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NOACH { ַ‫} נֹח‬ (Noah - rest)

Genesis 6:9-11:32, Isaiah 54:1-55:5, Isaiah 66:1-24; Matthew 24:36-46

By Hannah Nesher [Link]

“This is the account of Noah and his family.” (Genesis 6:9)

In last week’s Torah portion

(parashah), we began our weekly study
of the Word of God from the very
beginning with the study by the same
name, ‘Breisheet’ (In the Beginning).
What began as a beautiful, perfect
creation in the Garden of Eden ended
up being cursed because of the sin of
Adam and Chava (Eve).

At the conclusion of this parashah,

however, we read about a man named
Noach, who would somehow bring
comfort. This is a Hebrew word play
on the name Noach ַ‫נֹח‬, which means
‘comfortable’.

Noah's Ark (1846 painting by Edward Hicks) Wikipedia

“
Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his
name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of
our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” (Genesis 5:28-29)

Noah was the only righteous man of his generation; He walked with God in a time when
all others had turned away from godliness and righteousness.

“Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; Noah walked
with God.” (Genesis 6:9)

Noah (called Noach in Hebrew) is the only Biblical character to have a whole parashah
(Torah portion) dedicated solely to his life as a witness to and survivor of the apocalypse
of the planet through a flood. From all things ‘bright and beautiful’ in the Garden of
Eden, such a hopeful and hope-filled beginning (Genesis), all had descended into
corruption and violence. Does this sound somewhat like our world today?

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The Giant Nephilim

After Adam and Chava (Eve) were exiled from the Garden of Eden, they became fruitful
and multiplied; but the wickedness of mankind also increased upon the earth. In those
days, as is now, the earth was filled with every kind of sin, vulgarity and violence.

This descent into darkness may have been caused by the union of daughters of Adam
with fallen angels (called ‘nephilim’ from the Hebrew root word ‘nafal’ which mean
‘fallen’). The children created from these unions were giants (anakim) upon the earth.

“The Nephilim ‫ הנְּ פִ לִ ים‬were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the
sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the
same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.” (Genesis 6:4)

Immediately following this Scripture, we are told of a marked rise in wickedness of

mankind – especially in his thoughts. “And the LORD saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

It was so terrible that God was sorry he ever created humankind. He decided to send a
Great Flood upon the earth that would destroy every living thing He had created and
cleanse the world from evil.

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So
God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted
their way on the earth.” (Genesis 6:11-12)

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Hamas Means Violence

The Hebrew word for violence in these scriptures is ‘Hamas’. This is the name for one of
the terrorist organizations in the Middle East which has vowed to destroy Israel through
violence. It was because of this hamas ‫( חָ מָ ס‬violence) that God decided to destroy every
living thing from the face of the earth except Noah and his family.

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is
filled with violence (Hamas ‫ )חָ מָ ס‬through them; and, behold, I will destroy them
with the earth.” (Genesis 6:13)

Some may want to perceive Hamas or other Islamic terrorist organizations as simply
engaged in a political battle to ‘liberate’ their rightful territory from the Israeli
‘occupiers’. Some of the Christian Church even agrees with this viewpoint; but nothing
could be further from the truth.

The Word of God clearly reveals the truth about the Arab-Israeli conflict, if we only have
eyes to see. We must not fear calling Hamas what it is – a violent force of darkness
whose goal is to bring death and destruction to God’s people everywhere.

Our hope is found in the prophetic promise that one day, violence (hamas) will no longer
be heard in our land: “Violence ‫ חָ מָ ס‬shall no longer be heard in your land, neither
wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation
(Yeshuah) ‫ יְּ ׁשּועָ ה‬, and your gates Praise (Tehillah) ‫ ְּת ִהלָה‬.” (Isaiah 60:18)

But amidst all the violence and corruption of Noach’s day, God found this one man worth
saving. Noach was in his generation the only ‘ish tzadik’ (righteous man). We don’t have
to follow the crowd to do evil. Noach tells us that we and our children do not need to
conform ourselves to the immorality and corruption of the world all around us.

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The Word of God tells us that in the last days, the wickedness of man will again flourish
and increase upon the earth:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of
themselves (selfish), lovers of money (greedy), boasters, proud (arrogant), blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from
such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Every time we come to this study of Noach, I try to encourage my kids through his godly
example. It’s okay to be different than our peers; it’s more important to be righteous
before God than to be popular with friends.

