NOAH

Primary Bible Passages: Genesis 6:6-10,13,18,22, 7:1,57-7

Key Verse: Genesis 6:8

Memory Verses: Hebrews 11:7

Preparatory Daily Bible Readings:

Monday: Genesis 6:6-10,13,18,22, 7:1,5-7, Ezekiel 4:14,19-20
Tuesday: Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-12,23, Genesis 9:20-21
Wednesday: Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Romans 5:1,15, Romans 4:5-6
Thursday: Romans 10:17, Genesis 7:5, Hebrews 11:7, James 2:14-18, Matthew 7:15-20
Friday: Acts 2:36, Luke 14:26-27, Luke 9:23-24
Saturday: II Corinthians 5:11, Revelation 16:16, Matthew 24:3-12
Sunday: Ephesians 6:10-18, I Corinthians 15:58, Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew 24:46

LESSON OUTLINE

I. NOAH, ONE OF THE GREAT HEROS OF THE BIBLE.

A. Noah is listed with the great heros of faith in Hebrews 11. (Hebrews 11:7)

1. He was used by God as a standard in measuring other men. In speaking of specific judgments by God as a result of sin, Ezekiel 14:14 says, "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 14:19-20)

2. In spite of his mortal weaknesses, which are documented in his history as recorded in the Bible, Noah must rank very high on the list of history’s greatest spiritual heros.

B. Noah is one of the few persons who has stood almost totally alone in his integrity and faithfulness to God against the whole world.

1. "It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion," but to stay publicly faithful to God when everyone else is against you is most difficult.¹

2. As the world continues its spiritual disintegration and moves ever closer to Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), Christianity will become less and less fashionable. (Matthew 24:3-12) More than verbal persecution of Christians will come. Those who know Christ need to learn how to stand alone, if need be, for what they know is right before God. (Ephesians 6:10-18, I Corinthians 15:58) Parents need to teach their children how to stand alone. Those who fail here will surely not withstand the evil days ahead. (Matthew 24:46)

II. FAITH, THE BASIS OF NOAH’S GREAT SUCCESS. (Genesis 6:9, Hebrews 11:7)

A. Noah was "just." (Genesis 6:9)

1. No one becomes just with God apart from faith in the work of Jesus Christ, an event to which Noah looked forward. Romans 5:1 says unequivocally that men are justified before God only by faith. That Noah was justified by faith is confirmed by Hebrews 11:7 which affirms his faith by which he "became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." One is only righteous once the righteousness of God has been imputed to him (Romans 4:6), an event which occurs only at the point of faith. (Romans 4:5)

2. The statement that Noah was "just" is God’s affirmation that Noah was a saved, born again believer in the coming Christ. His faith had resulted in his justification before God.

B. He was "perfect" in his generations. (Genesis 6:9)

1. In the Hebrew, "perfect" is tamiym (taw-meem’). Tamiym does not mean sinless. The meaning of the word is "entire." The word speaks of soundness and spotlessness, particularly in integrity.²

2. One of the great earmarks of Noah was honesty and integrity, an outward testimonial that his profession of faith in God was genuine and not superficial. (Matthew 7:15-20)

C. "Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9)

1. This statement of Genesis 6:9 is divine testimonial of a daily fellowship and communion by Noah with God. It is one thing to know Christ as Savior; it is another thing to be submitted to His Lordship. (Acts 2:36, Luke 9:23-24)

2. Noah walked with a constant awareness of, and delight in, God’s presence. (Psalm 1:1-3) That he did so is especially outstanding considering the backdrop of the totally wicked and corrupted society in which he lived. Many modern believers excuse their weak and uncommitted lives because they have no strong Christian friends and "because everybody else is" wayward and uncommitted. Noah says any believer can walk with God regardless of the circumstances and his environment. The fact that he may be totally alone in his stand is no excuse for compromise and waywardness. (Luke 14:26-27)

In Noah’s case, his faith not only resulted in his justification, it also demonstrated itself inwardly in a walk with God and outwardly by a life of spotless integrity.

