By ROBERT FIGUEROA
The Godly Seed in the Life of Noah
"Then the Lord
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the
Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in
His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created
from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and
birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah.
Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God."
- Genesis 6:5-9
The Context
(setting)
God had just pronounced His judgment on the terrible
wickedness of that age (people) which were God’s creation. God had
promised from the beginning to Adam and Eve that there would be a
savior from the seed of the women (Genesis 3:15). If God said that the
whole earth would be destroyed, where would the Promised seed come
from? In all the wickedness, there was one man who was perfect and
righteous: his name was Noah, which means—rest or relief.
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Continued from above
He was one man who would remain true to God:
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (verse 8). This is
the first time the word "Grace" is used in the Bible. Noah’s life and
name meant "relief", he brought grace to this world for he was the only
true worshipper of God at that time. Talk about peer pressure!
Noah Was An Example of Five Things
-
He was a just man
-
He was a perfect man
-
He walked with God
-
He did according to all that God commanded
him
-
He was a preacher of righteousness
God And Sin
Have you ever wondered how God sees sin or how it makes Him
feel when we sin? In the words of the great expositor of the 19th
century, Matthew Henry:
"Here is God’s resentment of man’s wickedness.
He did not see it as an uncovered spectator, but as one injured and
affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees the folly and
stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child, which not only
angers Him, but grieves Him, and makes him wish he had been written
childless."
The
Character of God When We Sin
-
God is pressed by the sins of man:
"Behold, I am weighed down by you, As a
cart full of sheaves is weighed down." - Amos 2:13
-
God is wearied by man’s sin:
"You have bought Me no sweet cane with
money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But
you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your
iniquities." - Isaiah 43:24
-
God is grieved by man’s sin:
"For forty years I was grieved with
that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their
hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ But nevertheless God still loves
us and will make a way out." - Psalms 95:10
The Building and
the Meaning Of The Ark
During the time that Noah and his family were fleeing the
wrath of God he was instructed to build an Ark. Through the Ark he was
to be saved. The ark symbolizes baptism in the New Testament. In order
to be save we must go through the ark or be baptized in Jesus Name. The
world was baptized by the flooding of the world. It was full of sin and
when the waters receded the world was cleansed from all of it’s
iniquities.
The Character of
Noah
To be "just" means to live a righteous life and to treat
others in a fair and just way despite the circumstances (Noah’s time).
It means to be upright, honest, and virtuous, never to cheat or steal
from others.
"Noah was a just
man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." - Genesis
6:9
Noah lived a just
and moral life both before God and man. Noah’s righteousness exceeded
that of the people:
"For I say to
you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of
heaven." - Matthew 5:20
Noah Was Perfect
The Hebrew word for perfect is to be without blemish or to be
blameless, to be moral, a person of purity, of integrity, of honesty;
to be whole and complete.
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." -
Genesis 6:8
How About Us?
How can we find grace in the eyes of the Lord? By being just,
perfect, and walking with God just as Noah’s great Grandpa, Enoch, did.
Let Noah Be An Example To Us
Today
We’re not the only one’s here alive on this earth, the land
is full of people like in Noah’s generation and we need to find them
and tell them to come into the Ark. For soon the door will be closing
and we will be on our way over yonder. Be perfect and just,
walk continuously with God. This same God was relieved because there
was a family like Noah’s, let God be relieved with you and your family!
"Jesus saith unto him, I am
the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me." - John 14:6
Robert Figueroa is the co-producer of Inspired
Christian.org and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife,
Irma. You can contact Robert via email at robertfig@inspiredchristian.org.
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