And Then There Was One...

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8

There was a time in human history when the Bible says that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). How heartbreaking for God to see His beloved creation not appreciating or living the life that God purposed for them. In Genesis 6:6b it says, “God was grieved in His heart.” However, the Bible also says that there was one man named Noah who found grace in the eyes of the LORD!

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” Genesis 6:9

“Saying that Noah was righteous and blameless does not mean that he never sinned (the Bible records one of his sins in 9:20ff). Rather it means that Noah wholeheartedly loved and obeyed God. For a lifetime he walked step by step in faith as a living example to his generation.” Commentary

Noah was the only one out of the entire human race in his generation that loved and walked with God!  

For the past several days I have been smitten by Noah’s example of wholehearted obedience to God. (The phrase walked with God indicates a continual pattern of life – a marked contrast with the pattern of life of the rest of the peoples of the world at the time!) Commentary

Not only did Noah find grace in the eyes of the LORD, but God rewarded his life of obedience and his obedience brought a blessing to his family! The Bible says that God commanded Noah to build an ark, as a great flood was going to come upon the face of the earth (Genesis 6:14). Noah got right to work and it took him 120 years to build it!

“Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.” Genesis 7:6 (NOTE: The lifespans recorded in the Bible, beginning with the pre-Flood patriarchs, changes dramatically after the Global flood).

All mankind was destroyed by the great flood, but Noah and his family was saved, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Genesis 7:1

We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but through Jesus Christ, we can live a life that brings pleasure to our LORD. 

What legacy will you be leaving for your family in your generation? 

What is your life marked by? 

Your obedience and love for God can contribute to your family’s blessings!

I hope you enjoy reading this great challenge taken from a commentary from the Life Application Bible:

“The story of Noah’s life involves not one, but two great and tragic floods. The world in Noah’s day was flooded with evil. The number of those who remembered the God of creation, perfection, and love had dwindled to one. Of God’s people, only Noah was left. God’s response to the severe situation was a 120-year long last chance, during which he had Noah build a graphic illustration of the message of his life. Nothing like a huge boat on dry land to make a point! For Noah, obedience meant a long-term commitment to a project.

Many of us have trouble sticking to any project, whether or not it is directed by God. It is interesting that the length of Noah’s obedience was greater than the lifespan of people today. The only comparable long-term project is our very lives. But perhaps this is one great challenge Noah’s life gives us – to live, in acceptance of God’s grace, an entire lifetime of obedience and gratitude.” AMEN!

“For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23