III. FAITH, A MATTER OF TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD. (Romans 10:17)

A. Faith is not strong, but blind, feelings based on one’s personal wishes or hopes.

1. Romans 10:17 explains that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

2. Noah was "warned of God of things not seen as yet" (Hebrews 11:7) and "commanded" by God about what to do in preparation for the coming judgment. (Genesis 6:22, Genesis 7:5)

B. Hebrews 11:7 says seven specific things about Noah, each related directly to his faith in God.

1. He was "warned of God." This communication from God was the basis of Noah’s faith. Apart from God’s communication to him, anything Noah did would have been presumption on his part. (Romans 10:17)

2. His faith in God gave him a reliable insight into the future. He saw "things not seen as yet." He could "see" into the future even though no normal means of perception was available to him. The eye of faith, acceptance of God’s revelation, is the only reliable means of perceiving the future. (Hebrews 11:1)

3. In view of what he saw by faith, Noah was "moved with fear." The coming judgment of God is a fearful prospect. (II Corinthians 5:11)

4. His view of the coming judgment moved Noah to "prepare an ark." In many cases God's future preservation of us demands current action on our parts. For example, those who would avoid future money woes must be good stewards of their financial resources now. Such current responsibility is also very applicable to the avoidance of future marriage problems, health problems and many other miseries. True faith in God produces works before men now. (James 2:14-18)

5. The ark which faith moved Noah to build resulted in "the saving of his house." Sometimes the works which faith moves believers to do become the means of their deliverance. The house you build may be God’s means of keeping you out of the rain and bad weather.

6. The actions on Noah’s part, which faith moved him to do, "condemned the world." He was God’s visible testimonial of the truth of God, and the world rejected him and his message. The world was without excuse, condemned by its willful rejection of the Word of God.

7. By his faith, Noah "became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." "For by grace are ye saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:8) Noah is a shining testimonial to that truth.

IV. NOAH, TESTIMONY OF THE GOODNESS OF THE SOVEREIGN GRACE OF GOD. (Genesis 6:8)

A. Noah was merely a sinner saved by grace. (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-12, 23)

1. He was justified by God in spite of his weaknesses, which are exemplified by his drunkenness following the Flood, not because he was sinless. (Genesis 9:20-21)

2. The physical salvation of Noah from destruction by the Flood is a parallel to the spiritual salvation of all who come in faith to Christ. Even as Noah was saved in spite of his sins, everyone who is saved from sin’s death penalty is saved in spite of his sins. Salvation is by grace, not perfection or  works by the recipient. (Romans 3:24, Romans 5:15)

B. Noah was not blessed so richly because he was much better than his contemporaries.

1. The difference between Noah and the other sinners of his day was in God. That faith transformed his life into something very different from theirs.

2. The consistent Bible order of faith and its impact upon men’s lives is clear here in Genesis 6:8-9. This sinner first "found grace," which Ephesians 2:8 says always comes "by faith." This resulted in Noah being "just" before God. He became "perfect" or complete before God and was thereby in a position to "walk with God."³

 

FOOTNOTES

1. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1706, Vol. I, Genesis 6:8-10.

2. Strong, James, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, New York: Abingdon , 1958, reference 8549.

3. Morris, Henry, The Genesis Record, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976, page 177.

SUMMARY

One of the greatest heros of the Bible is Noah. In an age of rampant and almost universal wickedness and rejection of God, Noah stood boldly for righteousness. He was doubtless ridiculed and thought a fool for building a massive ocean-going vessel far from land in an age when it had never rained. Except for his wife, his three sons along with their wives, and his grandfather, Methuselah, there is Biblical reason to believe that every other person on earth had turned corrupt. God and what He said were repulsive to the entire society around Noah and his immediate family.

Noah’s sparkling integrity at a time when everyone around him had turned against God is a rare spectacle. Doing right and leading a godly life is not nearly so difficult when everyone around you is doing so; but when you are isolated and alone, and when you are scorned and belittled for your stand, it is much harder to keep standing.

