Sorry, We're Closed... Revisiting Noah

A phrase that is common in some circles goes something like, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." It's what people tell me when they find out that I do not have a full-time job, or perhaps people have said that to you when news comes around that they interpret as negative- don't worry honey, God has something better for you... you'll get another chance... He'll open a window.

What seems to be missing from the phrase is the idea that, on occasion, it is our sin and disobedience that has precipitated the activity of God. God closes the door and as the risen Christ says in Revelation 3, what He shuts no man can open. In other words, there is no window option. Part of this Sunday's sermon referenced the classic account of man trampling on grace and running out of time: Noah's Ark (or, if you prefer, Noah and the Flood). The bottom line? Our God is infinite, but He sets limits: "My Spirit will not contend with man forever" (Genesis 6:3a).

Scripture is careful to inform us that it was God, not Noah, who shut the ark (Genesis 7:16). I imagine that if Noah were able to, he would have 'opened a window' to try and let in his neighbors, who might have had a change of heart once the rain fell and floods rose. (I say "might have had" because of the account of Lot's departure in Genesis 19, which clearly indicated that Lot's neighbors had no interest in redemption... so we cannot assume that the people of Noah's day were pounding on the ark's exterior begging to be let in.)

Why do we dare to be defiant in the face of God's mighty power? Maybe we don't really believe that the God of the Old Testament will show up in our postmodern paradigm. Or maybe we have decided that we love our sin more than we love Jesus. In any case, the warning has gone out, the same simple warning that has been issued for millenia: repent or perish. In the face of God's accuracy and efficacy, we would do well to heed His warning.