Grace Given
What always will be available from God in the midst of wickedness? Grace. God’s marvelous, unfathomable, undeniable grace. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
And in that grace we can see the character and the actions of the last hero of the 1st age of mankind.
We see three characteristics of Noah’s and then one all-important action that was the result of that life.
Genesis 6:9 Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Noah was a just man.
He was perfect in his generations, and like his great grandfather Enoch,
Noah walked with God
Then in Genesis 7:22 this is the result. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he
These three traits, just, perfect and walking with God, describe a godly life. Such a life not unique to Noah, but because of the times in which he lived his life stands out. It shines like a beacon on a very dark night.
If we define these three characteristics we would say that Noah’s life was characterized by justice, purity and holiness.
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, probably my favorite commentary, says this, “The word righteous, from Hebrew ṣâddı̂q, describes Noah’s character as it manifested itself in relation to other human beings. “Straightness” or “up-rightness” was evident in his behavior. All his conduct revealed this moral and ethical righteousness. Hebrew tāmı̂m, perfect, describes the perfected product of a wise builder; it is full, complete, and flawless. The statement, he walked with God, opens another area of thought. In walking with God, Noah had displayed a spirit, an attitude, and a character that made him accepted and approved for the most intimate spiritual relationship. He manifested qualities of soul that endeared him to the Lord. - Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Old Testament, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), Ge 6:9.
Noah was touched by God’s grace, he accepted the gift of that grace and it produced in him a life of justice, purity and holiness. Then when the time came for a hero to step forward the seed of grace, that had grown into a godly life produced the fruit of obedience.
God warns Noah what is coming, instructs him what to do and the Bible says in vs 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Noah obeyed God, no matter the monumental, almost impossible task God had given him, no matter the time needed, no matter the sacrifice called for. Noah was a hero of faith and he simply obeyed the commands of his God.
Grace Growing
Noah is unique in his circumstances and the times in which he lived, but he is not unique in experiencing the gift of grace, nor I pray is he unique in the life that grace should produce.
God’s grace is not rare it is abundant, it is all around us. The word grace appears 69 times throughout the Bible. God’s grace is seen in the life we live, the families we raise, the rain that falls, the health we enjoy, the unseen but ever-present providence of God that applies to all mankind. That is what we could call general grace, the idea that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, but to Noah and I pray to us grace is much more than God’s goodness to all mankind.
God’s grace to us is not in the background but it is front and center in the lives of his children today as it was for Noah. John 1:16-17 “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Grace to us is not the gentle sun shining upon the earth but is the glorious son of God, Jesus Christ shining in our hearts. And if we have experiences God’s grace then that grace should produce in us a life that is reflective of such a great gift.
Noah again is not unique. Our lives touched by grace should also be just, pure and holy.
And as we live that life of grace when we are commanded by God to act on His behalf, no matter how impossible it may appear to us, we will obey. We will obey because we have been changed by grace, matured by justice, purity and our walk with God and when God calls, then we will be ready.
Hebrews 5:8-9 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
What another great hero, Moses, told the children of the Lord before they took on the impossible task of conquering the Promised land, still applies to us. Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
