The account of a flood is written into the history of many ancient peoples, and the results of a flood are seen in many places on the earth. Jesus believed in the Flood (Matt. 24:37–39), and so did Peter (1 Pet. 3:20) and the author of Hebrews (11:7).
The holiness of God (6:1–7). God saw a world of people who were inwardly corrupt, outwardly violent, and upwardly rebellious. Noah was the tenth generation from Adam. It didn’t take long for sin to spread in the human race. When the world is again as it was in Noah’s day, watch for the return of the Lord (Matt. 24:37–39).
The grace of God (6:8–7:10). Noah was saved just as any sinner is saved, by grace (Gen. 6:8), through faith (Heb. 11:7). See Eph. 2:8–9. He heard God’s Word, believed God’s promise of protection, and proved his faith by his works. There was only one way to be saved from destruction, and that was by entering the ark; and the ark had only one door. It is a picture of the salvation we have in Christ.
The wrath of God (7:11–24). God was very patient and gave the world at least 120 years of opportunity to be saved (Gen. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5). The world refused Noah’s witness and rejected God’s grace up to the very day Noah and his family went into the ark. God waited another week (how the neighbors must have laughed at Noah!), but then the judgment came. As David proclaimed, “The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood” (Ps. 29:10). He is sovereign in all things! The next worldwide judgment will be with fire, not water (2 Pet. 3:1–12).
The faithfulness of God (8:1–22). Noah had faith in God’s promises, and God did not disappoint him. (See 1 Kings 8:56.) True faith does not get in a hurry (Isa. 28:16); Noah waited until the word of God told him what to do. The first thing Noah and his family did on the cleansed earth was to worship the God who had faithfully cared for them (Ps. 116:12–19; Rom. 12:1–2). God gave them a covenant that assured them of the continuity of creation despite man’s evil heart. This covenant makes possible the sustaining of life on earth. God has been faithful to His covenant, but man has not been faithful in his stewardship of the earth. (See Rev. 11:18).
Faithfulness to God
Noah and his family were the only believers on earth, yet they witnessed courageously for God and against the evil of their day. They were faithful to God when everything seemed to be against them. God still calls His people to stand alone if needs be, and He promises never to forsake us (Heb. 13:5–6). God will judge us not on the basis of our popularity but on our faithfulness to Him (1 Cor. 4:2). God needs courageous witnesses today.
