Genesis 6:8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
“But Noah.”
By Genesis chapter 6, God has decided that everyone on Earth is so wicked, so evil, so sinful, and so bad that he should just wipe everyone out. Here’s how Genesis 6 says it:
Genesis 6:5-7. 5The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
This is the beginning of the flood story. Do you remember it? Noah builds a giant boat called an ark. Then God fills the ark up with all the different animals and birds. Then Noah and his family enter the ark. When the flood comes everyone inside is safe and sound. But everyone outside of the ark will perish in the flood.
So how did we get from God saying, “I will blot out man” (which means all of humanity will be destroyed), to there being an ark that people could get into and survive? The answer is these two words: But Noah.
Actually, the answer is the word favor – But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Favor is the word for grace. And grace means getting something that you don’t deserve. Did Noah deserve to be saved in the ark? Nope. Do you deserve to be saved by Jesus? Nope again. But that’s what grace is, getting something good that you don’t deserve and haven’t earned.
Why Noah? Did Noah earn the right to be the savior of the world and build an ark that people can enter into and be saved? Again, no he didn’t. You can’t earn God’s favor. All you can do is receive it. Noah found favor. He found grace. God graciously told Noah that a flood was coming. Then he graciously asked Noah to build and ark.
Genesis 6:13-14. 13And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.
And Noah obeyed God! As you know, Noah built the ark.
Years later, God will ask Jesus to save the world too. And Jesus will also obey God, just like Noah did. But Jesus isn’t just like Noah, he’s also like the ark. Jesus is the one that we enter into to be saved. But Jesus doesn’t build a boat or anything else to save us from our sin; HE saves us from our sin!
Once we are safe in the love and grace of Jesus we can become little ark builders like him and Noah. We can help others to know that God loves them and wants to save them from the punishment for sin. We can turn our church into an ark where people can find Jesus waiting for them inside with arms wide open.
Questions: Can you explain what favor and grace is? In what way is Jesus forgiving and saving us an act of grace? In what way can you help your church to be an ark where people can find safety through knowing Jesus?
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