Day 298 Knowing

 

10/25/2025 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen."

Hebrews 11:1

 

Shabbat Shalom! It's a lovely Sabbath day with bright sunny skies, and a slight chill in the air that hints of cooler weather on the rise. I've missed services with Jacob's Tent for the last two weeks, so I was anxious to be back with them. This is the third Sabbath since the beginning of the new calendar year for the Jewish people, so the reading of the Torah - the first five books of the Bible - began all over again. I enjoy reading through the Bible again each year, because I learn something new each time I read it. My pastor has us studying a different book of the Bible, plus Jack Hibbs also covers a book at a time. I should be a scholar by now, but I am still learning, and I plan to continue to do so.

Today we discussed the life of Noah, a man counted as righteous by God, who was tasked in building an ark to house Noah and his family as well as two of every animal, birds and other species. God had grown weary of man's sinfulness, so He purposed to destroy the earth and all living creatures on it with a flood. The world had become so wicked, and the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was so great and his thoughts and the intents of his heart so vile that God was sorry He had made man. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, and He chose Noah and his family to survive the flood, so they could start again.

When Lamech, Noah's father, named Noah, he said, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." (Genesis 5:29) Noah's name meant "rest." God spoke to Noah telling him that the earth was full of violence, so He was going to destroy it. He gave Noah instructions in how to build the boat, and Noah followed the command of the God without question. God told Noah that He would bring the floodwaters, but up until this time, no one had ever seen rain. He then promised Noah that He would establish His covenant with him, and from Noah would come all nations.

Imagine how much faith it took for Noah to step out and follow God's commands. Pastor Jack shared his experience as a new believer. He said that he read every book he could read, he was so hungry for the word of God, and anxious to experience His manifest presence. He said he labored for 5 months, until he realized that experiencing the presence of God comes from faith alone. God's words are truth and life, and that's the evidence. As I thought about it, considering my son's desire to see Jesus tangibly in this house, I thought that faith makes seeing unnecessary, because it's not sight, it's the knowing that makes the experience real, not a feeling, a knowing. We don't need signs, we just need faith, because His word is the evidence.

We, as believers in Christ, have so much to be grateful to Noah for, because his faith and obedience to God made it possible for us to be part of the covenant along with Israel. One man was considered righteous in God's eyes out of all the population. God did not say that his family was righteous, only Noah, but they were included along with Noah. This pattern will be seen in God's dealing other characters in the Bible. One God-fearing man plus his entire family are saved. It's a gift!