Noah’s isolation for godliness in the days leading up to the Flood is a somber preview to believers living in the days leading up to the end of time. As the one-world system of godlessness develops ever stronger and the resentment of all who oppose it (which the system of Christianity surely does) grows increasingly intense and more vicious, all who espouse Christianity will be rejected, condemned, scorned and ultimately persecuted severely. Those who are unwilling to stand alone will not stand at all. May Noah’s example inspire a deep sense of resolution and toughness among those who truly know Christ! To Noah, as it should be with all believers, a personal acquaintance with God by faith meant lordship or submission to Him. Naming the name of Christ should mean total dedication to Him, even to death, if need be.

The basis of Noah’s great success in the Lord was his faith in God. Since faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), it is clear that God revealed himself and his plans to Noah. Hebrews 11:7 which is an excellent New Testament commentary on Noah, specified that he was "warned" of God. Noah’s faith resulted in his justification with God. He was made "perfect" in the sense of complete in the Lord and thereafter made it his business to maintain an intimate fellowship or "walk" with the Lord.

The relationship Noah had with God in his heart produced an outward manifestation of godliness in him. His confidence or faith in the word of God moved him to obey God and build the Ark just as God instructed. His life and actions were a great testimony to and condemnation against the world which was in blatant rebellion against God and all He said.

Genesis 6:9 mentions three specific facts about Noah. First, he was just before God. This was the result of his faith in God. Second, he was perfect in his generations. This is not a claim that Noah was sinless, for he was not. The Hebrew word used means Noah was complete or entire. Those who come in faith to God through Jesus Christ are made complete; not in their own righteousness, but by Christ’s own righteous sacrifice of Himself on their behalf. Third, Noah walked with God. He had continuous communion with God. He is a great testimonial to the fact that any believer can enjoy a godly walk with God regardless of the environment in which he finds himself.

Faith, which is not a matter of blind feelings, but which is a matter of taking God at His word, makes a difference in one’s life. Hebrews 11:7 mentions seven specific things about Noah, each related directly to his faith in God. He was (1) warned of God. Noah would not have known for sure about the coming Flood without word from God. Noah’s faith (2) gave him a reliable insight into things not seen. Trusting God is always reliable. In view of what Noah saw by faith (3) he was moved with fear. Realization of the judgment of God, particularly without adequate preparation, is a fearful prospect. His acceptance by faith of the coming judgment of God (4) moved Noah to build the Ark. True faith always produces works. The building of the Ark resulted in (5) the saving of Noah’s house. When trouble comes, it is those who have been moved by faith in God to do what they can who prevail. Noah’s actions (6) condemned the world. Those around Noah saw what he was doing and heard his message of why, yet they refused to be warned. They had no one to blame for their demise in the day of judgment but themselves. Finally, by his faith, Noah (7) became heir of righteousness. By faith, Noah was what he was and received all he received. With God faith is not an option; it’s a necessity.

Noah is a great testimonial of the grace or unmerited favor of God. He, too, was a sinner; but unlike his contemporaries, Noah recognized his undone and needy condition and turned in faith to God. Therein he found the grace of God totally adequate for his sins. That is what all find, who come in repentance and faith toward God.

QUESTIONS

1. In terms of greatness how would you rate Noah as a Bible character?

2. In what way was Noah isolated in the world of his time?

3. What kind of treatment can Christians expect as the end of time draws ever nearer?

4. Discuss the need for toughness and the courage of one’s convictions among believers.

5. What was the basis of Noah’s great success?

6. Explain the only way anyone can become just with God.

7. Explain God’s statement that Noah was "perfect."

8. Discuss the meaning of the fact that Noah "walked with God."

9. Discuss the fact that Noah’s testimony says that any believer can enjoy constant communion with God in spite of his environment.

10. Explain why Bible faith is impossible apart from the Word of God.

11. Explain the impact of Noah’s faith upon his daily conduct.

12. How did Noah know the Flood was coming?

13. What will a true fear of God do to one’s life?

14. Give specific examples of how one’s works become the very means of God for that person’s welfare or survival.

15. How did Noah "condemn" the world?

16. Discuss God’s statement that Noah was an heir of righteousness.

17. In terms of sins, compare Noah to his contemporaries.

18. What do the sins in Noah’s life say about every believer?

19. How did Noah differ from those who perished in the Flood?