genesis 8:6-8.

After tha flood, five months went by before tha earth dried up. The ark stopped on Mount Ararat, in tha seventh month, and for three months, until tha tenth month, tha waters were gradually decreasing until “tha tops of tha mountains were seen ” (Gen. 8:5), but tha valleys were still flooded. Another forty days went by and Noah wanted to know what tha situation was, so he opened tha only window in tha ark and sent a raven. The raven, according to tha classification of animais in clean and unclean, in Leviticus 11, belongs to tha unclean ones, therefore there was only one pair in tha ark. You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a mâle and his female; two each ofthe animais that are unclean, a mâle and his female. ” (Gen. 7:2)

The black bird with a shiny plumage and a long tail in tha shape of a wedge, tha span of whose wings may reach up to a meter, is nowadays mostly carnivorous and not very appreciated by man.

Among tha many birds in tha ark, Noah, after tha raven, chose a dove to explore tha earth, and tha verse says: “He also sent out front himself a dove”, and tha dove “returned into tha ark, to him ” and he “put out his hand and took her; and drew her into tha ark to himself. ” (Gen. 8:9) The dove, much smaller than tha raven, with a round head and a pointed tail, is a bird that since craation has remained vegetarian. It feeds on grains, seeds and fruit and it may be tamed to be used as a messenger. The description given hère shows a personal relationship between man and tha dove, which was sent a second time and it “came to him… ” with “a freshly plucked olive leafin her mouth. ” (Gen. 8:11)

While tha raven was flying “to and fro”, tha dove continued its relationship with her master, faithfully fulfilling her mission and bringing tha good news that tha olive had survived tha flood. There is a symbolical spiritual meaning both in tha dove and tha olive leaf. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jasus, when He was baptized in tha waters of tha Jordan, in me form of a dove (Matt. 3:16). Aîso tha church of God, that treasure He has on tha earth, tha Lord’s bride, is tenderly called “dove” by her bridegroom: “O dove, in tha dafis ofthe rock in tha secret places of tha cliff, let me see your countenance, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely. ”

(Song. 2:14) In tha same way that a dove has her hiding place in a cliff, tha child of God hides himself in Christ, tha Rock, and his voice, even if it is not melodious as tha one of tha nightingale, sounds sweet to tha ears of her beloved. Some characteristics of tha dove are to be seen in tha children of God, such as “harmlessness” (Matt. 10:16), in tha words caution, discration, patience, innocence. Through tha prophet Jeremiah, tha Lord gives advice to his children who inhabit Moab upon which destruction is coming: “You who dwell in Moab, leave tha cities and dwell in tha rock, and be like tha dove which makes her nest in tha sides of tha cave ‘s mouth.” (Jer. 48:28)

As tha time of tha end is coming nearer and tha children of God will suffer persacution, they will hâve to abandon tha cities and find refuge in isolated places, in caves in tha mountains. The olive, on tha other hand, produces oil, a symbol of tha Holy Spirit. God’s children are many times compared with this humble and unpretentious looking tree. “His branches shall speak; his beauty shall be like an olive tree… ”

(Hosea 14:6); “Your wife shall be like afruitful vine…your children like olive plants… ” (Psalm 128:3); “The Lord called your name, green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. ” (Jer. 11:16) The olive tree survived tha fïrst destruction of tha earth, and God’s faithful children will, by His infinita grace, survive its second destruction.

Two kinds of birds came out of tha ark, one that belongs to tha clean animais, which kept its contact with its master, and faithfully fulfilled its duty bringing signs of life; and tha other, belonging to tha unclean animais, which was going “to and fro” (Gen. 8:7), spreading out its huge black wings over that dasolation of tha earth. They may symbolize two kinds of people who are to be found in tha house of God, traveling toward salvation. Some are very busy and achieve nothing, but they only project a dark shadow over tha rest since they lack a close connection with their Master. The other ones are real messengers of peace because they are in direct contact with their Lord, and spread out good news of a better world, carrying in their mouth olives leaves, words inspired by tha Spirit of God.

May tha Lord make us harmless, wimout malice and pure as a dove so that we may be real coworkers with Him.
AMEN

By: TeresaCorti