Days of Noah - But Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD. Read more...

• But Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD - By examining the two verses Rom 4:4: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” and Rom 11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”, one quickly realizes that “grace” and “works” with respect to salvation are incompatible. “Work” is labor, or effort, that usually earns some kind of compensation. You have a job, so you do your work and get paid for it. “Grace”, on the other hand, is not work. It is an undeserved gift, so you get something for doing nothing. Tit 2:11 informs us of the Divine purpose of the grace of God: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men…”. God’s grace first and foremost accomplishes salvation – to save sinners from eternal punishment in Hell for God’s honor and glory. Grace is God’s Divine Prerogative. Since God’s grace is an undeserved and unearned gift that is bestowed on whomever God so chooses, it is available to all kinds of people regardless of location, age, gender, race, social status, religion, or any other human classification. Since God uses the word “grace” to describe Noah in that he “found grace”, this indicates that Noah was a sinner as anyone else. In Genesis 9, we read about him falling into sin when he became a husbandman and drank of the fruit and got drunk. No one needs grace unless they are a sinner, unless they have transgressed the Law of God and need a Saviour. God bestowed upon him grace, which means that God gave him His Spirit (Eze 36:26-28). He gave him a new heart and a new soul. This is the identical way of salvation today, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”. The ark, represented God’s salvation program, according to 1 Pet 3:20-21.

Gen 6:5-9 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Eph 2:5-8 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

1 Pet 3:20-21 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The like figure [water = the Gospel] whereunto even baptism [the washing away of our sins] doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

• Noah was a Just Man and Perfect in his Generations - When we see these kinds of descriptions of individuals in the Bible, we think that they were good, that they were morally good. Then we tend to think that if we could only be as good as them, then we, too, would find grace or we could also be accepted by God. Nothing can be farther from truth. As far as that man goes himself, he is just a sinner, like you or me or anybody. There are no exceptions, except for Christ who was the God/man. But every other human being who comes through the line of Adam is a sinner because the Bible also tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and Rom 3:10 (quoting Psa 14:2-3) declares, “There is none righteous, no, not one”. Job was a sinner and Moses was a sinner and Noah was a sinner and Daniel was a sinner. All have sinned. These were individuals who found grace (Salvation) in God’s sight. “Noah was a just Man and perfect in his generations”, this can be true of Noah only after “Salvation”. So Noah was a righteous man, a just man, because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. He was perfect because God had made him perfect, and he walked with God. Rom 3:20 makes it clear that, “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight ...”. As one studies God’s salvation program as delineated in the Bible, two aspects become very clear: We need the Lord Jesus Christ to bestow His Grace and pay for our sins by suffering death and destruction on our behalf, and we need Him to give us His righteousness. Heb 11:7 helps us to understand that Noah inherited the “righteousness which is by faith”. Notice the actions that God initiated: (1) God warned Noah – by faith Noah was moved to prepare an ark, which was a picture of the salvation of the Lord Jesus and also a picture of judgment to the world. (2) Noah (as a picture of all believers) inherited the righteousness which is by faith. When God uses the word faith in conjunction with salvation, He is speaking about the “faith of Christ” – the righteousness which is of God by faith (Php 3:9). In other words, Noah was saved by Grace and Justified by Faith of Christ. He was declared Righteous by Christ’s Righteousness being imputed to him by Faith. We also learn from 2 Pet 2:5 that Noah was not only a recipient of God’s righteousness, but also a preacher of that same righteousness : “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”

Gen 6:8-9 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Rom 4:4-8 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

• Noah and Ark represents the Rest and Comfort God provided for His people in Christ - The word Noah Means “Rest”. Gen 5:29 also gives the meaning of name Noah as Comfort – the Comfort that brings Eternal Salvation. In Deu 5:14, God spells out the essence of the seventh-day Sabbath: “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou”. The essence of the Old Testament Sabbath, which is a ceremonial law pointed to the fact that God rested on the seventh day from His labors. The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on that first Sunday that ushered in a new era of worship, which God instituted by abolishing the previous era of Old Testament (Saturday) worship. Spiritually “rest” pointed to the fact that true believers are to rest in the salvation which God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ and are not to depend on any human effort, or work, as Heb 4:10 reminds us: “For he that is entered into his rest [God’s rest], he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his”. Eph 2:8-9 underscores this vital principle: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Rom 11:6 further insists, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. The “rest” for our souls is something only God can give to us – we cannot attain it through any of our own efforts, as Heb 4:10-12 clearly states: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest ...”. The Greek word for “labour” in verse 11 means not “work” but “to be diligent” with reference to feeding on the Word of God as is pointed out in verse 12. We learn from Gal 3:11: “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

Gen 5:28-29 “And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah saying, This same [Noah] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.”

Matt 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden [with the works of the law], and I [Lord Jesus] will give you rest [by fulfilling the demands of the law on the Cross for us]. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

1 Pet 3:20-21 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The like figure [water = the Gospel] whereunto even baptism [the washing away of our sins] doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

Isa 30:18 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him [rest in him].”