Hebrews 11:7

Noah is the third person mentioned in the Scripture, unto whom testimony was given in particular that “he was righteous;” and therefore the apostle produceth him in the third place, as an instance of the power and efficacy of faith, declaring also wherein his faith wrought and was effectual

Hebrews 11:7. Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ· δἰ ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος.

Κρηματισθείς. Vulg. Lat., “responso accepto;” Rhem., “having received an answer.” Hence sundry expositors, who adhere unto that translation, inquire how Noah may be said to have an answer from God, whereas no mention is made of any inquiry of his in this matter. Some say, that Adam had foretold that the world should be twice destroyed, once by water, and again by fire. Hereon Noah inquired of God to know when the first of them should fall out, and received this answer, that it was now approaching. Some say, that “to answer,” in Scripture, is ofttimes used for “to begin a speech unto another,” when there was nothing spoken before; whereof they give instances, I mention these things only to show what needless pains men put themselves unto, out of a prejudicate adherence unto what may deceive them, as they do here, by following a false translation; for in the original word there is nothing that intimates an answer upon an inquiry. But the truth is, the translation hath not so much deceived them as they have deceived themselves. For “responsum” in Latin is a “divine oracle,” and so used in all good authors. “Responsa deorum,” “reponsa Aruspicum,” are oracular directions; and so is “responsum” absolutely. Syr., כּר אֶתְמַלֵל עַמֵהּ, “when he was spoken to,” “when there was a word with him.” “Divinitus admonitus,” as we say properly, “warned of God.”

Περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων. Syr., “of those things which are not seen;” omitting μηδέπω, “nondum;” “nondum adhue,” as all other translations. Arab., “when it was revealed to Noah about things which yet were not seen.” Εὐλαβηθείς, “veritus,” “reveritus,” “metuens,” “timuit,” “venerabundus;” “fearing,” he feared, “moved with fear,” a reverential fear. Κατεσκεύασε, “apparavit,” he “prepared;” Vulg. Lat., “aptavit,” he “fitted” by preparing and making of it; Syr., עֲבַר, “fecit,” “condidit;” he “made” or “built” an ark.

Εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ . Syr., לְחַיֵּא דַּבְּנַי בַּיְתֵהּ, “unto the lives” (that is, the saving of the lives) “of the sons of his house” or family.

Hebrews 11:7. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not as yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Chrysostom well commends this instance of the apostle, in that it not only gives a demonstration of the efficacy of faith on the one hand, in Noah, but also of the effect and consequent of unbelief on the other, in the whole world besides. Hence the application of this example was exceedingly seasonable and proper unto these Hebrews, who stood now on their trial of what they would follow and abide by. Here they might see, as in a glass, what would be the effect of the one and the other.

There is in the words,

1. The person spoken of or instanced in; which is Noah.

2. What is affirmed of him; that he was “warned of God of things not yet seen.”

3. The effect hereof by faith:

(1.) Internal, in himself; he was “moved with fear:”

(2.) External, in obedience; he “built an ark.”

4. The consequent of his so doing:

(1.) The saving of his own family;

(2.) The condemnation of the world;

(3.) His own becoming an “heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

1. The person spoken of is Noah, concerning whom some things may be observed that relate unto the sense of the place.

(1.) Being designed of God unto the great work which he was to be called unto, to live and act at that time and that season wherein God would destroy the world for sin, he had his name given him by a spirit of prophecy. His father, Lamech, called him בֹחַ; whereof he gave this reason, זֶה יֵנַחֲמֵנו, “This shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed,” Genesis 5:29. He foresaw that by him, and in his days, relief would come from the effects of the curse: which there did,

[1.] In the just destruction of the wicked world, whereon the earth for a while had rest from its bondage under which it groaned, Romans 8;

[2.] In that in him the promise of the blessed Seed should be preserved, whence all rest and comfort do proceed. But “to rest,” or “cause either the name of נֹחַ is not derived from נוּחַ, to rest,” but from נִחַם, “to comfort,” mem being rejected in the framing of the name; or else there is not in the words of Lamech, זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ, “This same shall comfort us, a respect unto the etymology of the word, but an expression of the thing signified.

(2.) As unto his state and condition antecedent unto what is here declared of him, two things are affirmed:

[1.] That he “found grace in the eyes of the LORD,” Genesis 6:8.