The Hebrew Scriptures describe Noah as tzadik (righteous) ‫ צַדִּ יק‬and tamim ‫תָּ מִּים‬
(pure, innocent, complete and faultless). He was one of only two Biblical men to
‘hithalech’ (walk) with God, the other being Enoch.

Noah had three sons: Shem ‫ ֵׁׁשם‬, Ham ‫חָ ם‬,

and Yafet ‫יָפֶ ת‬. God instructed Noah to
build an ark (Tevat Noach) to save
himself, his family, and a pair of each
species of the world’s animal population
from the coming deluge.

The book of Hebrews includes Noah in its

list of the heroes of our faith since he
obeyed God in building an ark for the
saving of himself and his household, even
though he could see no evidence of the
coming downpour. Building the Ark (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence
prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the
world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
(Hebrews 11:7)

Although we don’t know if Noah’s wife and family were righteous as well; they were
also saved for Noah’s sake. This may give us hope that if even one member of a family
is redeemed and righteous, walking with God; then this may cause the rest of their family
members to be saved from the coming destruction.

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“For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving
wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are
unclean, but now they are holy.” (1 Corinthians 7:14)

It may be noted, however, that the ark guaranteed only Noah and his family’s physical
salvation, not their spiritual destiny. Just like the Israelites in Egypt, we can be delivered;
but we must each determine our own entry into the Promised Land. Tragically, most of
the children of Israel perished in the wilderness due to their evil hearts of unbelief. Only
two men of faith, Caleb and Joshua, who walked with God wholeheartedly, were given
the privilege of entering the land. We must have faith to enter into the Kingdom of God.

NOACH ‫ נח‬MEANS REST

It is not a coincidence that the name Noach ‫ נח‬means rest. Spelled backwards, his name
would mean ‘grace or favor’ (chen ‫) הן‬: “But Noah found grace (‫ )מָ צָ אַחֵׁ ן‬in the eyes
of ‫( יהוה‬the Lord).” (Genesis 6:8) Noah had truly entered into a place of blessed rest
through his absolute faith in God which led to his obedience. He was not a man who
‘leaned on his own understanding’ of the situation but he trusted wholeheartedly in the
Word of the Lord and simply obeyed.

We will also come to this place of peace and rest when we learn to simply trust and obey
God at His Word instead of trying to reason everything out and make sure something
makes sense or agrees with our theology before complying with God’s commands. We
are, each of us, saved not through works, but by the grace of God through faith. And
faith means resting in the Lord through believing.

Rest isn’t merely an optional Scriptural suggestion. Rest is one of the Ten
Commandments – right up there with ‘Thou shalt not have any idols or any other
gods….’. The One who created our dust-fragile frames knows our need of rest.

Some of us treat rest as a shameful four-letter word; and we feel guilty for being non-
productive or just ‘goofing off’ as we may call it. Of course we are also commanded to
work for six days, but the seventh day is holy and to be devoted entirely to rest. For most
of us, however, the rest we truly need is not a physical rest; for not many of us these days
engage in back-breaking physical labour. No, the rest that most of us need is a true rest
for our weary heart and soul.

We can be perpetually worried and upset about so many things - a condition that leaves
us chronically tired. When we feel weary to the bone, we need to cast all our cares on
Adonai and simply rest in Him: “Rest in YHVH ‫ יהוה‬and wait patiently for Him. Do
not fret …” (Psalm 37:7) Resting in the Lord requires an attitude of faith that knows
God is fighting our battles for us. Rather than panicking when we face a challenge or feel
the hot breath of the enemy at our backs, we are commanded to fear not – “Be still and
know that He is God.” (Psalm 46:10)

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It is only through faith leading to obedience that we may enter into God’s rest. Unbelief
will rob us of the rest of God. “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter
His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in
because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:18-19)

Moving with Godly Fear

It was Noah’s great faith that led him to move in

obedience with Godly fear to build an ark for the
saving of his family. Everything that God
commanded, Noah obeyed.

