It Repented the Lord
Genesis 6–9 holds the world-famous story of how God looked down and saw such wickedness that he “repented” that he made man (Genesis 6:6-7). You may be thinking that the word “repent” there means God regretted He made man, and my dictionary says “regret” can mean “a looking back with dissatisfaction.” This cannot be the meaning here, however, for it is not possible that God would be dissatisfied with anything He has done.
Like all words, repent can have different meanings. My dictionary defines it as “to feel pain, sorrow, or regret for something one has done.” The word “or” here suggests that God didn’t regret making man, He rather felt pain and sorrow for having done so. The way the verse is worded makes this clear. It doesn’t say the Lord repented making man, as it would if He regretted it. It says it repented the Lord, it pained Him, for their sin caused Him sorrow. The rest of the verse verifies this interpretation when it explains, “and it grieved Him at His heart.
Sin still grieves the Lord, even after we are saved, so “grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).
Found Grace
Noah was looking for God’s direction and for the answers to his heart’s cry. Noah wasn’t merely hanging around waiting for the inevitable destruction that he sensed must come as a result of the awful rebellion that surrounded him. Noah was anticipating a response from God—and when God finally did give him instruction, Noah “found” the favor that he sought!
The language of Genesis 6:8 gives us insight into Noah’s character. “Found” is a simple active perfect verb, not a passive one. Thus, Noah found favor—grace—in God’s eyes because he was actively looking for it. Likewise, Adam found no helpmate from among the animals that was suitable for him (Genesis 2:20), and Noah’s dove did not find rest for the sole of her foot (Genesis 8:9). Laban did not find his household images that Rachel had stolen and hidden (Genesis 31:35), and Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses (2 Chronicles 34:14-15). God could have used a passive verb in reference to Noah, but He did not.
Genesis 6:8 tells us that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!” This is the first time the word “grace” appears in the Bible. God remembered His one faithful servant in a world of wickedness. In Hebrews 11 God has His “Hall of Faith”—a group of people who displayed an unforgettable faith. Noah is third on the list. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet . . . prepared an ark to the saving of his house . . . and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (11:1-4, KJV).
Comment added: Though this was the first time the word ‘grace’ appears, it is abundantly clear that grace was amply demonstrated in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. Though God had foreknowledge of their sin, He pursued a loving relationship with them; God lovingly inquired without first laying any charge against them allowing them to own up to their sins and take responsibility of their choice which demonstrates the freedom given to them; though death would eventually overcome them – God gave them hope of an eternal future through his sacrifice and grace; God provided them with a covering which spoke prophetically about man’s redemption through Christ for the covering they made with their own works was not sufficient; and in God’s grace he removed them from the Garden (tree of life) otherwise they would remain in sin and under the dominion of Satan eternally. The Plain Word.
Faithful Servant
Noah believed in God at a time when godly men were hard to find. The earth was still young. Only 10 generations had passed since the creation of the world. But people had become so wicked that God decided He should start over.
Noah lived in the midst of the most heinously evil society the world had known, but because he had found grace, God favored him with personal instruction about the coming catastrophic judgment and the details for a new beginning on earth. Noah and his family would be the only people was left on earth. Through that family God would save the human race and all the creatures He had created. That family included Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives.
Many centuries later, God warned Ezekiel of future judgment that would happen to the land of Israel because of its wickedness. God identified three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—as examples of the best “righteous” men in history (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). If that comparison has any meaning, Noah was much more than a mere chance recipient of God’s grace.
Job was “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3). His livestock resources (mainly those for caravan duty) were enormous. That certainly meant that he was a successful trade broker and possibly a source for prized stock. He had multiple houses and land—so much so that “bands” from nearby nations were necessary to destroy his wealth.
God had labeled Job “my servant…there is none like him in the earth, a perfect [blameless] and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth [shuns] evil” (Job 1:8). Job was much more than a “nice guy.” He was probably the wealthiest man of his day, and yet he was of such godly character that God used him to teach Satan a lesson!
