1 Peter 3:20, commentary and pictures

God in longsuffering waited with a probation of 120 years while the ark was being prepared, giving the disobedient opportunity to repent, believe the warning and turn to Him for pardon, and when that time ended only eight souls, Noah and his family, entered the ark and were saved through the flood while the vast disobedient world perished. Christ Himself preached to those bound in sin through Noah as His messenger, appealing in love and mercy for disobedient hearts to accept God's righteousness in place of evil. Noah faithfully warned of the coming flood and built the ark at God's direction, and his building and warning testified against those who rejected it and left them without excuse before judgment fell. Many resisted conscience and rejected the light, some seeming for a time to heed without truly repenting, continuing in corruption and mocking until continued violence wore out divine patience and God in justice destroyed them by the flood. Their response is a pattern for the last days, when the world again becomes as it was before the flood and most reject the warning to repent before Christ comes, while the ark remains a picture of safety in Christ for all who will hear and turn from unrighteousness.

God's Longsuffering While Ark Prepared

The longsuffering of God waited while the ark was being prepared, patiently giving the disobedient a probation of 120 years, described as more than a hundred years, as opportunity to repent, believe the warning, and turn to Him for pardon. During that time God gave the people in Noah's day time to respond while Noah preached, and the warning was light given so hearers could believe. Only eight souls accepted and entered, while the vast majority remained disobedient and perished, illustrating that the same message brings life to those who receive it and ruin to those who reject it. Some appeared for a time to heed the warning but did not truly repent or turn to God, failing the trial and persisting in sin.

Christ Himself was preaching to those held in bondage to sin through a human messenger while God showed patience during the preparing of the ark. That preaching was God's pleading in love and mercy, appealing to disobedient hearts to recognize His love and to accept His righteousness in place of the principles of evil. It was by the same Christ who afterward came to Israel enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night and with infinite wisdom educated that vast multitude in their wilderness wandering in what God requires His church on earth to be.

Noah faithfully warned of the coming flood while the ark was being built, preparing it at God's direction, and his work showed that he believed his own warning. Methuselah, his sons and his grandsons received Noah's instruction, and they and others helped build, though others who for a time believed and helped did not endure, and Noah as the most pious and holy was preserved to carry out the work. His preaching and example in building testified against those who rejected it and condemned them, showing God's mercy before judgment fell and leaving rejecters without excuse. He persevered in warning for more than one hundred years, and the ark was prepared to save Noah and his family while only eight were preserved through the flood.

Many resisted conscience and the warnings, remained disobedient, and rejected the light, choosing Satan's side rather than God's plan of salvation. Their warnings affected them only briefly, and though many initially seemed to heed, they did not truly repent or return to God, failed the test, continued in corruption, polygamy and sinful passions, and joined the corrupt in mocking Noah. They were represented as prisoners who if they had repented and returned would not have been destroyed, but their continued disobedience made them ripe for destruction. When the appointed time came they mocked to the end, and the flood destroyed the old world while only eight were saved.

God patiently bore with that generation while they resisted, but their violence and repeated rejection wore out divine patience until His longsuffering was exhausted. Then He acted in justice and destroyed the old sinful race by the flood because of its iniquity, after the extended probation of 120 years with promise of pardon upon repentance.

Eight Souls Saved by Water

Only a few, that is eight souls — Noah and his family — believed Noah's warning, obeyed God's word, entered the ark, and were saved and preserved through the flood, while the vast disobedient world besides was swept out of existence and perished. Noah preached for 120 years, described as more than a hundred years, and prepared the ark at God's direction, his work in building showing he believed his own warning, yet only those eight accepted the warning and entered. The ark was prepared to save Noah and his family, while the people who rejected the warning were left without excuse. Their small number teaches that few followers or immediate results should not discourage those who faithfully warn others.

The small number saved shows a warning may reach many while only a few accept it, illustrating that most reject saving truth and choose the way of death. The warning was light that could have led hearers to believe, given so people could believe, and Noah's preaching and example in building the ark condemned those who rejected it and condemned the world. The light they rejected became a cause of their ruin, and the message brings life to those who receive it and ruin and condemnation to those who reject it. Though others believed for a time and helped build, Noah was the most pious and holy, and God preserved him to carry out his work, with eight people saved through the Flood.

God preserved the ark through the flood because it contained eight righteous people, a pattern for His miraculous preservation of the New Jerusalem and the faithful of all ages amid the final destruction of the earth by fire. After the waters began to recede, Noah's family waited for a sign that the earth was ready for them to leave, and God then opened the ark's door and commanded them to go out. The ark is a picture of safety in Christ, the one who makes salvation possible and offers life including everlasting life to every person who takes hold of His life, while those outside the ark are lost and face the last death. The ark was used by God to save all who would hear the warning and turn from unrighteousness, Noah preached truth that tested everyone, and those who believed were saved, but only eight persons were saved. The call to gather souls to the ark applies that image to bringing people into the way of salvation and to Christ who saves from sin, so those outside the ark of safety need salvation and all can labor for them by pledging themselves to unselfish missionary service from love for souls for whom Christ died.

Warning for the Last Days

The rejection of the warning in Noah's day is a pattern for the last days, when the world fast becomes as it was before the flood and the same lawlessness and violence that filled the earth then fills the earth now. For one hundred and twenty years God patiently waited while the ark was being built, giving a probation in which Noah warned the world to repent and turn to Him for pardon and the saving of souls who would hear. That probation was not appreciated, only eight souls believed and obeyed and were saved, and the disobedient were destroyed in the Flood. So now people are likewise warned to repent before Christ comes, while most will reject the warning as then.

Then confidence in the regular course of nature led men to dismiss the possibility of a Flood and to quiet conscience rather than accept God's message. Now the apparent constancy of nature is used to dismiss the warning of the world's coming destruction by fire in the general conflagration, though God is Lord over nature and can use it to fulfill His purpose. Then men reasoned that destruction of all could not accord with God's character, that Noah must be deceived, and that great and good men, philosophers, scientific and learned men who saw no consistency in the warning could not all perish while Noah alone was spared. The same reasoning is now used against the proclamation to fear God and keep His commandments because wrath will soon fall on the sinful and disobedient, with unfaithful professed servants lulling themselves to carnal security by saying God is too good and too merciful to save only a few who keep the Sabbath and believe the message of warning and to consume others with fire, that wise and great men would see the Sabbath and the shortness of time if it were true, and that a merciful Maker would not consume men with fire for not believing the warnings.

Today the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world. Men can go so far in wickedness under continual warning that God must arise to vindicate His honor.

Noah preached for one hundred and twenty years when multitudes lived on the earth, yet only eight received the message and were saved, and Christ likewise had many hearers but few followers. That small number teaches that few hearers or followers do not make faithful work fruitless and should not discourage those who faithfully warn others and labor. The truth must still be proclaimed even when many reject it, since rejection brings condemnation while receiving brings life. The work must not be narrowed or stopped when results are not at once seen, but workers must sow beside all waters and give the message of warning in the cities and villages.

The verse belongs to a message of great importance for ministers of the gospel and ministers' wives. It calls every minister to search deep and make clean work for eternity. It calls him to labor with zeal for unsanctified, unconverted companions. It calls for the convicting, converting power of the gospel to search ministers and their families so that no irreligious element remains in their homes.