This sixth chapter of Genesis has some hard verses, as God decides to limit man’s years to one hundred and twenty. The increase of sin plus long lives equaled devastating effects on mankind, so it was time to nip that in the bud. Verse six reveals a heartbreaking reality:
And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Genesis 6:6 ESV
He could have easily ended it all right there with a complete reversal of his creative activity, but Noah, whose name sounds like the Hebrew word for comfort, held God back.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:8, 9b
Noah Walked with God
Just as Enoch walked with God, making him an exception to the live-father children-die cycle, Noah’s walk with God saved the future of mankind. Jesus told a parable about a widow woman who became an exception to a judge who neither “feared God nor respected man.” She kept bothering him to the point that an unrighteous judge served a just sentence on her behalf.
God was perfectly just in serving his sentence of condemnation on all mankind, but one man did not lose his way and walked in the path of righteousness, pleasing God to the point of relenting from his complete destruction of sinful man. Jesus, at the end of his parable, asks the question:
“I tell you, he [the unrighteous judge] will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Luke 18:8
The faith God saw in Noah is the faith he seeks in us today.
How does my walking with God change things for others?
Because Noah walked with God and found favor in his eyes, you and I are here today. Noah, in a sense, became the father of all mankind, just like Adam, because in him everything started from scratch again. When I walk with God, are others saved?
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:7
God established the first covenant with Noah, committing to keep him, his family, and the animals alive in the ark while everything else perished. The faith of Noah stood in contrast to the lack thereof in others. His relationship with God set him apart.
- He received God’s favor—they did not.
- He lived—they did not.
- He is remembered for his faith—they are not.
God says something very impactful in verse one of chapter 7:
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.”
Genesis 7:1
Am I righteous in the eyes of God in my generation? Yes! Because the righteousness of Jesus Christ covers me!
May you find favor with God and walk with him in righteousness, as you live by faith in Jesus Christ his Son. May your life wake others up to their need for a Savior.
Grace and Peace