Comments added: Not only was Satan taught a lesson about allegiance to God, but Job served as a witness to the entire universe that we are able to hold fast to faith when trials comes and He is faithful to be along the side of us AND Satan’s character and rebellion is further revealed to the universe that is involved in this great controversy between good and evil. The Plain Word.
Daniel was one of the king’s descendants and nobles from Judah taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:3). The account of Daniel and his three godly friends is well known among Christians, but the young adult experiences of Daniel often overshadow the long life that he led as the leader of the “scientists” (learned men) of that day. He was commissioned as a “great man” by Nebuchadnezzar and “sat in the gate of the king” (Daniel 2:48-49). Daniel served in some form of senior political and advisory position for six kings over some 70 years. Not bad for a captive!
God identified Daniel as a “man greatly beloved” (Daniel 10:11). He was privileged to have unusual spiritual insight, which he could have used to his personal advantage. But he always made it clear that he was gifted by God’s grace—to whom he always gave credit. Furthermore, God used Daniel to record several of the most remarkable prophecies in all of Scripture. Scholars are still discussing the book of Daniel. He was a significant person indeed!
Comment added: See https://theplainword.com/daniel-revelation/ for video presentations on Daniel and Revelation’s prophecies, also the series on the sanctuary which has prophetic significance at https://theplainword.com/his-way-in-the-sanctuary/ . The Plain Word.
If the comparisons of the righteous men listed in Ezekiel 14 are to be genuine comparisons, Noah must have been a person of significance in his region—if not well known throughout the world of his day.
Walked with God
Outside of Adam and Eve, the Bible says that Noah was one of only two men in all of history who “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). The other is Enoch, who may be more well known since he was taken up into God’s presence without dying (Genesis 5:24). Efforts by some to portray Noah as a bumbling, drunken hypocrite are simply not true. God’s commentary is that Noah was “just” and “perfect” (upright, without blemish). The Creator entrusted him with a monumental task that is unique in all of history.
Noah was “just.” That simply means that he was known for his equitable dealings with others. Even in the wicked world that grieved the Creator, Noah was “justified” in his dealings. He was fair and reasonable for his work and interactions with others. He was proven to be a man of integrity (Genesis 7:1).
Noah was “perfect.” That precious reputation, at least from God’s perspective, means that he was a man without condemnation. His “just” dealings resulted in a “blameless” record. Noah was above reproach.
Preacher of Righteousness
By faith Noah built a floating box and filled it with animals; by faith he preached 120 years and experienced constant rejection; and by faith he survived not just 40 days and nights, but more than five months in an ark
Peter called Noah a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). Think of what that means in the context of Genesis 6! The whole earth was “filled with violence” and “every heart” only thought of evil. The social milieu must have been a real mess. Yet Noah had the guts to stand up publically for the righteous behavior that just about everyone else openly and loudly rejected.
Perhaps his extended family members, and even some or most of his employees, were under his influence. But by the time the judgment of God fell, only Noah, his wife, and three of their sons and their wives were willing to follow his leadership into the Ark. Many would consider a ministry with such results a failure today, and yet God insisted that Noah’s faith not only “saved” his family but the future world from extinction (Hebrews 11:7)!
Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” by God himself. Enoch (the other man who walked with God) preached about the return of the Lord in judgment (Jude 1:14-15). Noah may well have preached about the coming judgment of the Flood and the desperate need of the world’s people to turn back to their Creator for salvation. Whatever he may have preached and however he implemented his heart’s desire, Noah was labeled a “preacher of righteousness” by the only Judge that ultimately counts.
God’s grace is always available. It is not hidden from anyone. But it must be “found” by God’s servants as we “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
The world of Noah was very wicked, but it functioned with much the same needs as our current world. When the Lord Jesus wanted to emphasize the suddenness of the destruction in the coming end-times judgment, He did it by drawing a comparison with the “ordinary” life of the populations around Noah.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27)
Then in Genesis 8:1 it says: “God remembered Noah.” Noah emerged and his family repopulated the earth.
Noah’s Vineyard
“And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent” (Genesis 9:20-21).