“Thus did Noah according to all that God

commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:22)

God instructed Noah to build a great ark (called a

teivah ‫ תֵּ בָּה‬in Hebrew), and to seal it inside and out
with pitch (tar) in order that it would float on the
water and keep everything dry within. A terrible
deluge of water was about to come, God warned
Noah, which would wipe out every living thing on
earth except for those saved on the ark.
The Building of Noah's Ark (painting by a French master of 1675)

“ And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall
perish.” (Genesis 6:17)

So unbearable was God’s grief over the corruption of mankind, that He chose to wipe the
slate clean and start over again with only Noah, his wife,
their three sons and their wives, as well as a male-female
pair of each kind of animal. God promised to make a
covenant with Noah, “But I will establish My covenant
with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, and
your sons, and your wife, your sons' wives with you.
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort
shall you bring into the ark, to keep them alive with
you; they shall be male and female.” (Genesis 6:18-19)

After forty days and forty nights, the rain stopped; but
another one hundred and fifty days needed to pass before
the waters receded and the ark finally came to rest on
Mount Ararat. Noah sent out a raven and then a dove to
see if the waters had dried up upon the earth.
Noah and the Dove (mosaic circa 12th–13th century in St Mark's Basilica,Venice)

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Finally, when the dove returned with an olive

branch in its beak, Noah knew that it was safe
to come out. From this account of Noah and
the dove, the olive branch has thereafter been
commonly regarded as a symbol of peace.

After Noah emerged from the ark, he sacrificed

an offering to the Lord from the animals that
had been brought for this purpose. God then
promised never again to curse the earth because of the wickedness of man; and never
again to destroy every living, breathing creature on earth as He had done in the flood.
“
And the LORD smelled a soothing
aroma. Then the LORD said in His
heart, “I will never again curse the
ground for man’s sake, although the
imagination of man’s heart is evil
from his youth; nor will I again
destroy every living thing as I have
done.” (Genesis 8:21)

God’s first instruction to Noah and his

family was to go out and replenish the
earth – to be fruitful and multiply. As
well as green herbs, God now gave
them the flesh of animals to eat also,
but never with the blood.
Landscape with Noah's Thank Offering (painting circa 1803 by Joseph Anton Koch)

God instituted the death penalty for murder, reminding them that man has been created in
God’s image and therefore the life of every human being is very precious. When we look
at others, we must also remember that they have been created in the image and likeness
of the Almighty God.

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of
God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6)

God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the

covenant (‘ot habrit’ ‫ אֹות הב ְִּרית‬in Hebrew)
with all people of the earth:

“ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall

be for the sign of the covenant between Me
and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13)

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Other covenants followed; and each one came with its own sign (ot ‫)אֹות‬. The sign of the
Abrahamic covenant is the circumcision of all male infants on the eighth day. The sign
of the Mosaic covenant is the keeping of the seventh day Sabbath as a holy day of rest.
And the sign of the New Covenant (Brit Chadashah) through Yeshua, is a new heart and
new spirit – the Torah is not to be abolished but rather written in our mind and our heart.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant (Brit
Chadashah) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… I will put My
Torah in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:31,33)

LOVE COVERS

After being saved from physical

destruction, Noah and his family
began the hard work of rebuilding
their lives after the flood; but we
see that even Noah, the only
righteous man on the face of the
earth, was still not perfect.

One day, Noah got drunk on wine

from the grapes and passed out,
naked, in his tent.

Noah's Drunkenness (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

One of Noah’s sons, Ham, disrespected his father by reporting his deplorable state to his
other two brothers. For this lack of honour towards his
father, Noah cursed Ham’s descendants.

What was the response of Noah’s other two sons –

Shem and Yaphet? Despite their father’s faults, they
still showed honour (kavod) to him, as is commanded,
“Honour your mother and father that it may go well
with you…” (Exodus 20:12)

Shem and Yaphet held a coat over their shoulders to

cover their father’s nakedness. These two brothers even
walked in backwards so that they would not see their
father in his state of drunkenness and nakedness.

For this act of respect they were blessed. Love does not
expose people’s sins; but rather, “Love covers a
multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Noah damning Ham (19th Century painting by Ivan Stepanovitch Ksenofontov)

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This is a strong object lesson for children, usually not found as one of the stories in our
Children’s Bibles, but one which should be told. Although no parent is perfect, and
sometimes we even do things which might be cause for our children to laugh at us or
point the finger, children must be taught to always respect their parents.