[2.] That he was “just, perfect in his generations, and walked with God,” verse 9. He was accepted with God, justified, and walked in acceptable obedience, before he was thus divinely warned, with what followed thereon. Wherefore these things did not belong unto his first believing, but unto the exercise of that faith which he had before received. Nor was he then first made an “heir of righteousness,” but declared so to be, as Abraham was justified when he offered Isaac his son.

(3.) His employment in the world was, that he was “a preacher of righteousness,” 2 Peter 2:5; that is, of the righteousness of God by faith; and of righteousness by repentance and obedience among men. And there is no doubt but that before, and whilst he was building the ark, he was urgent with mankind to call them to repentance, by declaring the promises and threatenings of God. And in a blessed state he was, to be a preacher of righteousness unto others, and an heir of righteousness in himself. (4.) He is said to be ὄγδοος, 2 Peter 2:5, “the eighth person.” But whereas Enoch was “the seventh from Adam,” and he the third from Enoch, he could not be the eighth, but was the tenth on the line of genealogy from Adam. He is therefore called the eighth, because he was the head of the eight that were saved, the other seven depending on him, and saved by him; unless we shall suppose him to be called the eighth preacher of righteousness, that is, from Enosh, when the separation was first made between the wicked and the godly, and wickedness increasing, those who feared God began publicly to preach repentance, Genesis 4:26.

2. That which is affirmed of him is, that he was “warned of God of things not as yet seen.” Χρηματίζω, is “to give an answer with authority,” by kings or magistrates unto ambassadors or orators. It is noted by Plutarch, that it was one cause of the conspiracy against Caesar, that he miscarried herein: Προσιόντων δὲ ὑπάτων καὶ στρατηγῶν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῆς βουλῆς ἑπομένης, οὔχ ὑπεξαναστὰς, ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ ἰδιώταις χρηματίζων ἀπεκρίνατο·, “The consuls, with the proctors and the whole senate following them, coming to him, he arose not, but spake as unto a company of private men.” And χρηματίζομαι, is used in the Scripture in a common sense, to be “called” or named, Acts 11:26; Romans 7:3. But its more frequent use is for a divine warning, Matthew 2:12; Matthew 2:22; Luke 2:26; Acts 10:22; Hebrews 8:5. And χρηματισμός is a divine oracle, Romans 11:4. And it is used to express any kind of divine revelation; as by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Luke 2:26; by the ministry of angels, Acts 10:22; by dreams, Matthew 2:12; Matthew 2:22; by an immediate voice of God, Romans 11:4.

And this warning of God was no other but that which is recorded Genesis 6:13-16. And there were two parts of it, the first minatory, or a declaration of the purpose of God to destroy the whole world, verse 13. The second is directory, of what he required of him in making an ark, verses 14-16. Accordingly, as we shall see, it had a twofold effect on Noah; the first, of fear in himself from the threatening; the other of obedience, in building the ark according to direction. Both parts of this divine warning were of “things not yet seen.”

Things of this sort, namely, “things not seen,” he had before declared to be the proper object of faith, verse 1. But the things here intended were not in their own nature invisible; they were sufficiently seen when they did exist. Therefore the apostle saith, they were “not yet seen;” namely, the flood, and the saving of himself in an ark. These were not seen when Noah was warned about them, nor in a hundred years after. They were seen neither in themselves nor in their causes. For although in the morally procuring cause of the flood, namely, the wickedness of the world, it was present, yet there was nothing then to be seen or learned of its destruction by a flood: and efficient cause it had none, but the invisible power of God. Wherefore it was a pure act of faith in Noah, to believe that which he had no evidence for, but by divine revelation; especially considering that the thing itself revealed was in itself strange, direful, and unto human reason every way incredible. And we may observe,

Obs. 1. It is a high commendation to faith, to believe things, on the word of God, that in themselves and all second causes are invisible, and seem impossible, Romans 4:17-21.

Obs. 2. No obstacle can stand in the way of faith, when it fixeth itself on the almighty power of God, and his infinite veracity, Romans 11:23; Titus 1:2.

Obs. 3. It is a great encouragement and strengthening unto faith, when the things which it believes as promised or threatened are suitable unto the properties of the divine nature, his righteousness, holiness, goodness, and the like, such as it becometh God to do. Such was the destruction of the world, when it was filled with wickedness and violence.

