Isn't Noah called perfect by the Bible? In contemporary times, only Noah is a perfect person (Gen. 6:8-9). But please note: the so-called integrity is only the integrity in the "current era"! But now, the disaster of flood has passed, and the old times have passed. Noah is the only family left in the world. No one full of evil can compare with Noah. His "wholeness" is over, and the whole Noah has failed! What a sad record is this? A generation of great men has fallen!
Noah, called perfect by the Bible, has been tested by God for a long time. In the unbelieving generation, he devoted himself to trusting God, walking with God and doing God's will. When the whole generation only cared about eating, drinking and marrying, and only paid attention to the pleasures of the flesh, Noah was preoccupied with God. The center of his life is to fulfill the mission entrusted to him by God. When the whole generation did not fear God, Noah listened to God's call and preached justice for 120 years. Although no one believed what he preached, Noah did not change his life of fearing God. The actual time of his preaching may be more than 120 years, because before Noah built the ark, he was regarded as a righteous man by God, and it may be that time that he began to testify for God.
How do Christians preach to the Lord today? Needless to say, 120 years later will not be discouraged; Even after 12 years or 12 months, or even 12 times, I got discouraged and retreated before I saw the effect. But Noah's loyalty has been tested. He completed a great mission that no one had completed and built an ark. However, this time-tested man failed when there was no "test".
Noah's failure tells us that no great spiritual man is truly worthy of our worship and admiration. Young people are the easiest people to worship. From my first few years of studying theology to preaching, I still admire many spiritual people who are reused by the Lord. I believe that the more brothers and sisters I pursue, the more I will worship the people God uses. Thank god, he took away the person I admire by himself. We don't need to admire anyone in particular, and we don't need to look down on anyone; Because we can learn from anyone, and we may stumble over anyone. We "see Jesus alone" as the disciples did on the transfiguration mountain of the Lord.
Two great men and wine
Noah failed because of drinking. The Bible says, "Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. He got drunk after drinking the wine in the garden. " Didn't he show that he was different from the generation who only cared about eating and drinking? He is a man who does not consider eating or drinking, but only considers God's will, walks with God, and completely obeys God's commands. But as a result, he also failed in eating and drinking. The Bible records that many people failed because of eating and drinking: Adam sinned by eating the fruit of distinguishing good from evil, and Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of red bean soup; The Israelites complained many times about eating and drinking in the wilderness, which angered God. The man of God in Chapter 13 of Kings was killed by a lion because he did not obey God's orders to eat and drink in Bethel. Eating and drinking is not a big deal, but it can greatly affect our spirituality. The first thing recorded in the Bible about Daniel's life is about what to eat and what not to eat. Almost a chapter in the Bible describes the life of this young great man and records his diet. It can be seen that the Bible attaches great importance to Daniel's success in eating and drinking. Noah's drunkenness is a good warning to those who think Christians can drink. Does Noah have to get drunk before taking off his clothes? Of course, Noah was not prepared for this. He just accidentally drank wine, and as a result, he was ashamed to be naked because he was drunk.
Recently (1969), I read a pamphlet, which talked about the statistics of drunkenness in the United States. It is said that 74% of college students in America will get drunk now. In criminal records, 80% of criminals are related to alcohol, and 40% of serious cases, such as homicide, are related to alcohol. This really tells us clearly that drunkenness will seriously ruin people's virtue.
General Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, decided not to drink all his life. Once, at a public banquet, someone raised a glass to congratulate him, and he also raised a glass of water in return. The other party deliberately embarrassed him and offered him a toast with wine, asking him to thank him with wine. President Harrison said seriously, "I swear I will never drink." My 17 classmates graduated at the same time, and 16 of them failed or were unknown because of drunkenness. I'm lucky that I made up my mind to give up drinking strictly. I miss you and don't want me to betray my wishes today! " "His words made the man who forced him to retaliate with wine look very ashamed. No one forced him to drink after that.
Maybe we'll say. Spiritual Christians like us will never get drunk. Who would have thought Noah would get drunk? Noah was more spiritual and accomplished than us, but he got drunk by accident. None of us can guarantee that we won't commit a certain crime in the future. If Noah, who has been tested by the spirit, will also fail because of drunkenness, then no one can say that he will not commit any crime. The temptation of sin will not be far away from us, because we are too holy. It always follows us closely, and when we are not careful, it will immediately trap us in the trap of sin.
Is success the mother of failure?
Noah's failure was after his success. There is a saying: "Failure is the mother of success." Can we also say, "Success is the mother of failure?" In fact, many people fail after success. Noah didn't fail when he began to preach. He failed only after he built the ark, entered the ark, walked out of the ark, got God's promise and promise, and became the master of the new world. It is mentally dangerous to relax yourself often after completing arduous work. Let's recall when we started to relax! When we first believed in the Lord, we were so pious and afraid that I was sad when I committed a crime. When we first gave, how ardently we loved the Lord, cared about God's family and served the Lord with fear; But now I have gradually relaxed and numb! Indifferent to the needs of theologians' families and blind to the loss of human soul! Listen to the Lord's advice! "So remember where you fell from, and then repent ..." (Revision 2:5)
Graduation is a crisis for young people. Some young people still love the Lord when they are in middle school or college, but they begin to shrink back as soon as they graduate. Why? Because when he just graduated and entered the society, his living environment changed a lot. More importantly, he began to be his own master. His parents and teachers used to be very strict with him, but now even his parents are very polite to him, because he has become independent and started making money, and his parents certainly respect him. In the past, there was only a limited monthly allowance, but now they earn their own money. Of course, they are relatively well-off, so they can use their money as they wish. Under such circumstances, young people have the strength to do what they like. Many temptations he faced were unprecedented when he was a student, so many young people went astray when they started to enter the society and began to take their favorite road without any interference.
Graduation from theology is also a crisis for students in seminary. Many god students begin to relax as soon as they graduate. Because after leaving the seminary, there is no teacher's interference in everything, even if you commit a small crime casually, it will not be discovered soon. If there are no serious mistakes, the elders of the church will always forgive him for being young, inexperienced and not strict. If he doesn't respect himself, he will gradually relax himself, live and work casually, and when the church no longer welcomes him, it will be too late to wake up. So theological graduation is a turning point and a crisis. After leaving the ark, Noah loosened himself under similar circumstances, drunk and lying naked.
Sinoe failed. What?
We have been talking about Noah's failure. Some people may ask what Noah's failure was. He is just drunk and naked! He didn't commit adultery or kill or set fire. But as we can see from the following, this is really his failure. If his son was cursed for seeing him naked, it really doesn't make sense that Noah was naked because he was drunk. So, where did Noah fail? Noah's failure lies in his "gaffes" and the loss of the noble position entrusted to him by God! He is the master of the new world, and he shouldn't have such a disgraceful behavior. So his nudity, as far as he is concerned, has failed. He doesn't have to come out of Sodom empty-handed like Lot to be considered a failure. What criteria do you and I rely on today to be considered a failure? We are all chosen and sanctified by God. Should we fail in adultery and theft like ordinary people? Our standard should be Noah's standard.
About 15 years ago, a princess of a small European country was photographed by a reporter and published in a newspaper because she was wearing a revealing bathing suit on the beach, which aroused the attack of the whole country. Nothing else, just because she is a princess, her status and position make her behavior must conform to her dignity. We should also know what "integrity" we should have (Ephesians 5:3). When God lifts us to a higher position than many people, has the power to use freely and has the ability to dominate many things, we should be more cautious, because Noah, the master of the new world, failed in this lofty position!
For Christians, in the days of ease and leisure, we should be more vigilant than in the days of hardship and danger!