A Noah Kind of Different

This morning I was strolling through Genesis as SLOWLY as I know how (see last blog if you are confused) when I came to Genesis 6. Genesis 6 is the account of Noah and the flood of 8 million trillion BC (totally arbitrary number)!

Now while I have nicknamed my Wednesday night professor "Noah" because he literally looks like he walked off the ark with the long hair and beard, along with the fact that we sit two by two in class, that is not why God highlighted this story to me today. :)

Genesis 6 starts out with God saying that the thoughts of the heart of man were only evil all the time (vs. 5). He goes on to say that He regrets even making man because they have caused his heart pain (vs.6).

While I tried to figure out what events had taken place to make God regret making man, as scripture doesn't say much about what has transpired, I see now that it was the heart issue that God was upset about. With the sin choice of Adam and Eve, our hearts became evil, more specifically, the thoughts of the heart. Proverbs 23:7 backs this issue up, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (NKJV) Man thought evil in his heart and he became evil. Just like us.

Since God is holy and unable to be in the presence of evil, he decides to wipe mankind from the earth and he begins to get things in motion to do that (vs.7). But then we come upon verse 8.

Genesis 6:8 says, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (NIV) The Message bible says it this way, "But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah."

Ok, hold up! If the thoughts of the heart of men were evil, what made Noah able to find favor in the eyes of the Lord? What made Noah different? What made God like Noah??

We find our answer in verse 9, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Righteous. Blameless. Walked with God.

Now, I can't fully wrap my head around how Noah was able to find favor with God apart from Jesus because Jesus is the only way I know. But here is the revelation I came to this morning.

1. Jesus made me righteous.
Romans 5: 19 "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

2. Jesus will keep me blameless.
1 Corinthians 1:8 "He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

3. I walk with God! :)

I am a Noah kind of different! I have found favor with the Lord! And God likes what He sees in me! That is a HUGE revelation, that God likes what He sees in me...in Christ of course!

Lord, I am so grateful for who you have made me in you! I am blessed to know that I have found favor in your sight and that I am made righteous and blameless because of Jesus! I am privilieged to be able to walk with you! I am proud to be a Noah kind of different!