Monday
The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain… But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
(Genesis 6:5-6, 8-9, NIV)
Only a few people in Scripture are described as “righteous” and “blameless” in God’s sight. Noah was one. Today’s verses describe God’s righteous anger over the evil and wickedness prevalent on the earth in Noah’s time, an evil so pervasive that the Bible notes God’s grief over ever having created man! Yet, in the midst of all this perversion, Noah “walked with God.”
As the story of Noah is traced through the following chapters of Genesis, the refrain which repeatedly appears is this: “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” When God ordered him to build an ark with specific measurements out of cypress wood and to arrange for the preservation of animals as well as his family, Noah did so (6:22). When God told Noah to enter the ark because the rain was about to begin which would flood the earth, Noah did so (7:5). When God informed Noah that the flood was over and he should leave the ark, Noah did so (8:18).
Because of Noah’s complete trust in God, his relationship with God was one of shalom. There is no record of Noah ever doubting God or raising objections to his commands. Is it any wonder that God chose to establish a special covenant with this righteous man? Peace with God, as we see in the life of Noah, is built on a foundation of trust.
Prayer
God of creation, we rejoice in the story of Noah’s favor in your sight. Help us to trust you as completely as Noah did. Remove our fears and dissolve our stubbornness. Teach us that peace comes from trusting in you alone. Amen.