God’s response to humanity’s sin problem is to cleanse the earth. Like other passages in Genesis 1-11, the theme is introduced with a genealogy.
These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 6:9).
Noah is characterized as “righteous” and “blameless.” The word blameless means free from defect and often describes the unblemished animal that was presented to God. Righteous means one who is habitually doing God’s will.
Like Enoch, we learn that Noah “walked with God,” which meant that he was God’s servant who was determined to follow God’s orders.
As we read the account of the flood, we should notice that Noah doesn’t speak. God gives the directions and Noah follows them.
We would all do well to follow Noah’s example and quietly follow God’s directions.
A Corrupt Earth
When God saw the Earth, he saw it was corrupt or spoiled – not “spoiled” like a child, but “spoiled” like food that has gone bad.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth (Genesis 6:11-12).
When humans disregard and oppose God’s direction, they put themselves on a path toward corruption. What God saw was the result of years of corrupt human practices.
Jeremiah spoke of God’s right as the Creator to rework a spoiled work of humanity.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.”
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18.1-6).
The foundation of a building must be exact or the entire building will be deficient. The same is true of humanity. Imagine what the rest of human history would have looked like if the foundation was a fully corrupt society.
Like with Jeremiah’s living parable, God chose to remake Earth and humanity.
And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).
God’s Directions
Let’s keep in mind that Noah didn’t attend “shop” class in high school. Neither did he have nautical abilities to sail an ocean-going vessel. That didn’t stop God from using him to construct a ship larger than the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.
Verse 18 reveals a pattern throughout the Bible. Grace always accompanies judgment. In this instance, God forms a covenant with Noah before the flood takes place.
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you (Genesis 6:18).
You will recall that before God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He clothed them. Before He exiled Cain, He placed a mark on him.
God has given us Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit before He will judge us for rejecting His way.
God’s care reaches the animal world. As you read the next verses, note verse 20 where the animals will come to Noah. Noah doesn’t have to find and trap them. God takes the responsibility and He will guide them to the ark.
“And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Of the birds according to their kinds and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive” (Genesis 6:19-20).
As I noted above, Noah doesn’t speak. However, he does follow God’s directions. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him (Genesis 6:22).
May we respond to God as did Noah.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 