In Israel, some of us ‘first generation Israelis’ who have immigrated from foreign lands
as adults, struggle with acquiring the Hebrew language. Oftentimes, our children -
immersed in Hebrew schools, and with younger, quicker minds - pick up the Hebrew
easily and are soon speaking fluently.

Our foibles and fumbles with speaking Hebrew should never cause our children to laugh
or to point out our mistakes or funny accents; but instead, our children may try to cover
our weaknesses, out of love and respect.

One day, I was riding the bus home from

school and my middle son, Timothy, was
riding with me. An older man sat next to me
and engaged me in conversation. We
conversed back and forth in Hebrew and all
of a sudden I heard Timothy pipe up, “Imah
(Mom), you’re really improving in your
Hebrew!” I beamed with pride. A child who
honours his parents will be blessed by the
Almighty.

This curse over Ham did not end with him,

but carried on down the generations. We
may unknowingly also carry curses upon our
lives from generational sins. The atoning
blood of Yeshua which paid the price for all
our sins has the power to break these curses,
but we must receive and proclaim our
freedom in the Son.

Noah cursing Canaan (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1865 La Sainte Bible

BAVEL MEANS CONFUSION

The curses upon Ham’s descendants continued down his generational line. This shows us
the power of the father’s blessing (or curse). One of Ham’s sons was Cush; who begot
Nimrod, who began his kingdom in Bavel (modern day Iraq).

Nimrod also built the wicked city of Nineveh, to which God sent Jonah to preach
repentance. The name Nimrod means ‘to rebel’. The Tower of Babel (Bavel) was built in
the land of Shinar which is in Babylon (Iraq).

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What was so wrong with building a tower? The people of the world unified in their goal
of building the tower of Babel, but their motives were not pure. They were trying to
bring glory to themselves and build
their own kingdom, not the Lord’s.

Therefore, God was forced to bring

confusion to their languages to
destroy their works. Bavel ‫ בבל‬in
Hebrew means confusion. It is
from this word that we derive the
English term ‘to babble’. In
everything we do, we must
examine our motives to see if we
are attempting to ‘build a name for
ourselves’ or working to build the
Kingdom of God. All that is built
with impure motives will be destroyed on the Day of Judgment.

The Tower of Babel (1563 painting by Pieter Bruegel)

“
And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the
heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face
of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

It is ironic that the very thing they feared – to be scattered and divided across all the earth
– is exactly what happened to them when they attempted to accomplish something
without God.

“So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and
they ceased building the city.” (Genesis 11:8)

There is a principle here, however, that we must not miss – when the people came into
unity of heart, mind, and purpose – nothing would be impossible for them!

“And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and
this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld
from them.” (Genesis 11:6)

This demonstrates the powerful force of unity (which is why the enemy works overtime
to cause division in churches, families and marriages). When we get out of unity with one
another and get into strife, the enemy can cause confusion and every evil work. (James
3:16) It is upon unity that God commands His blessing:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!...
For there the LORD commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1,3)

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What was it that created such unity

amongst the people of Bavel? It
was their ability to communicate –
they were of one speech and one
language. All it took to stop the
building of the Tower of Bavel was
to confuse their languages so that
communication became difficult, if
not impossible.

God used the weapon of division to

stop their ungodly building project:

Building the Tower of Babel (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not
understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:7)

When communication stops, so does progress - whether in an organization, a business, a

ministry, a family, or a marriage. In order to build the Kingdom of God, a business, a
family, or any worthy enterprise, we must stay in unity, keep strife out, and keep the lines
of communication open.

There has been a lot of discussion about ‘love languages1’ in recent years; and it is true
that we need to learn to ‘speak in one another’s love language’ in order for that person to
experience being loved. In order to maintain unity amongst us as Believers, we must be
of one mind, one heart, and one spirit. We must be able to communicate clearly with one
another - to speak with clarity and to listen with compassion.

