Genesis 6:1-22 continuing…

“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:9-13 (KJV).

Noah is only the second man which the Bible tells us “Walked with God”. Of course, it is implied that Jesus “Walked with God”, because it tells us of Him that He did all things to please His Father.

It is most likely that Noah only began his walk with God after he realized he was a recipient of His grace. That is how most of us have done it. Noah was probably in the like state of all of mankind until our gracious Father spoke to his heart, and he believed God, and God counted it to him for righteousness. I do not believe I am stretching anything by saying this. It is a doctrine taught throughout all of Scripture. “He believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”, and that is even in the New Testament.

Noah’s justness was only due to the grace of God. Justification is done by a decree from God Himself, and is not based on any merit of the recipient. The price has been paid to atone for the sins of the individual receiving the gift of justification. In this case, as in all cases of the giving and receiving of justification God paid the price. God called Noah out of wickedness, and bondage of this world to be a preacher of righteousness and to build the ark for the salvation of mankind.

The three sons of Noah; Shem, Ham and Japheth are thus destined to be the progenitors of all the human race, and races of people and nations.

Verses eleven and twelve tell us of the corruption of the earth, “For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth”. There was no righteousness on the earth except for that of Noah, and that had been given him by the Lord. Noah, then, had a message to proclaim those 100 years he was building on the ark. The building of the ark was a message of itself – a message of warning, of judgment on the way.

“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” Heb.11:7.

” For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 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.” 1 Peter 3:18-20 (KJV).

The Spirit of Christ in Noah was present at the preaching of Noah. The message of the ark was a message of condemnation if mankind did not repent, and they did not thus the world of men was destroyed by water. We are warned that the next judgment of the world will be a judgment of fire,

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:9-10

The ark of safety is only in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, His burial and His resurrection. Believe Him trust Him and you will miss the fire.