Obs. 4. We have here a pledge of the certain accomplishment of all divine threatenings against ungodly sinners and enemies of the church, though the time of it may be yet far distant, and the means of it inevident. Unto this end is this example made use of, 2 Peter 2:5.

3. Of this warning of God given unto Noah,

(1.) The first effect, as we observed, respected the first part of the warning, which was a threatening of total destruction. He was “moved with fear.” And here faith in its efficacy begins to take place. For although he may be said to be warned of God through faith, inasmuch as he became accepted with God by faith, whereon he received the especial favor of this divine warning; yet here respect seems to be had unto the effect which it had in Noah, with the consequents thereof. “By faith he was moved with fear.” His believing the word of God had this effect on him.

Of the meaning of the word, see the exposition on Hebrews 5:7. A reverential fear it is of God's threatenings, and not an anxious, solicitous fear of the evil threatened. In the warning given him, he considered the greatness, the holiness, and the power of God, with the vengeance becoming those holy properties of his nature, which he threatened to bring on the world. Seeing God by faith under this representation of him, he was filled with a reverential fear of him. See Habakkuk 3:16; Psalms 119:120; Malachi 2:5.

Neither is this fear that effect wherein his faith did ultimately acquiesce, but he used it only as a means unto the further end of obedience in building the ark; and therefore we render it, “moved with fear.” This fear, which arose from faith, was used by the same faith to excite and stir him up unto his duty. And therefore this reverential fear of God is frequently in the Scripture used for the whole worship of God, and all the obedience required of us; because it is a continual motive unto it, and a means of a due performance of it. So then,

Obs. 5. A reverential fear of God, as threatening vengeance unto impenitent sinners, is a fruit of saving faith, and acceptable unto God. See the exposition on Hebrews 4:1.

Obs. 6. It is one thing to fear God as threatening, with a holy reverence; another to be afraid of the evil threatened, merely as it is penal and destructive, which the worst of men cannot avoid.

Obs. 7. Faith produceth various effects in the minds of believers, according to the variety of objects that it is fixed on; sometimes joy and confidence, sometimes fear and reverence.

Obs. 8. Then is fear a fruit of faith, when it engageth us unto diligence in our duty; as it did here in Noah: “being moved by fear, he prepared an ark.”

(2.) This was the second effect of his faith, with respect unto the second part. of the divine warning, “Make thee an ark,” Genesis 6:14. God said unto him, “Make thee an ark,” and in compliance with that command and direction, it is here said that he “prepared an ark.” The word here used is variously rendered, as we have showed. Our translation, by “prepared,” is proper; for it compriseth all that Noah did, from the first provision unto the last finishing of it. All the preparation of materials, all their disposition into a fabric by divine direction, and the finishing of them in their order, are comprised in this word. And we may observe about it,

[1.] That the preparing, building, and finishing of this vessel, meet to swim in the water, which, from the Hebrew תֵּבָה the Greeks rendered κιβωτός, the Latins arca, and we from them, an “ark,” was a thing new in the earth, great, requiring labor and expense in a long continuance of time; as is supposed, an hundred and twenty years. And a strange thing no doubt it was in the world, to see a man with so great an endeavor build a ship where there was no water near him.

[2.] During the preparation of this ark he continued to preach righteousness and repentance unto the inhabitants of the world; nor could it be avoided, but that he must, in what he did, let them know in what way they should be destroyed if they did not repent.

[3.] In this state of things, the Scripture observeth three things concerning the inhabitants of the old world:

1 st . That they were disobedient; they did not repent, they did not return unto God upon his preaching, and the striving of the Spirit of Christ with them therein, 1 Peter 3:19-20. For which cause they were not only temporally destroyed, but shut up in the everlasting prison.

2dly . That they were secure, not having the least thought, fear, or expectation of the destruction which he denounced approaching to them, being not moved with his threatenings to the last hour: Matthew 24:38-39, “They knew not until the flood came, and took them all away.”

3dly . That they were scoffers, as is plainly intimated, 2 Peter 3:3-6. They scorned and derided Noah, both in his preaching and his building.

