Tag: righteous saved
“Noah Found Favor in the Eyes of the Lord”
Scripture reading for January 4rd: Genesis 6-9
Oh how dependent we are on God’s grace! We are all bound up in sin’s grip and the wrath of God is being released against all ungodliness daily. (Romans 1:18) It is only by His grace that we are saved. The people of Noah’s day were caught up in continual wickedness and sin. God was grieved that He had made man and was preparing judgment. It was by grace that Noah and his household found favor in God’s eyes. (Genesis 6:8)
Sin always brings judgment. God has decreed that sin brings death. But man, in his blindness to God’s truth, thinks that life is going on just fine. Everything is like it has always been. People seem to get by and all die eventually. Why not live as you please and do what feels good before you are dead too? Those with no fear of God block out the knowledge of God and suppress the truth in unrighteousness. God’s mercy and patience are ignored and the sin piles up to heaven and tips the scales of judgment suddenly on a day no one expects! (Revelation 16:15)
This happened in Noah’s day. Because he found favor, God warned Noah of the coming judgment. Noah was instructed to build an ark and took 120 years in this saving endeavor. Noah’s faith was tested by the building process and the long wait. When the ark was finished, God told him to gather the animals and get his family and himself inside. God shut the door and Noah and the animals waited seven days. Noah obeyed. (Genesis 7:1-5) Then the rains came down and the flood broke upwards as the fountains of the deep opened up. It was in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life in the second month and on the 19th day that this happened.
What do we learn from this story? First, sin brings judgment and God doesn’t forgive unless there is repentance. He may delay the judgment and offer more time, but those who sin will be held accountable. God spoke to Noah and he in turned warned that generation. At the appointed time, the judgment fell suddenly. Those who were obedient and prepared were saved. Those who delayed or did nothing died!
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to your timetable for me and our nation. May I find favor in your eyes today!