The depravity of mankind was at an all-time high prior to the
flood. Genesis 6:5 reveals that explicitly. It says, “Then the Lord saw
that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Absolutely nothing
good came out of man’s thought. Every imagination was evil. The whole culture
was demonized. Men, once godly, were overtaken by fallen angels. Their souls
were sold. Homes and marriages, the God ordained institutions, were made
sacrileges. Violence marked the society with the presence of the Nephilim, the
product of demonized marriages. Lust was the call of the day and violence was a
common characteristic.
Genesis 6:11-12 highlight the assessment of God. He saw the unchecked corruption
and violence. The earth was thoroughly filled with it. He found it
repulsive. They were an affront to Him and He would have to destroy man who had
descended so low. Yet in a time so bleak, mercy emerged and grace was seen. One
man, Noah by name, found favor with God. Think deeper, there are really some
similarities between Noah and Adam. Both were made caretakers
of the lower creatures. Like Adam, Noah also had three sons – Sham, Ham and Japheth.
They both were tillers of the ground. Both also sinned through the product of a
tree. As a father, they each had a wicked son that was under a curse. Adam had
Cain and Noah had Ham.
Noah’s father was Lamech. His father had a desire to see him
an instrument of relief. So he named him Noah, meaning “He will bring us
comfort.” Lamech prophetically said this of him in Genesis 5:29, “This one
will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the
ground which the Lord has
cursed.” And it came to pass. Verse 9 gives us the secret to how Noah was able
to accomplish the prophetic word said of him. It is in these four words “...he
walked with God.” He did exactly as Enoch, a few generations before him, had
done. These were the two that this phrase “…he walked with God” was said of
them. This was the highlight of their lives. How important it is in life to
walk with God. Nothing should be more central to life as walking with God. He
must be our be-all and end-all. If we are to be God’s instrument in a time of confusion
such as ours, we must stand out spiritually. We must come to God with red hot
zeal. We cannot run with zeal for the world than labor up the heavenly hill
with weary feet and slow. Nothing short of a 100 percent commitment to Him will
ever be a worthy response to His great love.
Of all the
people in his time, Noah stood out. He was described as righteous and
blameless. These two attributes can only be cultivated when one walks with God.
In the midst of a demonized culture filled with violence and lust, Noah was like
a candle in a pitch dark night. He walked discerningly. This could only be
possible because He placed God at the center of his life. How he lived reminds
us of the instruction of Proverbs 3:6. We must acknowledge God in all our ways
and He will direct our path.
We have before
us an example on how to please God. Noah walked with God as Enoch did. Walking
with God means that we have Him continually in our thoughts. It is about cultivating
a consciousness of His presence regardless of where we are and what we are
doing. It is a journey that beckons us to build our life according to the
instruction found in His Word. It calls for us to travel on the high road of morality,
above the scum the world offers. Then with His help, we will soar like the
eagle above the high mountains and in the golden sky. Remember, we who wait upon
the Lord shall mount up on wings of eagles. We shall run and not be weary, walk
and not faint!
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