Gwen Shamblin Books

God told Noah that He was going to bring flood waters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens—that is, every creature that has the breath of life in it. God told him that everything on earth would perish. Genesis 6:18 says, But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. God told Noah that he would have to make room in the ark for at least two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with him. Noah was also to fill the ark up with food. Noah did everything just as God commanded him (Gen. 6:22).

It took one hundred years for Noah to build the ark, and during that time, the wicked people made fun of him. Just as people never believed that the Titanic was sinkable, the wicked never believed that the earth could flood. Their God, they said, would never do such a thing. What makes man think that God doesn’t mean business? Or that God allows immortality? No, it is very clear that He has made us mortal. Our days are numbered, and our chances to respond to God’s love are numbered. But the whispering voice of arrogance from Satan says, You have time, and You’re immortal, and There is no judgment.

Seven days before the floodgates would open, God commanded Noah, his three sons, and their wives to get on the ark. He told Noah he would be saved because God had found him righteous in this generation. God brought every kind of animal and every kind of creature that moves along the ground to Noah. He told Noah that it was going to rain for forty days and forty nights. Again the Bible tells us that Noah did all the Lord commanded him. Noah and his family and all the animals went inside this massive structure one and a half football fields long, and then the Lord shut them in. Noah and his family started to wait, listening for the evidence of rain. With each passing day, the sky grew darker and the clouds grew thicker.

The seventh day after Noah and his family entered the ark, the floodgates were about to open. The earth was rumbling. The wind was blowing, and the sky was darker than they had ever seen it. After generations of ignoring the signs from God, this generation, I am sure, ignored the purple sky and the rumbling earth and went on about their daily business.

You would like to think that this generation would have noticed seven days of clouds and thunder and turned to the Lord. You would hope that this generation would have noticed an ark (one and a half football fields long) sitting in the middle of nowhere. You would also think that people might start asking questions when the rumors went around about every kind of animal you could possibly think of lining up in Noah’s backyard. But that is just like the wicked. They’re blind and they’re proud . . . of what, I don’t know, because they just don’t get it. Ignorance, stubbornness, and unrepentant hearts were left outside the ark. And the earth started to vibrate.

The springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. The unfloodable earth? Well, it began to swim with water. As the wicked were drowning, the righteous started to feel the wooden ark float. The door of salvation was sealed shut.

You might think that Noah would have had a bleeding heart for the people pounding on the side of the ark to get in, but you’ll have to understand that Noah had been a preacher of righteousness, and that God’s guiltless men are tormented in their blameless souls by the lawless deeds that they see day after day (2 Peter 2:5, 8). Besides, Noah knew God, which meant he knew the God who brings judgment. Noah did not have a problem with that, for he was righteous.

For forty days, the rain kept falling on the earth. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark high above the earth. As the winds tossed the ark to and fro, and the lightning flashed and thunder crashed, God kept the righteous safe in the ark. The waters rose to the point that all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered to a depth of more than twenty feet.

Finally, at the end of forty long days of thunderous rain, the floodgates closed and the rain stopped falling from the sky. Every living thing that moved on the earth had perished: birds, livestock, wild animals—all the creatures that swarmed over the earth, including man-kind. Everything on the dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils had died. Only Noah and those with him on the ark were left. All they could hear now was the sound of the wind and water lapping on the side of the boat.

God was starting over with good seed, hoping once again that He could have a people who would truly love Him with all their hearts, their souls, their minds, and their strength. What good seed to start with! This patriarch would pass down a faith that would work on an ark for one hundred years without any evidence or proof that it would float.

It all started with Adam and Eve in Paradise. Eden was an incredible environment for enjoying the artwork of God’s hand, discovering all the animals, trees, flowers, and brooks—everything that described the genius of God’s endless creativity and His boundless love. However, Adam and Eve were not good candidates for returning a pure friendship with God because they took advantage of His generosity. God gave them all but one thing, and yet they were greedy and distrustful. You cannot have a relationship without trust.

Adam and Eve were the type who could be deceived into believing false accusations from Satan concerning God—their superior. You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:4–5). God was such a loving God that they were sure nothing would happen to them if they went their own way—the masterpiece lie of Satan. With the first false accusation of this wonderful, generous Friend and want-the-best-for-you God, Adam and Eve did not hesitate to buy into the spirit of suspicion. They dived right in and showed this power-hungry God a thing or two! They would eat of the one tree in a world of freedom that they were told not to eat. They did not comprehend—even from seeing all of His creation—the personality of God, or they would have known that they would fall from Paradise. Their God didn’t do things like that. How many times have I heard that one?

Personalities that are very loving, such as God’s, are often taken advantage of. Why weren’t Adam and Eve more interested in finding out what God wanted? Why would they buy into Satan’s first lie that said God was not letting them in on the Tree of Life because God was power-hungry and did not want them to have more power? Their greed for more blinded them.

Adam and Eve did not believe the warning that they would surely die. Why don’t people believe in finality? Why do people feel that they are going to live forever? Why do they ignore death and lost relationships? Have you ever seen two-year-olds who want to squirm out of their fathers’ arms and take off running into the traffic? Where is fear? Where is humility? God must see mankind as a world of two-year-olds darting here and there, thinking that we know what we are doing and we don’t need a heavenly Father.

Instead of wiping out Adam and Eve, God graciously removed them from the ultimate blessings of Paradise and made them think about what they had done for the rest of their lives. Yes, God is loving, but that doesn’t mean you can take advantage of that love. In a fallen world, Adam and Eve had to work harder, which taught them the attitude of appreciation—the quality necessary for an acceptable relationship.

Again, who of us on earth does not long for loyal and loving friendships and devoted children? And who of us does not know the pain of thinking that we have it, only to be let down? Oh, the pain that we have caused a God who deserves only the best time-honored appreciation and sincere love for what He has given. It is very unfair.

Part of the problem we have had in this country is that we have taught everyone to grab all the gusto they can get and to take care of number one. We don’t believe that there is a personal God who would multiply and expand what we have. We don’t take God shopping with us because we’re afraid that He might not like certain name-brand clothing. We don’t believe that God would ever shop at all—much less for designer name brands. Well, I can tell you that God is the ultimate Shopper. I ask for His presence every time I shop, and I now have many treasures that I did not pay treasure prices for. God can take one dollar and give it the value of a million dollars—and on the other hand, He can take a million and turn it into a dollar. Proverbs 15:6 says, The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.

God is the giver and we are to be content with what God gives. You are not to love God to get His money. You are to love God because you love His ideas and His ways, and you worship Him. The Apostle Paul said that

godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tim. 6:6–10)

Remember that for all strongholds—no matter what they are—pure feels better than all things. Empty feels better than full. Buying less at the store feels better than buying too much. No indulgence feels better than sexual lust. And having no money at all feels betterthan stolen money or contrived money. The truth feels better than the lie, and humility feels better than pride. When you overindulge, you feel sluggish—so energy feels better than lethargy. God can do better than a binge or an affair, and He can provide better than a million dollars. Are you tired of trying to fill yourself up? Then relax—unwind—surrender—give up and turn to God to fill your heart and provide for you. Learn the joy of letting God’s approval and relationship be your everything in this desert of life. Drink from the only Water in the desert—Jesus Christ.