“What should we learn from the life of Noah?”……We first hear about Noah in Genesis 5, which begins with "this is the book of the generations of Adam." This is a recurring phrase in Genesis, and chapter 5 details the godly line of Seth as opposed to the worldly line of Cain (Genesis 4:17-24). Assuming no generational breaks, Noah represents the tenth generation from Adam. The genealogical account of Noah reads, "When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, 'He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed'" (Genesis 5:28-29).……Right from the start, we see that Noah is going to be special as he is the only member of this genealogy whose name is explained. His father, Lamech, states that his son, Noah, will bring relief ("Noah" sounds like the Hebrew word for "rest or relief"). We learn quickly what Noah was to relieve us from in Genesis 6:1-8, where we see the unfettered results of the fall as unrighteousness increases throughout the world. God announces His indictment against mankind with these cryptic words: "The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Genesis 6:5). At this point, God determines to pass judgment on the world through the flood (v. 7). Yet, even in this situation, we see a ray of hope: "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (v. 8). Despite the rampant wickedness that was increasing exponentially upon the earth, there is one man who stands out-a man whose life was characterized by the hand of God's grace upon him. Noah found favor with the Lord. God was about to send judgment upon the world for its wickedness, but He extends His saving grace to Noah and his family.……Genesis 6:9 marks the beginning of the flood narrative, and it is here that we learn the most about Noah's life. We learn that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, and that he walked with God. One can almost see a progression of spirituality in this description of Noah's life. By saying Noah was righteous, we know that he was obedient to God's commands (as best as he was able and understood them at that time). He was blameless in his generation, standing out among the people of his day. While they were engaging in debauchery, Noah was living an exemplary life. Finally, Noah walked with God, which puts him in the same class as his great grandfather, Enoch (Genesis 5:24); this implies not only an obedient life, but one that has a vibrant and intimate relationship with God.……We see Noah's obedient life demonstrated in his willingness to obey without question the Lord's commands regarding the ark (Genesis 6:227:5, 98:18). Consider that Noah and his generation more than likely had never seen rain before, yet God tells Noah to build a large seagoing vessel nowhere near a body of water. Noah's trust in God was such that he promptly obeyed. Noah's blameless life is made manifest as he warns his contemporaries of the coming wrath of God. The Apostle Peter tells us that Noah was a "herald of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5), and the author of Hebrews says that he "condemned the world" (Hebrews 11:7). Despite the hardhearted response of his generation, Noah continued to plead and warn people of their impending doom. As evidence of his walk with God, we see that after the flood, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices to God (Genesis 8:20). Worship was a central part of Noah's life.……Aside from the flood narrative and the vignette of his drunkenness recorded in Genesis 9:20-27, we don't know much about Noah's life. Surely, the drunkenness wasn't the only instance of impropriety in Noah's life. Like all of us, Noah was born with a sin nature. The episode of his drunkenness was included in the narrative, more than likely, to explain the animosity between the Canaanites and the Israelites. Despite this incident, we do see that Noah was revered as one of the few exceptionally righteous men in the history of God's people. Twice in Ezekiel 14, God says through the prophet that even if Noah, Daniel and Job were present in the land, God would not spare the people from judgment. That's some righteous company to be in (Daniel and Job). We also know that Noah is included in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11, another indication that Noah was considered a model of faithfulness and that he had the kind of faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).……With all that said, what can we learn from the life of Noah? Practically speaking, Noah is an example of a life of faith. Hebrews 11:7 says of Noah, "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Noah didn't need to "test" God before going into action; God commanded, and he obeyed. This was typical of Noah's life. Noah was part of the godly line of Seth, of whom it was said, "At that time men began to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). Noah was the result of generational obedience and faithfulness toward God. If we were to model our lives after Noah, there is no better rule to follow that to be "righteous, blameless in our generation, and to walk with God." In other words, be right with God, be right with others, and have a reverent and worshipful relationship with God. You can almost hear the words of Jesus echoing here when He responds to the lawyer's question regarding the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-39).……Theologically speaking, we can also draw some lessons from Noah's life. First and foremost, Noah's life shows us the eternal truth that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Noah wasn't an exemplary individual because he was somehow able to bypass the fallen sin nature we all possess. God's grace was upon him, aside from which Noah would have perished with all of the other wicked sinners in the flood. Noah is also a prime example that God saves His elect. We see that God was patient concerning the coming judgment while Noah built the ark (1 Peter 3:202 Peter 2:5). The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. This truth is explicitly stated in 2 Peter 3:8-9, as we learn that the Lord will postpone final judgment until all of the elect reach repentance.……Finally, Noah's life serves as a reminder that judgment on sin will come. The Day of the Lord will come (2 Peter 3:10). Jesus uses the life of Noah as a foreshadowing of what it will be like when the Son of Man returns in final judgment (Matthew 24:37-38Luke 17:26-27). As such, we need to follow Noah's example and be a "herald of righteousness" and heed the words of Paul: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Like Noah, we are Christ's ambassadors in these last days. God's judgment is coming, but He offers reconciliation through Jesus Christ. We must take this message of reconciliation to others.