FLEE BABYLON

Today, the world is uniting in their goal of fighting a ‘war against terrorism’; but behind
the veneer, we may discern some possibly impure motives. Many world leaders’
attitudes towards Israel remains anti-Biblical (and even illogical) – demanding of Israel
terms to which they themselves would never agree. They demand that Israel gives away
portions of our God-given land and to negotiate with terrorists. And so their true motives
are unmasked - to usher in what has been termed the “New World Order.” 2

In the end, we will have an united world; but initially not under the leadership of the
Lord, Yeshua, in truth, justice and righteousness; but rather under the leadership of the
anti-Christ who will attempt to usurp the authority and throne of the Messiah. We see
these things transpiring before our very eyes; and yet the whole world seems deceived
into joining in the work of building the modern day Tower of Babel.

1
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate is a 1995 book by Gary Chapman
2
See DVD Unity in the Messiah, [Link]

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The Word of God prophesies utter destruction upon Babylon, therefore God gives an
urgent plea to His people, “Get out of her, My people, flee Babylon!” 3 Then I heard
another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my
people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that
you will not receive any of her plagues;” (Revelation
18:4) May the people of God wake up to the truth and
be saved from the judgements to come upon the earth.

Haftorah - the Waters of Noach

The haftarah (prophetic portion) of Parashat Noach is

one of Divine forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
An exiled Israel, punished for her sins, will one day be
forgiven, redeemed and returned to her Land. God
gives His solemn oath to Israel to have everlasting
compassion upon her:

“For the mountains may depart, and the hills be

removed; but my kindness shall not depart from
thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed,
says the Lord that has compassion on you.” (Isaiah
54:10) The Dove Returns to Noah (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

Although in His divine providence, God must turn His face from her ‘for a small
moment’, just as He also turned from Yeshua on the cross, He will again have
compassion upon Israel and save her: “For a little moment I left you, and with great
mercies I will gather you up.” (Isaiah 54:7)

God gives reassurance that although He sent her away to live in pain and humiliation, the
time of punishment will one day come to an end and she will not be harmed again.

The reference to the ‘Waters of Noah’ connects the parashah and haftarah. “For this is as
the waters of Noah unto Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no
more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor
rebuke thee.” (Isaiah 54:9)

How must the people have felt on the ark, tossed about on the waves? Perhaps like we
feel at times in our life, “Storm-tossed, suffering one, not comforted…” (Isaiah 54:11)

We sometimes wonder if these storms of life will ever come to an end. Is there no one
who can comfort us in our affliction? Even Yeshua’s disciples, caught in the middle of a
terrible storm, and seeing that he was asleep in the boat said,

“Master don’t you care that we are perishing!?” (Mark 4:38)

3
See book by the author, Come out of her My People, Flee Babylon, [Link]

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We can be assured that Yeshua does care and He can and will stand up and speak
‘shecket!’ (quiet!) to the wind and waves who obey Him.

In the midst of their relief at being saved, Noah

and his family may also have experienced
“survivor guilt” - horror at the terrible loss of
life – that no one else was saved except their
family.

Did they feel guilty that they could not convey

the seriousness of the situation to anyone? Did
they feel inadequate that no one would listen to
them?

Sometimes we feel this way when people do not

want to listen to the gospel message – do not
want to come under the covering of ‘the ark’,
the blood of the Lamb; do not take seriously the
message that God’s judgment is coming....

The Deluge (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1865 La Sainte Bible)

Comfort My People

One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is that of ‘comforter’. The Holy Spirit comforts
survivors of the storms of life and refugees who are still adrift, trying to find a place to
settle.

God’s New Covenant through Yeshua is

for all those who will come in faith – and
His Covenant of Peace (shalom) will
never be removed. We can comfort one
another with these words. With the same
comfort we have received, we can offer
comfort to other storm-tossed survivors
of life’s floods.

Parashat Noach encourages us to move

beyond our guilt and shame, real or
imagined – and accept the covenant of
Noah –the unconditional love of God.

“Fear not; you shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 54:4)

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Everlasting Covenant of Peace

Does the rainbow still appear in the sky?

Then we know that God will never ever
forsake us, but will show kindness to us and
establish an everlasting covenant of peace
with us. No weapon that is formed against
us will prosper and whoever gathers against
us shall fall. 4

This goes for whoever is attacking or

gathering against Israel – they will fall just
as surely as did Haman before Mordechai
the Jew. This is our heritage and our reward
as the servants of the Lord.