So, let’s look at this man associated with an ark, who God called righteous, blameless, who walked with God, and had great faith.
Ham, Noah’s youngest son, saw his father’s naked body. He may have stumbled upon the situation accidently. None the less, rather than covering his father and preserving the sanctity of the family, he made a mockery of his father by being a talebearer. Ham’s sin was one of ridiculing and found delight in publishing it. Ham should have been filled with sorrow over his father’s folly, and honored him by covering him and keeping his mouth shut. This would be dishonoring his father, by ridiculing, tearing down his reputation, and shaming him by telling his brothers. Talebearing is destructive. Out of respect for his father, Ham should have covered his father’s nakedness and kept his mouth shut about it, and should have prayed for his father. We do not know what led Noah to drink, we are only told that he drank of the vine and got drunk.
Shem and Japeth, on the other hand, took a garment and walked backwards in order to not see their father’s nakedness and covered him. This was the honorable thing to do.
Why Noah Got Drunk
We simply don’t know. This is the first time we encounter fermented grape juice and its intoxicating effects in the Bible.
Reference added, see: Biblical Facts About Fermented Wine https://theplainword.com/truth-about-healthy-living/ . The Plain Word.
As we examine this drunken episode there are similarities between it and Adam and Eve’s Fall in the Garden of Eden. First, in both situation there was a garden scene; God planted a garden in Eden while Noah planted a vineyard. There was a similar outcome when Noah ate the fruit of the vine, he became naked. This was the same condition Adam and Eve found themselves in. With Adam and Eve it was made plain that their actions were sinful, in the case of Noah there is no comment about Noah’s actions.
Canaan Cursed
The words of Noah refer not to Canaan himself, but to the nation that would come from him. Ham had caused a breach between himself and his father that called for some type of judgment. The judgment would occur on his descendants. Ham’s descendants foreshadowed the deeds of his descendants. The contrast between the reactions is the basis of the following blessings and curses on their descendants. It speaks of two groups of mankind. Shem covered nakedness and hid shame, while Ham exposed Noah’s nakedness. Again, we see these two groups in the world, those of the serpent and those of the woman’s seed.
Comment Added: This division took place in heaven between Michael and his angels AND Lucifer and his angels, the great controversy between good and evil. When sin entered our world, a division came between human race and God (separated from God), and within the human race the division culminated quickly: Cain and Abel, Noah and the inhabitants of earth, etc. There are only two groups in our world, those that that follow the Lamb and their allegiance is to him versus those that do not follow him. That’s it, no other groups, no other options. The question is, which group will you chose this day? The Plain Word.
What God Says
You would think that God would hold up Noah as an example of failure. But as you read the Bible you realize that he is held up as an example of faith! Hebrews 11 doesn’t even have a footnote saying “By the way, he then got drunk and shamed Me and his family.” It ends with Noah as a righteous person. He promised: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34). God clears away the vines of our little vineyards, and we get to start over as we receive His forgiveness.
In speaking of the feelings we get when we come to understand our struggle against sin and our need of forgiveness, Ellen White offers these words: “It is peace that you need—Heaven’s forgiveness and peace and love in the soul . . . you can never hope, by your own efforts, to secure it. But God offers it to you as a gift. . . . It is yours if you will but reach out your hand and grasp it . . . and ask that He will wash away your sins and give you a new heart. Then believe that He does this because He has promised” (Steps to Christ, pp. 49, 50).
Christ
Christ himself was victimized by these kinds of talebearers. Luke tells us “the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” Luke 15:2 Pharisees saying this should come as no surprise because they were constantly fixated on the sins of others. Just like Ham, they found their purpose in this score keeping on other’s sins. In Luke 18, we read the account of the Pharisee and the Publican who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee thanked God that he did not have the sins of the Publican. While it is good to not have sin in one’s life, his focus was on someone else’s sins and not on his own need. He even recited a list of other people’s sins that he was not guilty of. In the story, it was the Publican and not the Pharisee who was blessed according to Luke.
Institute for Creation Reasearch
By: Henry M Morris III, D.MIN
December 28:2012
Noah Found Grace
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”