Introduction
We all love a good story, and it’s the ones with the drama and twists that capture our attention. Unfortunately, the philosophy behind what we see in theaters has found its way into how we communicate the Bible. Within church culture, there is a considerable increase in attempts to make the Bible more exciting. Seriously? Today I want to take a look at a minor detail that has permeated the narrative of God’s judgment upon the entire earth. This, of course, is the statement that everybody laughed at Noah while he was building the ark. I want to preface this with the fact that I understand that it is very possible or even likely that people laughed at Noah, but I am writing this to make the point that there is a better application found in Scripture.
What Motivates a Person?
I have heard on several occasions, and maybe you have too, that Noah was laughed at and ridiculed for building the ark. I have heard it in elementary Sunday school and in college chapel services. The inserted detail adds very little to the narrative itself, so why say it? The statement is coupled with the application that Noah obeyed God even when people laughed at him. I guess the only reasonable explanation is that those who proclaim the Word of God have added this detail to give the narrative a dilemma. A good story always needs a dilemma (as if worldwide judgment wasn’t enough to get your interest). Preachers and teachers have taken this added detail and used it as a segue into how believers will be opposed, and just like Noah, we can obey. I mean, who doesn’t want to feel like the underdog? When nobody thinks we can do something, it is that much sweeter when we do. Proving those who oppose our work wrong almost becomes our very motivation.
This could go both ways. Our motivation could also be found in striving for a positive reaction. We can be tempted to do what we know is right because we know that we will be praised. There are some who know when to be good and who to be good around because there is some form of positive reinforcement to be found. Whether your motivation is to prove your opposition wrong or to obtain praise from your supporters, you have a shallow motivation. There is a third motivation that people can have and that is intrinsic motivation. This form of motivation drives people to do things because they personally find pleasure in doing it or because they know it is right. Intrinsic motivation is the highest form of motivation. When we do what we ought because we desire to do right, then we have the right motivation. When we no longer need praise or some sort of pushback to drive us toward our goal, then we have matured into intrinsic motivation.
Back to the Book of Beginnings
When you look at the book of Genesis, there is not much said about the building of the ark. We know that Noah was a good guy that had a family (Gen 6:9-10), we know that the world was messed up (Gen. 6:11), and we know that God saw the world and determined to judge it (Gen. 6:12-13). Since God was going to judge the world, he told Noah to build an ark with specific instructions (Gen. 6:14-21), and Noah obeyed God (Gen. 6:22). Next thing you know, a flood comes and mankind starts over with Noah and his family. So what about the part where the world laughed at Noah? I’m sorry but the narrative is as simple as I presented it. There aren’t a lot of extra details to add drama. God commanded and Noah obeyed. We know that Noah obeyed in faith and reverence to God (Heb. 11:7), but the Genesis narrative does not include details about the world’s response to Noah.
I believe the root of our adding to famous narratives in the Bible is that we are desensitized. Many Christians lose their sense of wonder over the great works of God or are no longer mortified by the horrors that some people committed in Scripture. In this case, we need a healthy dose of wonder and mortification. We need wonder over the work of God in the worldwide judgment, and we need mortification over the works that made it necessary. When we lose these two things, we begin to add our own details or speculation. I can assure you, and I will repeatedly, that the Bible is good enough as is.
Divine Commentary
I noted that the Genesis passage does not include any details about the world’s response to Noah’s obedience to God, but when we turn to the New Testament, we find Jesus’ commentary on the event. In his Olivet Discourse, Jesus makes a connection between the return of Christ and the days of Noah. Jesus said that “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39 ESV) So what was everybody up to while Noah was building the ark and preaching righteousness? (2 Pet. 2:5) They were busy. The message that Noah preached was falling on deaf ears and his work was unimpressive to those around him. The world was not busy praising Noah, nor were they busy opposing him, but rather the world was too busy with their own lives to care about Noah. They were too busy even to know what hit them.
Do The Work When Nobody Cares
With Jesus’ commentary in mind, I think we can come to a better application than “Obey when everyone is against you!” Based on what we know from Scripture, I believe that the better application is “Obey when nobody cares.” It is easy to push forward when everybody is cheering for you, it is easy to push forward when you have people to prove wrong, but it is very difficult to push forward when nobody cares. I’ll admit, saving his family probably made building the ark a little easier for Noah, but that’s not what the Bible says his motivation was. His goal was to save his household, but his motivation was reverence for God (Heb. 11:7). This is what intrinsic motivation looks like. Noah built the ark because God said so. Noah had reverence for God; therefore, the command to build was enough.
God has called us all to different tasks, but what is your motivation for doing it? Are you waiting around for the praise, are you only obeying to spite someone else, or are you obeying because it is your heart’s desire. If we rely on external factors to motivate us (i.e. other people), then what happens when nobody cares? Do we lose all motivation? Let your motivation come from the inside, and when nobody cares, you will still have the drive to push toward God’s calling for your life. When the folks around us are too busy eating and drinking to see your work, fix your eyes on God and move forward because God sees. So, Christian, preach that sermon that will fall on deaf ears, teach the lesson that nobody cares about, love the neighbor that will never reciprocate, and never forget why we do what is right. We do it for God.