Noah Found Grace

by Henry Morris III, D.Min. *

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.…Genesis 6:8…But Noah found favor with the Lord.

The word "grace" (Or favor)appears for the first time in the Bible in this verse. Noah lived in the midst of the most heinously evil society the world had known, but because he had found grace, God favored him with personal instruction about the coming catastrophic judgment and the details for a new beginning on earth.…The language of Genesis 6:8 gives us insight into Noah's character. "Found" is a simple active perfect verb, not a passive one. Thus, Noah found favor-grace-in God's eyes because he was actively looking for it. …Likewise, Adam found no helpmate from among the animals that was suitable for him (Genesis 2:20), …Noah's dove did not find rest for the sole of her foot (Genesis 8:9). …Laban did not find his household images that Rachel had stolen and hidden (Genesis 31:35) …Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses…(2 Chronicles 34:14-15). …God could have used a passive verb in reference to Noah, but He did not.

What can we learn from the life of this great man?

Evidently, God intended for us to know this key factor:…Noah's life was righteous-in spite of the horrible condition of the world of his day. He was looking for God's direction and for the answers to his heart's cry. Noah wasn't merely hanging around waiting for the inevitable destruction that he sensed must come as a result of the awful rebellion that surrounded him. Noah was anticipating a response from God-and when God finally did give him instruction, Noah "found" the favor that he sought!

Captain of Industry…Many centuries later, God warned Ezekiel of future judgment that would happen to the land of Israel because of its wickedness. God identified three men-Noah, Daniel, and Job-as examples of the best "righteous" men in history

(Ezekiel 14:14, 20).

If that comparison has any meaning, Noah was much more than a mere chance recipient of God's grace.

Job was "the greatest of all the men of the east" (Job 1:3). His livestock resources (mainly those for caravan duty) were enormous. That certainly meant that he was a successful trade broker and possibly a source for prized stock. He had multiple houses and land-so much so that "bands" from nearby nations were necessary to destroy his wealth.

God had labeled Job "my servant…there is none like him in the earth, a perfect [blameless] and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth [shuns] evil" (Job 1:8). Job was much more than a "nice guy." He was probably the wealthiest man of his day, and yet he was of such godly character that God used him to teach Satan a lesson!

Daniel was one of the king's descendants and nobles from Judah taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:3). The account of Daniel and his three godly friends is well known among Christians, but the young adult experiences of Daniel often overshadow the long life that he led as the leader of the "scientists" (learned men) of that day. He was commissioned as a "great man" by Nebuchadnezzar and "sat in the gate of the king" (Daniel 2:48-49). Daniel served in some form of senior political and advisory position for six kings over some 70 years. Not bad for a captive!

