“Grandpa, I’m tired of staying inside,” Sammy said, looking out at the slushy rain.

“Shall I tell you a story?” Grandpa asked, and Sammy bounced up and down. “Well then, this is a story you have heard before, but today I’ll call it—

The Righteous Man

(Reference: Genesis 6; Hebrews 11:7.)

Japheth was the youngest son, and had learned to obey when he was small. He had two older brothers and lived with his father and mother a long, long time ago. Like other boys, I’m sure he loved to run and play and find out things. “Why do sheep live on the land and a fish live in the water?” he would ask. “Because that is the way God made them to be,” Father would say. Father was a righteous man, which means that He loved and obeyed God.

Sometimes Japheth’s questions were hard for Father to answer, like, “How come not many people want to obey God?” Father would stop his work to look past the green fields to the cities. Japheth knew many wicked people lived there—people that didn’t love God and only thought of themselves. Sometimes his uncles and aunts would come and tell them of the exciting life in the cities and how fun it was there.

“It is in their hearts to think evil and do wrong things,” Father would say. “They think it is fun to cheat and lie and steal, but God is not pleased.”

“And why is it bad to go and see the contests and games that the other boys talk about?” asked Japheth.

“Do you think that watching men beat each other and try to make themselves look the biggest and best is something good?” Father shook his head and said, “No, my son, it is much better to love and obey God.”

So Japheth learned to work and help at home. He learned to pray to God, and play fair, and love those around him. He believed that his father was right. It was best to follow God’s way, even when others would call him stupid and strange.

Then there came a day when people really thought they were strange. It began when God told Father that the whole earth and all wicked people would be destroyed. God also told Father that He would save them, because they had lived pleasing to Him. Father was given special instructions for how to build a giant boat called an ark. Why would they need such a thing? God had said that He would send a flood, and so Father and his family believed Him.

And how the people laughed when they saw them begin to build it! It did seem strange to be building a huge boat out in their field, but Japheth worked hard hauling and sawing wood with his brothers. Day after day they worked, often getting very tired, but never giving up. People came to watch, but they did not believe Father’s warning. But Japheth knew that he was doing what was right, because obeying God was best.

When Grandpa stopped telling the story, Sammy bounced up and down. “I know, I know!” he said, “It was Noah’s ark!”

“I thought it was, because of the name Japheth,” said Alice, who had come in to listen. “Didn’t it take a hundred years to build the ark?”

“Yes, it does seem that it took a long time,” Grandpa agreed. “And can you tell me what happened next, Sammy?”

“The animals came in, and then it rained and rained until everything drowned.”

“I’m sure that they were very glad to be safe then,” said Grandpa. He winked at Sammy. “Do you think they got tired of staying inside all the time? They had to be in the ark for more than a hundred days.”

“But they had the animals, so that would be fun,” said Sammy.

“And work, too,” Alice added. “But even if it was hard, they were glad that they were saved.”

“Yes,” said Grandpa. “Saved because they obeyed God even when others didn’t.”