And we may hence further observe,

Obs. 9. That all these things tend unto the commendation of the faith of Noah. Neither the difficulty, nor the length of the work itself, nor his want of success in preaching, as unto their repentance and conversion to God, nor the contempt and scorn which were cast upon him by the whole world, did weaken or discourage him in the least from going on with the work and duty whereunto he was divinely called. A great precedent and example it was unto all who may be called to bear testimony for God in times of difficulty and opposition.

Obs. 10. We have here an eminent figure of the state of impenitent sinners, and God's dealing with them, in all ages:

(1.) When their sins are coming to the height, he gives them a peculiar time and space for repentance, with sufficient evidence that it is a season granted for that end.

(2.) During this space the long-suffering of God waits for their conversion; and he makes it known that it doth so.

(3.) He allows them the outward means of conversion, as he did to the old world in the preaching of Noah.

(4.) He warns them in particular of the judgments that are approaching them, which they cannot escape; as he did by the building of the ark. And such are the dealings of God with impenitent sinners in some measure and proportion in all ages.

They, on the other side, in such a season,

(1.) Continue disobedient under the most effectual means of conversion. No means shall be effectual unto that end, Isaiah 6:9-12. Anti when the preaching of righteousness loseth its efficacy in the conversion of sinners, it is a token of approaching desolations.

(2.) They are secure as unto any fear, or expectation of judgments; and shall be so until they are overwhelmed in them, Revelation 18:7-8.

(3.) There are always amongst them scoffers, that deride all that are moved with fear at the threatenings of God, and behave themselves accordingly; which is an exact portraiture of the present condition of the world.

4. Of this faith of Noah, and the fruits of it in fear and obedience,

(1.) The immediate effect was the saving of his family. He did it “to the saving of his household;” that is, he himself, his wife, his three sons, and their wives, that is, such as on the foresight of the flood they had espoused, for probably they came not together in conjugal duties until after the flood, for they had no child until then, Genesis 10:1, and eight persons only were to be saved.

This family, God in sovereign grace and mercy would preserve and deliver, principally to continue the conveyance of the promised Seed, which was to be produced from Adam, Luke 3:38, and was not, in the immutable counsel of God, liable to an intercision; which it would have been if God had destroyed all mankind, and created a new race of them upon the earth: and in the next place, for the continuation and propagation of a church, to be brought unto God by virtue of that promise.

And in this saving of the family of Noah by the ark, we have a figure of God's saving and preserving a remnant in all ages, when desolating judgments have destroyed apostatized churches and nations. So the apostle Peter declares with respect unto the vengeance and overwhelming destruction that was coming on the apostatized church of the Jews: 1 Peter 3:20-21,

“The ark, wherein few, that is eight souls, were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.”

I deny not but that there is a great allusion in general between salvation by the ark and that by baptism, inasmuch as the one did represent and the other doth exhibit Christ himself. But the apostle hath a particular design in this comparison. For judgment by a universal destruction was then coming on the whole church and people of the Jews, but God would save a few by baptism, that is, their initiation into gospel faith and repentance, whereby they were separated from the perishing infidels, and were really and actually delivered from the destruction that befell them; as Noah and his family were in the ark. So then,

Obs. 11. The visible, professing church shall never fall into such an apostasy, nor be so totally destroyed, but that God will preserve a remnant, for a seed to future generations, Isaiah 6:11-13; Romans 9:27; Revelation 18:4.

(2.) Lastly, There is a double consequent of this faith of Noah and his obedience therein;

[1.] With respect unto the world, “he condemned it;”

[2.] With respect unto himself, he “became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Both these are ascribed unto Noah. And the way whereby he din them is expressed in these words, “By the which.” That is, say some, “by which ark;” others, “by which faith;” for the relative agrees with either of these antecedents. I shall not contend about it.

The meaning is, by the which faith, acting and evidencing itself in the building of the ark, these things were wrought.

[1.] He “condemned the world.” Not as the judge of it, properly and authoritatively; but as an advocate and a witness, by plea and testimony. He condemned it by his doctrine, by his obedience, by his example, by his faith in them all. He did so,

1 st . In that he justified God. God had had a long contest with the world, “his Spirit strove with them;” and now in the issue, after much patience and forbearance, he was coming to destroy them. Herein “God would be justified in his sayings, and overcome when he was judged,” as the apostle speaks, Romans 3:4. This was done by Noah: he cleared and justified God in his threatenings and the execution of them; and therein condemned the world as guilty, and justly deserving the punishment inflicted on it.

