Noah's wife

This week we are going to study a lady whose name we don't know! Noah's wife is never actually named in the Word, even though she has an important role to play. The scriptures to read for this week are lengthy, so I'm going to put the references here, and ask you to please read them, and then come back here for our study. OK?

Genesis 5:32, Genesis 6 - 9  (Read carefully, even though it's very familiar to us.)

We'll wait for you!

OK, now we are ready to dive in!

Imagine that you are living in a world that is absolutely filled with wickedness . . .

                   The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had 
                   become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of
                   the human heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5)

Does that sound familiar? (Grin) It sounds very much like the world that we are living in, today. Noah and his wife were busy raising their three sons, and struggling to protect them from the forces for evil in the world.

They must have done a very good job. The Bible says that Noah "found grace" (KJV) in the eyes of the Lord, and that he and his family were to be spared from the devastation to come:

                  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of
                  Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among 
                  the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had
                  three sons: Shem, Ham and Japeth.  (Genesis 6:8-10)

Wow.
Is that an awesome way to be described, or what? Wouldn't we love to have someone say that about us?  If scripture tells us that Noah was righteous, and that he walked with God, then I guess we can imagine his wife as a righteous person as well.  She must have been a supportive and loving woman, who helped raise their three sons in such a way that all of them were to be saved on the ark. I'm certain that when they were small, they told them the stories of Adam and Eve, and of Cain and Abel. They had good examples there of the temptations and the consequences of doing right and wrong. Noah and his wife did their parenting well.

In our wicked world today, we are tasked with telling and teaching others about God, too. If we have children, it's one of our most important jobs. If we don't have children, our lives still teach others who may be watching to see how we live. How we react to and handle the everyday obstacles (and joys) of life. We need to be mindful of setting a good example; not just talking about what we believe, but living it for all to see.

I believe Noah's wife must have been a woman of compassion, as well as righteousness. Imagine if your husband is building a huge ark, and people are stopping by to ask "what in the world is Noah doing?" Noah was urging his neighbors to repent, I'm sure, and telling them about the destructive rains to come. What do you think their responses were? I expect that they believed he was crazy. The Bible seems to indicate that it took many years to complete the ark, so I bet that the people pointed to that, as well. How can you believe that, Noah, when it's been so many years since you say God told you to build this monstrous boat?

But she didn't laugh. She loved him, and I bet she helped him. I believe that she was devoted to him, no matter how long it took till the rains came. And I bet she wasn't necessarily looking forward to sharing the ark with all those animals, either. But she still helped Noah, and encouraged him. This woman of compassion probably even urged the neighbors to listen to him, so that perhaps they would be spared.

I'm betting, too, that she was an example of the verse, "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." (Proverbs 31:27) In addition to helping Noah, she would have her usual routine of caring for the household, making clothing and linens, preparing meals, etc. We can adopt that good attitude, as well:

                  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also
                  to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as 
                  that of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:4-5)

Loving service.
Even if we are not married, there are opportunities around us to serve others. Whether it is reaching out to those who are in need, or simply being a good team-player at work, at church, or at home, Christ has given us an example of how to put others and their needs before our own.

We may not know Noah's wife's name, but we can see that she was righteous, and compassionate. We'll conclude our study of her life tomorrow.