Genesis 6 is the story of Noah. You may recall that he had 3 sons when he was 500 years old. Scripture tells us that “the human race began to increase”. But it also was evil: “God saw that human evil was out of control”. Doesn’t that sound familiar? But have you considered God’s response to that evil when scripture tells us “God was sorry that he had made the human race….it broke His heart”. Wow – that really tells us God’s heart. He wants us to be holy, not evil. God created man in His own image, and yet because of evil, and His inability to tolerate it, He is now ready to wipe out his creation. I think we often miss just how much God hates evil. I think we make far too light of how we live and the results it will bring to bear. God cannot and will not tolerate sin. We know that from His truth, but even more so from His actions. First He destroys His creation to rid the planet of it, but then He sacrifices His only Son to deal with it. God can’t allow evil.
I love how scripture pauses and tells us this very important fact: “But Noah was different”. Sort of reminds me of the story and prayer of Jabez in the pages of genealogy where his name is found. Bad people everywhere, but Noah, now this guy stands out in the crowd. What was different about Noah? Scripture tells us three things that I find that makes him the kind of man God desires:
- “Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community”
- “Noah walked with God”
- “Noah did everything God commanded him to do”
God asks Noah to build a ship. Remember it has never even rained to this point in history. Water came up from the ground and had never fallen from the sky. This was a tall order and certainly not one that would make a whole lot of sense. But Noah lived his life with integrity where he was and with those God surrounded him. He didn’t argue with God’s plan – He did what God asked when asked. That is a somewhat difficult thing for many of us today but it is called obedience in God’s language and it is not just desired, it is commanded and expected. And obviously noticed by God as well. Are you walking with God, living in integrity, and obeying His commands? Those are the somewhat simple rules to pleasing God. At least simple on paper. Time for us to get to the hard work of making those things habits in how we live. If we do, we will be in the minority of the human race who understand how to serve and please our God. Let’s be in that minority!
Posted by asorensen 