2 dly . He condemned the world by casting a weighty aggravation on its guilt, in that he believed and obeyed when they refused so to do. It was not any thing evil, grievous, or impossible, that was required of them, but what he gave them an example of in himself; which greatly aggravated their sin. So is the expression used, Matthew 12:41, “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Their example being not followed, did aggravate the guilt of that generation.

3 dly. He condemned the world, by leaving it utterly without excuse. He that takes away the principal plea that a guilty person can make in his own defense, may justly be said to condemn him. And this Noah did towards the old world. He left them no pretense that they had not been warned of their sin and approaching ruin; so as that they had nothing to plead for themselves why the execution of judgment should be respited for one moment.

4 thly . He condemned the world, by approving of the vengeance that befell them, though very severe. So shall the saints judge and condemn fallen angels at the last day, 1 Corinthians 6:3. And we may observe, that

Obs. 12. Those whom God calleth unto, fitteth for, and employeth in any work, are therein συνεργοὶ Θεοῦ, “co-workers with God,” 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1: so as that what God doth himself efficiently, is ascribed unto them instrumentally, as working with him, and for him. So the preachers of the word do save men, 1 Timothy 4:16; and so are they said to condemn them.

Obs. 13. Let those that are employed in the declaration of God's promises and threatenings take heed unto themselves, to answer the will of him by whom they are employed, whoso work it is wherein they are engaged.

Obs. 14. It ought to be a motive unto diligence in exemplary obedience, that therein we bear testimony for God against the impenitent world, which he will judge and punish.

[2.] The last thing in the words, or the second consequent of his faith and obedience, is, that he “became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

What the righteousness here intended is, the “righteousness of faith,” is so fully declared by the apostle in all his other writings, and so laid down in the close of the foregoing chapter, that there can be no question about it. The nature of this righteousness, with the way of attaining it, I have so [7] fully manifested in my treatise of Justification,

[7] See vol. 5 of miscellaneous works. ED.

that I shall not at all here speak to it. He calls it elsewhere, sometimes “the righteousness of God” absolutely, sometimes “the righteousness of God which is by faith,” sometimes “the gift of righteousness by Christ,” sometimes “the righteousness of faith,” or “the righteousness which is by faith,” as in this place. In all which our free, gratuitous justification by the righteousness of Christ, imputed unto us by faith, or through believing, is intended. This Noah obtained by faith. For that in this faith of the patriarchs no respect was had unto Christ and his righteousness, is such a putid figment, so destructive of the first promise and all true faith in the church of old, so inconsistent with and contrary to the design of the apostle, and utterly destroying the whole force of his argument, as we shall show afterwards that it deserves no consideration. Grotius and his follower say, “That Noah, as a reward of his faith, was left possessor of the whole earth, as an inheritance unto him and his children;” which is a wild exposition of being an “heir of the righteousness of faith,” and needs no confutation.

The way whereby he obtained this righteousness is, that he was made the “heir” of it. Some say ‘he is so called and said to be because this righteousness utterly failing in the old world before the flood, it was left in Noah as his right and inheritance, which he carried along with him into the new world after the flood. Righteousness did not utterly perish; Noah had a title unto it, and continued in the possession of it.'

But there is somewhat more in this expression. The way whereby we come to be made partakers of this righteousness, is by gratuitous adoption. This is by faith, John 1:12. Whatever we receive upon or by virtue of our adoption belongs unto our inheritance; thereof we are heirs. See Romans 8:15-17. So in justification, forgiveness of sin and the inheritance go together, Acts 26:18. And this inheritance is by the promise, not by the law or works, Galatians 3:18-19; Romans 4:14. Wherefore Noah was the “heir of the righteousness which is by faith,” in that by free adoption, through faith, he came to have an interest in and right unto the righteousness which is tendered in the promise, whereby it is conveyed unto us as an inheritance. And whereas it is said that he “became” so, if respect be had unto his faith in building of the ark, the meaning is, that he was then evidenced and declared so to be. As Abraham was said to be “justified when he offered Isaac,” who was personally justified long before; so also was Noah, by the testimony of God himself, before he was warned to build an ark. And we may learn,

Obs. 15. That all right unto spiritual privileges and mercies is by gratuitous adoption.

Obs. 16. That the righteousness of faith is the best inheritance for thereby we become “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.”