By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark to save his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7, ESV)
For those who consume golf coverage, picking up on various players’ mannerisms is second nature. If you’ve regularly watched golf, you know who is over the ball before the network posts his name on the screen—think Keegan Bradley!
Golf swings are like fingerprints; they are unique. Granted, there are similarities, but no one mistakes Rory’s swing with John Rahm’s motion. Identifying Xander’s action in contrast with Scheffler’s mechanics is easy enough, especially Scotty’s footwork.
Of all the many players and their peculiar habits, one player’s pre-shot routine is readily identifiable—Jason Day closing his eyes for a few seconds before pulling the trigger is unique.
Closing one’s eyes is not unique, but the way Jason’s eyelids flitter makes the bumblebee’s wings look slow. When asked about this technique, he responds with what most people expected. He imagines the shot! He pictures the shape of the shot in his mind’s eye before taking it back.
Because Noah saw the future, he lived differently in the present. Of course, this wasn’t Noah daydreaming or simply imagining what might happen in the unseen future; rather, this was Noah taking God at his word about the future.
God warned Noah that a cataclysmic judgment was coming and that news redirected the entirety of his life. While his cultural peers blatantly disregarded the known norms of God’s moral commands, Noah placed his faith in Christ and lived righteously.
Noah’s faith was and will be rewarded! He and his family were temporally rewarded when his faith yielded obedience in building an ark in which he and his family survived God’s judgment (the flood) and inherited a “renewed earth.”
Noah will be again rewarded in his and our future when Christ returns in judgment to condemn those who “suppressed the truth in unrighteousness” and reward those who, by faith, placed their trust in Christ Jesus and consequently lived righteously in anticipation of an age to come.
A warning about the future came from heaven and informed Noah’s faith. In other words, he didn’t merely imagine a future yet unseen. He saw by faith what only ears could hear—God’s word as a warning.
Throughout Scripture, prophet after prophet warns of “things to come.” In these last days, God has spoken with finality through his Son. When Paul refers to the physical resurrection of Jesus in Acts 17, he doesn’t attempt to prove the resurrection; rather, he uses the resurrection to guarantee the Second Coming of Christ in judgment on the world.
Heed the warning of heaven and place your faith in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I repent of my sin and put my faith in your substitutionary death on our behalf.