| What I Can Learn From . . . , Part 3: Noah |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, September 26 2005 00:00 |
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We all know the story of Noah who built the ark and saved his household and the different species of animals from the flood. The writer of Hebrews tells us that he did so “by faith,” Heb. 11:8-10. We can learn that faith is the efficient and effective motivating force of acceptable obedience to God. We need to emulate the faith of these people who make up the great “cloud of witnesses,” as we run the Christian race. The writer of Hebrews tells us also that Noah became “Heir of the righteousness that comes by faith,” thus Noah was declared righteous, as we are, by faith, and not by what he did. His obedience was a manifestation of his faith, but his being considered righteous was by and upon his faith (certainly not because of his faith). However, there is an interesting point in the Genesis account concerning Noah that we should not miss. We are told at the end of chapter five that Noah was the son of Lamech, and it was prophesied that he would comfort his parents who labored under the curse God placed on the ground after Adam’s sin. We may learn that God’s covenant children come into this world with a purpose, and God revealed something of that purpose to Noah’s parents. In chapter 6 verse 8 we read the next comment about Noah, that he “found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” The KJV reads “found grace.” What does it mean to find grace or favor in the eyes of the Lord? Did Noah, prior to finding God’s grace, live a righteous life? Many think he did, yet Moses had just written in verse 5 that every inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually. Verse 9 says that Noah was a righteous man, but remember he was declared righteous by faith. The inescapable conclusion is that Noah, like all of us, owed his faith and righteousness to God’s grace. God extending grace to fallen man is the necessary prerequisite to anything man does in the way of acceptable obedience to God. |
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