God identified Daniel as a "man greatly beloved" (Daniel 10:11). He was privileged to have unusual spiritual insight, which he could have used to his personal advantage. But he always made it clear that he was gifted by God's grace-to whom he always gave credit. Furthermore, God used Daniel to record several of the most remarkable prophecies in all of Scripture. Scholars are still discussing the book of Daniel. He was a significant person indeed!

If the comparisons of the righteous men listed in Ezekiel 14 are to be genuine comparisons, Noah must have been a person of significance in his region-if not well known throughout the world of his day. He clearly possessed or had access to the resources and skills needed to accomplish the monumental task that was assigned to him. Since God's instructions to build the Ark are somewhat general, it is not beyond reason to assume that Noah ran an architectural and contracting business of some kind.

The pre-Flood civilization would certainly have been advanced enough for such an enterprise. The evolutionary cloud has mesmerized most of the world into relegating the "ancient" world into some sort of pre-human existence-living in caves and grass huts with animal skins for clothing. The Bible paints a much different picture! There were cities during Noah's day, as well as developed technology that included metallurgy and the skills to build and market musical instruments (Genesis 4:17-22). Somebody had to construct the habitations for the growing population, and someone had to coordinate the distribution and development of those manufacturing places that produced the products needed by that society.

The world of Noah was very wicked, but it functioned with much the same needs as our current world. When the Lord Jesus wanted to emphasize the suddenness of the destruction in the coming end-times judgment, He did it by drawing a comparison with the "ordinary" life of the populations around Noah.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27)

Noah was an important man in his day. Whether he was a general contractor, an architect, or a business baron is pretty much an educated guess. But the fact that he found grace is important. Noah was fully dedicated to the work of God during his life.

Walked with God

The Bible says that Noah was one of only two men in all of history who "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). The other is Enoch, who may be more well known since he was taken up into God's presence without dying (Genesis 5:24). Efforts by some to portray Noah as a bumbling, drunken hypocrite are simply not true. God's commentary is that Noah was "just" and "perfect" (upright, without blemish). The Creator entrusted him with a monumental task that is unique in all of history.

Noah was "just." That simply means that he was known for his equitable dealings with others. Even in the wicked world that disgusted the Creator, Noah was "justified" in his dealings. He charged reasonable prices for his work. He gave a good product (whatever it was) to those who employed his services. His honest dealings gave rise to his influence in the community. He was proven to be a man of integrity (Genesis 7:1).

Noah was "perfect." That precious reputation, at least from God's perspective, means that he was a man without condemnation. His "just" dealings resulted in a "blameless" record. Whatever the wicked people of his day may have said behind his back, they knew that Noah was above reproach. Just as folks today often resort to rumor-mongering and distortion of facts to cover their own guilt, those around Noah no doubt employed some of the same practices to discredit righteous Noah. He may well have had that kind of treatment, but God saw that he was "perfect."

Preacher of Righteousness

Peter called Noah a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). Think of what that means in the context of Genesis 6! The whole earth was "filled with violence" and "every heart" only thought of evil. The social milieu must have been a real mess. Yet Noah had the guts to stand up publically for the righteous behavior that just about everyone else openly and loudly rejected.

Perhaps his extended family members, and even some or most of his employees, were under his influence. But by the time the judgment of God fell, only Noah, his wife, and three of their sons and their wives were willing to follow his leadership into the Ark. Many would consider a ministry with such results a failure today, and yet God insisted that Noah's faith not only "saved" his family but the future world from extinction (Hebrews 11:7)!

We are not told in Scripture what Noah preached about. Enoch (the other man who walked with God) preached about the return of the Lord in judgment (Jude 1:14-15). Noah may well have preached about the coming judgment of the Flood and the desperate need of the world's people to turn back to their Creator for salvation. Whatever he may have preached and however he implemented his heart's desire, Noah was labeled a "preacher of righteousness" by the only Judge that ultimately counts.

God's grace is always available. It is not hidden from anyone. But it must be "found" by God's servants as we "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Adapted from Dr. Henry Morris III's Book of Beginnings, Volume Two, available soon from the Institute for Creation Research.