Noah

The Wickedness Of Man, Hearts Evil Continually

 

Who can guess the population of the earth in Noah’s day? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? But God could only find one righteous man – Noah. What does that say about the rest of us? Our hearts are predisposed to evil. We are desperately wicked by nature. The “inherent goodness” of man is a delusion. Without God’s word to guide and His grace to forgive, we are hopeless.

 

Genesis 6:5 – “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

 

God Will Not Overlook Your Righteous Ways

 

“God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Never forget that God is a discerner of your thoughts and intentions. You do not have to verbalize the things that are in your heart. God already knows. But He also knows if you are consecrated to do the right thing. God saw millions of wicked people, but He did not fail to discover the one remaining righteous man – Noah.

 

Genesis 6:8 – “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”

 

The Flood Foretold

 

The Bible does not say how long Noah spent building the ark. He was at least 500 before the commandment came and 600 when he entered the ark. Notwithstanding, anyone can guess that Noah needed many years to build an 800-foot wooden ship. Not coincidentally, the floods came as soon as he finished building. Noah gambled his life on God’s word and won! Likewise, we should heed prophetic warnings for our time!

 

Genesis 6:13 – “God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; …I will destroy them with the earth.”

 

With Thee Will I Establish My Covenant

 

A man who walks and talks with God will have special favor. When God looked upon the earth, “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” He told Noah, “I will destroy them with the earth. …every thing that is in the earth shall die.” But God had a different plan for Noah. “With thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives.” All this, for doing His will.

 

Genesis 6:22 – “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

 

Noah

 

All the premises in this story are profound. The whole world was evil. God was grieved and angry. He swore to destroy them all. Noah was an isolated righteous man. God had mercy on Noah and made a plan for his salvation. God saved Noah’s family along with some of each species of animals. The flood cleansed the earth. God replenished the earth through Noah. Jesus will also cleanse the earth when He comes.

 

Matthew 24:37 – “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

 

You Must Hear And Obey The Voice Of God

 

If you think it is important that GOD hears YOUR voice when you pray, how much more important is it that YOU hear GOD’s voice? Some people do all the talking, but rarely, if ever, hear God’s voice. Noah would not have survived if he had not both heard AND obeyed the voice of God. “The LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

 

Genesis 7:5,16 – “And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. …and the LORD shut him in.”

 

Noah’s Ark

 

Noah’s Ark is among the most controversial of all ancient stories. Today, top-secret government dossiers and political power-mongers deprive the public of evidence that almost certainly exists on Mt. Ararat. Noah’s Ark landed there. Satellite photos show suspicious objects. Expeditions claim to have seen it. Why is it forbidden to visit? Who built it? Why did he build it? Who planned and designed it? How did it get on the mountain? It was God’s doing!

 

Genesis 7:16 – “they went in… as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”

 

Run Into The Ark: Repent Before The Rains Begin

 

Peter called Noah “a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly …making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly,” 2 Peter 2:5-6. We do not know whether Noah compelled men to come into the Ark, but his message of righteousness condemned them. Will your Pastor’s preaching condemn you on Judgment Day, or will you run into the Ark? Run to Jesus and repent now, before He shuts the Ark.

 

Genesis 7:21,23 – “All flesh died that moved upon the earth, …Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.”

 

God Remembered Noah

 

If Noah had lived an uneventful life, there would have been nothing for God to take note of. If Noah had ignored his Maker, lived selfishly, and wasted his substance on riotous living as other men had, God would have sentenced him to the same judgment. But Noah was a preacher of righteousness. God remembered Noah’s righteous words. If you want to be remembered on Judgment Day, speak righteously.

 

Genesis 8:1-3,6 – “God remembered Noah …and the rain from heaven was restrained …the waters returned from off the earth …at the end of forty days …Noah opened the window of the ark.”

 

Noah Built An Altar, Gave Offerings, And God Blessed.

 

Noah sent out a dove, but it found no dry ground. Seven days later, the dove found an olive leaf. Seven days later, the dove found dry ground. God spoke to Noah and told him and his family to leave the Ark. Noah built an altar and gave offerings to the LORD. When God delivers you, you should worship Him lavishly. Noah’s offering drew a powerful response from God.

 

Genesis 8:21 – “The LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake.”

 

Replenish The Earth

 

God told Noah’s sons to replenish the earth. Shem’s descendants soon migrated to what is now known as Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey – and became the Middle Eastern nations. Ham’s descendants are generally believed to have migrated to Africa. Japheth’s descendants are principally European Caucasians; For example, Magog is in Southern Russia. Meshech and Tubal were founded in the region of modern Georgia. Ultimately, all nations descend from these three sons of Noah.

 

Genesis 9:1 – “God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

 

Blessed For Preaching Righteousness

 

We do not know what Noah preached, only that he was a preacher of righteousness. One solitary man effectively became the savior of the world. In his proclivity to declare righteousness, his words saved him, his family, and the future of humanity. For this, God blessed Noah and his sons. They inherited the entire earth. “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” Matthew 12:37. Learn from Noah. Preach righteousness.

 

Genesis 9:8-9 – “God spake unto Noah, and to his sons …saying, …I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.”

 

The Rainbow

 

After the Great Flood, God made a Covenant with Noah and all his descendants forever that He would never again destroy the world by a flood. He gave the Rainbow as a token and a reminder for perpetual generations. There may be local floods, but never a massive flood as in Noah’s day. It won’t be water, but fire next time.

 

Genesis 9:15 – “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.”