When we see the rainbow, we can know that we deserve to rebuild our lives out of the
destruction of the flood. We are called to rebuild even when all has been lost or swept
away.

We can overcome our fears of yet another failure, another disappointment. The waters
that caused death can now become a source of life and hope. ”All you who are thirsty,
go out for water,” (Isaiah 55:1)

We can re-discover hope even after being overwhelmed by loss and sorrow. This is the
message of Noach. God is present even at the flood, even in the darkest of moments.
“Adonai sits enthroned over the flood; Adonai is enthroned as King forever.”
(Psalms 29:10)

Because of Covenant; because of His tender mercies, new life is possible. And
abandoned, barren life can become fruitful and joyful. When hope is restored, we can
begin to form new relationships with others which is a first step to rebuilding our future.

The word of God says, “Come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will
make an everlasting covenant with you.” (Isaiah 55:3) God sealed this everlasting
covenant with the blood of Yeshua, who said, “Come unto Me, all who are weary and
burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

God beckons all who are thirsty to come for water, and for food that cannot be bought
with money. 5 Yeshua offered all who thirst the living water and the bread of life that
comes down from heaven – the ‘real manna’. If we eat of this bread and drink of this
water, we will be filled with His Spirit and will live and never perish. It is a free gift, and
yet so many refuse this gift of life.

4
Isaiah 54:17
5
Isaiah 55:1

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Your Husband is Your Maker

Through Haftarat Noach, our image of God can be transformed - from raging, punishing
Judge - to a loving, attentive spouse who partners with us to renew, rebuild and restore
our lives after loss.

"For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts (Yehovah
Tzeva’ot); and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all
the earth.” (Isaiah 54:5)

Haftarat Noach is a reminder that in spite of our brokenness, failures, losses and
disappointments, we can re-discover hope in God to rebuild even after the harshest of
storms. Where hope reigns, all things are possible.

This haftorah ends with God’s promise to give a ‘witness, a prince, a commander’ to the
peoples. “And the Gentiles will run to Him.” Indeed, Yeshua was given as a light and a
covenant not only to Israel, but to the goyim (Gentile nations) that they would enter into
this everlasting covenant with God through Yeshua and also find salvation and life. 6

It is ironic that while Gentiles the world over love Yeshua, His own nation, Israel,
continues to despise Him and refuses to honour him. But just as in the story of Joseph,
his brothers also adamantly vowed that they would never bow down to him; but we see
that one day, they did bow.7

Yeshua’s brothers, the Jewish people, will also one day bow to Him and find healing,
peace, forgiveness and salvation. In the end, every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess that Yeshua is the Lord (Adonai).8

New Testament - As in the Days of Noah

Noah's Ark floats in the background while people struggle to escape the rising water of the Flood (fresco circa 1508–1512
by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel)

6
Isaiah 49:6
7
Genesis 43:26
8
Philippians 2:10-11

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Most of us know that a great judgement and destruction is coming upon the world. But
many people still continue on with life as usual, completely unaware of what is coming,
just as was in the days of Noah before the flood.

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as
in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood
came and took them all away,

So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field; one
will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be
taken; and the other
left.” (Matthew 24:37-41)

In a popular Christian movie

series and book series, those
‘left behind’ are those who were
not ‘raptured’ with the saints but
left on earth to endure the
tribulation under the anti-Christ.
But we can see in these passages
as well as others the truth that
those taken away are those who
are, as in the flood, taken away
to destruction, not to glory.

The Deluge (late 19th Century painting by Léon Comerre)

When will Yeshua return? After (not before) the tribulation. (Matthew 24:29) When will
the Lord gather us to be with Him? When he returns after the tribulation. (Matthew
24:31) This is clearly written for all to know the truth.

Instead of waiting to be raptured, we must be about the business of diligently preparing

for this time of tribulation which is coming upon us. One of the ways we can prepare is to
store up treasure in heaven, by giving to the poor and God’s purposes rather than in
earthly possessions.

Our relationship with God must be securely founded upon the Rock of our Salvation or
we will not endure to the end and be saved; but if we ask, God is faithful, and He will
prepare us and see us through. Just as Joseph acted in Divine wisdom to prepare for a
time of famine in Egypt, and Noah was divinely warned of things not yet seen to prepare
an ark for the saving of his household, God will also warn us and give us wisdom if we
will ask.

