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7 min. read  Artwork by Polly Lunetto. Reflecting on the life of Noah from the book of beginnings has quite a story to tell that applies to us today. Developing our heart and life, to walk with God is the only solution for facing the future with any real help of overcoming. What if we made all of our decisions with intentions to yield to the Spirit no matter how he is guiding us? Noah's Life Teaches Us Grace is Found in Rest Noah's very name means "rest." Scripture teaches, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" – Think of this, "REST found GRACE in the eyes of the Lord." During this biblical period, the condition of humanity was very bleak. But God…! Noah's story in the Bible was the very first mention of grace. That's significant. The law of first reference says we must go to the first time something is mentioned in scripture to get a clear and concise understanding of what is being taught. To understand the end, we must understand the beginning! Matthew 24:37 states, "but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Uh-oh, here we go! In this New Testament passage, we see that Noah was directed by God to obey even in an unchartered path. Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." Noah's Ark is the Picture of Jesus The Ark is a picture of Jesus! He is full of grace and full of rest, and so is Jesus. Noah found safety in the Ark. Remember, it had been prophesied in the garden (Genesis 3) that the Seed of man would be the one to destroy the works of the devil. If the bloodline of all mankind had been corrupted, Jesus could not have been born. The corruption of the human bloodline was a direct attack on God's plan of salvation. A key for us is to understand that every prophecy and promise in the Bible was a glimpse of the virgin birth to come. Cain and Abel's story was the start of the murderous campaign from the devil. Genesis 6 says, "(1) Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. (3) And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." (4) There were giants (Nephilim) on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them." In Genesis 6:4, the reference to 'giants' comes from the Hebrew word 'Nephiyl,' which means 'fall' or 'fallen ones.' The Strongs says…. a feller, i.e., a bully or tyrant:—giant. Genesis and other books, the writings of Josephus the historical record and scientific documents, record the fact that Giants have lived on nearly every continent in the world at some point in history. We have somehow failed to link this factor when the Bible explains the origin in the activities of giants. (This reference to sons of God is referring to fallen angels according to the Septuagint) The devil was out to corrupt the women's Seed. In verse 4, the reference to 'in those days' was clearly speaking of before the flood. Additional eruptions after the flood were dealt with by Israel. "The Occult" (which just means secret or hidden) initiates and brainwashes. It leads its followers into degrees of deception until they totally reject God's revelation of himself given to all the world through his eternal word. (Excerpt from Apocalypse by Dr. Jim Richards.) In a very significant passage in the New Testament, you can glean more insight by the context of this passage, 2 Peter 2:4-5 says, "For if God did not spare the angels (Nephilim) who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; (5) and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly." Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord The first and most obvious factor which led to the flood of Noah's day was the corruption of man's bloodline. Genesis 6:5 Then [c]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent[d] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Notice God's emotion was not raging anger, but sadness. The Ark was a place of safety and refuge, and it represents or foreshadows Jesus Christ. We are now 'in Him' as believers. Resting is believing. Noah's very name means 'Rest,' and he pleased God! Rest pleases God. It's a foreshadowing of our position in Christ's finished work. "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Noah pleased God. "This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." Genesis 6:9-12 Noah Built the Ark God Designed Noah acted on what he believed. The Ark was prepared. It took faith and effort. All while he worked on this significant life project, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Genesis 6:13-14 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Even the 'pitch' used on the wood (symbolizing man) as a sealant represented the (more than) covering we have in Christ. The Hebrew word is "kapher," to make atonement. This symbolizes the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin. The windows above had ventilation and light coming in from above and not the sides. These windows were designed by God for Noah to look up and look to Him and not for him to look out and around at the destruction coming upon the earth. There is much symbolism in Noah's story that can parallel our own life situations. God Prepared Noah Before the Flood Noah's Ark was a ginormous vessel (450 feet long) and habitation, almost the size of Titanic. In Genesis 7:16, "The Lord shut him in"—speaks of how God PREPARES people before a CRISIS. Here they were eternally secure! God closed the door! You are SAFE from the waters of JUDGMENT! Not only did God close the door, but when it was time, He told Noah to "come" into the Ark. He didn't say "go" into the Ark - He said "come" into the Ark, indicating that God was in there and was with them the whole time. Although waves may smash against "my ark" (life's circumstances), his pitch (Christ blood) still secures and covers me! God was merciful in this happening- He was preserving mankind. God Establishes a New Covenant In Genesis 8:1-5 expresses Noah's deliverance. Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the Ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days, the waters decreased. 4 Then the Ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.  Artwork by Polly Lunetto. Ararat means 'the curse is reversed.' The Ark rested the 7th month and 17th day of the month, actually on the mountains of Ararat. The 17th day represents the feast of firstfruits- judgment has passed. God is desiring to get the point across. Jesus took our judgment for us. "The religious concept of a curse is when God punishes us for ungodly deeds, but the biblical concept depicts as a curse as the result of pursuing that which is not harmonious with God. The curse is not a choice or action of God; it's the consequence of which God warned, but we ignore. Planet earth, under the authority of man, became cursed as a result of man becoming disharmonious with God.(Dr. Jim Richards) Now through the covenant of peace, God will never be angry with us again! Look at this profound passage from the prophet Isaiah 54:8-10: "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has mercy on you." In Genesis, God said, "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between you and Me and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9:11-13 And we have the rainbow as a sign. The good news of Jesus is the Gospel of Peace. Written by Denise Capra Artwork by Polly Lunetto
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