STARTING OVER
The overall spiritual condition on earth became notably wicked before God. It is frightening to think how quickly people who know about God but do not glorify Him as God can sink into the depths of sin. The first seven verses of this chapter show us how God perceives sin on the earth. Still, amidst all this evil that had overtaken the world, there was one man and his family who were conscious of God, lived before Him, and, at least in the case of Noah, walked with God. Therefore, verses eight through ten give us encouragement that “The Lord knows them that are His,” despite all the departure and evil around. Verses eleven through sixteen explain the need for the ark, what it was meant for, and how it was to be built. “By faith, Noah built an ark to the saving of his house.” The final verses of the chapter highlight God’s grace in action.
The low spiritual condition of humanity
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The descendants of Cain and Seth intermarried and mixed. Instead of righteousness growing, evil thoughts in people's minds led to evil actions and practices until sin was widespread on the earth wherever people lived. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
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When the necessary separation between the children of wrath and the children of God is overlooked, man's evil heart claims the souls of the offspring, and wickedness grows with each generation.
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God does not excuse or ignore such sin, and verse three pronounces a sentence upon humans by limiting the age to which they would live from then on. God shows mercy to sinful people, but there is a limit to the time of mercy.
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The wickedness within human hearts, which stands opposed to divine authority, causes people to be recognized for their enormous wickedness in God's sight. The internal nature of sin shows itself in outward acts of evil and extreme wickedness. “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.”
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God’s sorrow when He “saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth” contrasts with when “God saw everything that He had made; and indeed, it was very good.”
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God’s grief shows His deep involvement with us. “He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” He mourns over those He gave life to so they could know and love Him, but instead, they turn away from Him to evil acts born from wicked hearts.
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God’s compassion does not lessen His sovereignty at all. His knowledge of people and events doesn’t mean He is unfeeling. Instead, it reveals His personal interest in each person and what we each will choose to do with His offer of grace and salvation.
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Amidst the widespread presence of sin, there were those who remained godly. Noah’s great-grandfather Enoch walked with God and was taken into heaven without experiencing death. His grandfather Methuselah was nine hundred sixty-nine years old when he died just before the flood. It’s likely he told his son Lamech (the good Lamech) about God's reality, so that from Noah’s birth, he found comfort despite the hardships caused by sin.
Before the flood
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“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” He was different. He was a man of integrity and was blameless among the evil people he lived among.
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His connection to God was so unique that he would have been known as “a preacher of righteousness” by both his life and conduct, as well as his words and warnings of judgment to come.
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The character of Noah was markedly different from the wickedness of everyone around him.
Noah in the Old World
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He lived amid all the evil of the sons of Adam but remained separate from the evil that resulted from Adam’s choice. Open sin had ultimately covered the entire earth where humanity dwelled and had corrupted the whole world.
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In contrast to all the wickedness around him was Noah; “A just man, and perfect in all his generations, and Noah walked with God” [Gen.6:9;12].
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The fleshly mind always leads to corruption, but the spiritual mind testifies against both the fleshly and carnal minds of people. The spiritual mind remains true and faithful to God and His word.
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Carnality of the mind reveals itself in everything it does. It is open to scrutiny both for the right it does not do and the wrong it tends to do and often does.
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The new nature given at the new birth of a person places an individual into a completely new world focused on eternal things.
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Although Noah walked with God, he was not taken out of the corrupt world like Enoch. He was not removed from all the evil influences and powers surrounding him. The new birth does not mean we become sinlessly perfect so we can walk through this world untouched by what is happening around us, nor does it mean we will never face temptation from what pleases the fleshly part of our humanity. The new birth doesn’t transform the old nature. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ makes us a new creation in Him and through Him, so that we can live for God “In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.”
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Living for God is a path God chooses to reveal Christ to those in darkness through the evidence of new life in Christ that shines as light in the darkness of sin. Such a new life is so much better than the disappointments, disillusionments, and dissatisfaction of living in the flesh that those who choose sin feel uncomfortable when a believer in Christ is present.
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Noah was lifted into the joy, freedom, and glory of living in the conscious presence of God. There is a significant difference between the blindness of sin and the light of righteousness, from the aimlessness of doing what is wrong or self-centered to the glorious goal of living for the Lord.
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The results of the spiritual life given by God when faith is placed in Him are that the Holy Spirit has regenerated, by grace, the person who has wholeheartedly trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The blending of worldly fleshly desires with the genuine spiritual influences of believers has created “giants” of confusion. These have taken over the world system, society at large, and man-made religious institutions. It has infiltrated churches, families, homes, and individuals to such an extent that, for most people, right and wrong are now almost indistinguishable.
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Confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, grief, and the unproductive acts of darkness are outcomes that occur when evil is allowed to persist unchecked.
Noah built the ark. “Noah did everything just as God commanded him,” [6:22 NIV]
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Noah’s spiritual mind stayed pure despite everything around him. In faith, “the axe was laid to the root of the trees,” and the works of evil and the days of evil were limited. Judgment was coming as certain as the boards and beams were built by Noah as he carried out the work God commanded.
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There was only one door into the ark of safety. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only door to salvation. There is no other way to reach God. There was also a window that allowed light to fill the entire inside of the ark. The light of God's word through Christ, who is the Light, is the only clear way to understand God's will. That open window would have provided divine grace to everyone inside the ark.
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The ark was built to divine specifications, not based on the limited understanding of human “scientific” minds. The result was the most efficient way to use the ark to capacity and still is used in similar ways today.
Lessons to be learned
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In difficult times, God has a remnant of faithful people here on Earth to bear witness for the Lord. They influence those around them, but they cannot force people to enter the “ark of safety” from the coming judgment that will fall upon the earth. God offers salvation to everyone, but the outcome depends on each individual’s response to the invitation to receive Christ by faith.
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The ark is an outward symbol containing an inward, invisible kingdom of living souls who are alive in Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God is alive and active, even though people's minds are focused on the evils of humanity.
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Our strength is solely in the cross where we find safety because of Christ's atoning work. We died with Him. We are saved by Him. We remain secure for eternity through Him, despite everything happening around us or all that will come as evil men and seducers grow worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Noah the man
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His Position, v.8. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” The foundation of a believer’s life is God’s grace.
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His Attitude, v.9. “Noah was a righteous man.” Sincere, right before God.
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His Character, v.9. “Noah… was perfect…” Upright, genuine in the sight of God.
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His Testimony, v.9. “In his generations.” His life was a true witness to God in dark times
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His Fellowship, v.9. “Noah walked with God.” He had friendship and fellowship with God
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His Conduct, v.22. “Thus did Noah.” All that was said about Noah was proved by his obedience to God.
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His Thoroughness, v.22. “According to all God commanded him.” The standard by which he lived was the word of God.