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We must keep our ears open to the voice of His Spirit. We cannot be complacent or
asleep, going about ‘life as usual’; but we must be about our Father’s business and work
while there is yet light.

“Watch, therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all
these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke
21:36)

We are living in perilous times, when the nations of the earth are being hit with terrible
floods, fires, hurricanes, tsunamis, famines and earthquakes - one natural disaster after
another, as Yeshua prophesied would happen in the Last Days before His Second
Coming: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will
be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7)

Birth Pains before the Coming of Messiah

These are all signs that we are in the end times. Yeshua likened this to a woman in the
throes of giving birth. He called this period ‘the beginning of birth pains.’ (Matthew
24:8)

Isaiah also used this analogy to prophesy the birth of the nation of Israel – in a day!

“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she
delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like
this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:7-8)

The most amazing aspect of this prophecy is that it has been fulfilled in our very day! So
let us rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad.

“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly
with her, all you who mourn over her.” (Isaiah 66:10)

God yet has a glorious destiny and future for the holy city of Jerusalem. We will one day
see peace (shalom) and prosperity in this city: “I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;” (Isaiah 66:12)

And yet before this day that we so long to see, God will first cleanse the earth of all evil
and wickedness. He will come with fire, the sword and judgment upon the earth and
many will be slain who rebel against the Lord.

“See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will
bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and
with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those
slain by the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:15-16)

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The people who display their rebellion towards the God of Israel by disobeying His
commandments as written in the Torah (such as the Biblical dietary laws that forbid the
eating of the flesh of swine and other unclean things) will meet their terrible end together.

“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one
who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things — they
will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD.” (Isaiah
66:17)

But those who are faithful to the One True God will see His glory displayed in the new
heavens and the new earth:

“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,”
declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. From one New
Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow
down before me,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:22-23)

The faithful remnant will bring their offerings to Jerusalem and some will be chosen as
priests and Levites. They will look upon the bodies of those who rebelled against Adonai:

“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me;
the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,
and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” (Isaiah 66:24)

In the end times, judgement will come suddenly, just like the flood in the days of Noah
(Matthew 24:36-41); but we need not fear, for the Lord will provide a safe shelter, an ark
(a teivah), to protect us from the raging storms of tribulation to come - just as He
provided the ark for Noah and his family.

“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with
songs of deliverance. Selah.”
(Psalms 32:7)

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Come, my

people, enter your chambers, and
shut your doors behind you; Hide
yourself, as it were, for a little
moment, until the indignation is
past.” (Isaiah 26:20)

May we emerge from the ark to

establish the new heavens and the new
earth of peace and righteousness and
justice under the rule of the Messiah,
Yeshua.

Noah Descending from Ararat (1889 painting by Ivan Aivazovsky)

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 Noach Study Questions
1. Why did God decide to send the flood?
2. How does this relate to Hamas and our world today?
3. How does Noah set an example for us and our children? Do you find it a challenge not to
be conformed to the standards of the world?
4. What is the meaning of Noach’s name and what is its significance to our faith?
5. What did Noach do to prepare for the coming flood? Do you feel directed by the Holy
Spirit to take any specific action to prepare for what is to come upon the earth?
6. What promise did God make to Noach and mankind? What is the sign of that promise?
7. How do the different responses of Noach’s sons give us an object lesson about the
importance of honoring our mother and father?
8. How does the Tower of Babel show us the power of unity? When can unity become
dangerous?
9. Have you ever felt that you have survived a flood? Do you receive hope from Noach to
rebuild your life? Share and discuss.
10. How do Yeshua’s warnings about the End Times relate to the days of Noah? Do you
believe we will go through a time of tribulation on the earth or be raptured prior? Share
and discuss.

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About the Author:

Hannah Nesher grew up in an Orthodox Jewish

home and received her education in a religious
Hebrew school in Canada. During a crisis
pregnancy, she came to know Jesus (Yeshua)
as her Messiah and Savior. She now lives in
Israel with her children and grandchildren,
teaching the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.

If you appreciate these teachings, your donations

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