But Noah Found Grace…

Genesis 6: 5-7

“The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Have you ever wondered why the one commandment God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden was NOT to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? I have recently heard it proposed that it was because they didn’t need it. Adam and Eve didn’t need to know evil. They didn’t need that choice. 

Yet, Satan deceived Eve by asking the question that people still struggle with today:  Did God really say?. . . for He knows that in the day that you eat, you will be like God. God’s word that they “would surely die” came true, and they were separated from God forever. When sin moved in, God’s Holy Spirit had to move out, and unfortunately for us, Adam’s choice affected mankind for all time. It was Adam’s choice that made mankind want to be his own god. Instead of worshiping and glorifying God, mankind chose to worship and glorify himself, worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.

It didn’t take many generations for the whole earth to become evil. Evil. It is never satisfied and it always devours the one who practices it.  It must have been pretty bad for God to want to destroy it all. But remember that until God gave the law to Moses, there was just one commandment, and it had been broken long ago. Imagine a world without any rules. Everyone just did what he wanted, while the “rules” constantly changed to benefit the biggest bully.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. You know the story. God told Noah to build an ark. This ark would take Noah, his family, and all the animals through the flood waters. The ark is a picture of Jesus. In Christ, we are sealed and rescued from destruction.

Some may read these verses and view God as harsh and vindictive, but we need to remember that God is not only Just, He is HOLY. And even when the whole world was evil and corrupt, in His mercy, God saved the righteous.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His word will never fail to accomplish His purpose. We may not always understand his judgments, yet one day, when faith becomes sight, all Heaven will declare: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just…” Revelation 19:2. 

Until then, trust the Lord. Trust that He doesn’t withhold any good thing. Bad things, however, He wants to save us from. Trust that He rescues the righteous, and in Jesus, we are the righteous. And finally, trust that His judgments are true and just.