Genesis 6:7,8

Noah, one righteous man.

The earliest generations of mankind after Adam and Eve lost their way into evil degradation quickly. Only a narrow branch of the family tree maintained hearts of faith in God their Creator, following His word and seeking His face.

After about 1500 years, that narrow branch had dwindled to a twig, and the Lord intervened to bring the chaos and violence to an end.

Then the LORD said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.”

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:7-8)

One man is singled out to be rescued, and his immediate family is spared the inundation.

His first son, Japheth was born when Noah was 500, and Shem two years later. Ham came along some time after that. In verse 18, God promises to keep Noah’s family safe, including his sons and their wives. I presume the sons were grown and married by that time. Then the flood came when Noah was 600. (Genesis 5:32; 11:10; 7:6)

This means that work on the ark could have taken no more than 80 years and quite possibly a good deal fewer. By building this huge ship, Noah proclaimed to all who would observe that God’s judgment was coming upon their wickedness. Peter calls him a preacher of righteousness, certainly in that his upright life had displayed the way one should live, but quite likely in that he explained to his acquantainces the message of God and the construction of the means of rescue. (2 Peter 2:5)

Even in this plan, God was not rashly hasty but instead He waited patiently giving the people time to repent. God knows how to rescue the godly and is also able to bring justice upon the rebellious at just the right time. (I Peter 3:20)

This is a strikingly dramatic moment in history — in particular that there was a single righteous man on earth among vast throngs of wicked people. It is hard to imagine being in a position so isolated, yet there it is: Noah stood firm in His worship of the Almighty.

Some believers are alarmed by the debauchery of our current society, but without offering excuses we must observe that human history has seen much worse.

In addition to the explanations that Noah’s history gives us of our current geology, his life gives us strong encouragement to imitate his faith. He believed that what God said is true and acted accordingly. We should read the Bible, and treat it for what it is: the Word of God — true, sharp, and immovable.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Noah “moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Heb 11:7)

Notice the connections. Noah’s faith moved him to obey the command of God even though it may have seemed unreasonable and logically disconnected from known reality. And in response his family received the promised rescue. Hebrews tells us he inherited righteousness from God which was a gift of grace in exchange for his trust, not as a matter of earned wage.

So what of us? May we trust the Lord with persistence and not allow any amount of peer pressure to deceive us into walking in the hurtful way (Psalm 139:24)

Pursuit of wisdom for today from the Ancient of Days