(July 27, 2024) Brian Bell shares some important points for our serious consideration…

Some years ago now, as I reached home one evening and began reversing my car into the driveway I heard these words on the Christian radio broadcasting channel to which I had been listening— ‘You can’t tell anything about God’s choices by the people He chooses.’

I didn’t get the name of the speaker, or hear any more of the broadcast as I locked the car and entered my home, but I wrote that phrase into a notebook. As the phrase has recently come back to my memory I am sharing with you the first in a short series of articles about some of the people God has chosen.

In Genesis 6:9 (NLT1996 version) the record tells us about Noah— that he was ‘… a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him.’ 

A Question to Ponder
As Noah lived long before there was any written scripture record and that leads me to ask the question, how did Noah get to know God in this faithful and intimate way?

Noah was able to see creation which we know is a visible revelation of the invisible God, but even in the absence of any other means of communication, I believe God gave Noah a ‘divine’ revelation of Himself and we can see this from verse 13 of the same chapter: ‘So God said to Noah….’

In what I call the ‘pre-scripture’ era, it was God’s prerogative to reveal Himself to men and women as He chooses and God chose to speak directly to Noah.

A Character to Consider
Noah’s character is contained in four statements set out in verse 9 as I quoted above—

(i) ‘… a righteous man’
This is not self-righteousness, rather it is imputed righteousness. It is consistent with what the writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 11:6, ‘Anyone who wants to come to Him (God) must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.’

Noah wanted to know God, and sincerely believed in Him. And God accepted Noah by saying in Genesis 7:1 ‘…among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous’and He bestowed on Noah imputed righteousness.

This is the only righteousness that can save anyone of us! And today in our generation it is bestowed on us if we want to know God and we believe through grace alone, by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

(ii) ‘… a blameless man’
These words tell me that Noah lived an exemplary life before his fellow men. No fingers of accusation were pointed at Noah.

Noah did not live by a written set of ‘laws’ such as we have in the commandments, yet he demonstrated that God’s law was written on his heart.

(iii) ‘… consistently followed God’s will’
Verse 8 tells us that ‘Noah found favour with the Lord.’ These few words tell me about Noah’s faithfulness and then in verses 11-13 the Lord shared with Noah what He was intending to do.

The most obvious way in which Noah demonstrated his consistency to follow God’s will was in acting out the instructions the Lord gave in relation to the construction of the boat we call the ark and how God would use it to save human and animal life. In verse 22 we are told ‘So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.’

(iv) ‘… enjoyed a close relationship with Him’
I am reminded of the words of the song O for a Closer Walk with God composed by William Cowper. We only reveal our hearts to those with whom we have a really close relationship and so, figuratively speaking, God shared His heart with Noah.

An Approved Sacrifice
In Genesis 8:20-21 God told Noah and his family to leave the boat along with the animals and after that‘Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed on it the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.’

We know this was not the first time a sacrifice had been made. After they were expelled from Eden, God sacrificed animals in order to provide clothing for Adam and Eve— we can say this was a ‘redemptive’ sacrifice requiring the shedding of blood.

Later Cain and Abel each brought a sacrifice. Cain brought the labour of his hands, while Abel brought several of his best lambs. Cain’s sacrifice was not acceptable to God while Abel’s was.

In the absence of any scripture record and long before the law was made, we can see there was a foundational basis as to the nature of a sacrifice which was ‘approved’ by God as was Noah’s.

These sacrifices pointed forward to a day when the sinless Lord Jesus would lay down His life on the cross to redeem fallen sinful men and women.

A Sin to Beware
As we come to the end of this short meditation, do note Genesis 9:20-24 which records a difficult incident in Noah’s life. He became drunk causing him to lie naked on his bed where his son Ham found him, reporting it to his brothers.

What this incident brought to my mind are the words of Romans 3:23, ‘For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’

Despite his tremendous character reference, Noah, like all of us today, was a sinner. Not every believer who may fall into sin will do so in as obvious a manner, yet just as in Noah’s case, sin has consequences.

Some words from Horatio Spafford’s hymn, It is Well should bring us great encouragement here:
‘My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul.’

As Christian believers, because of the ‘approved’ sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, we are saved from the—

• Penalty of sin,
• Power of sin, and one day the…
• Presence of sin!

A Daily Battle
Like Noah, we too face some daily battle with our old sinful nature.

Thank you, Lord, that for those who want to know you just like Noah did, we can be reconciled to a Holy God because you have imputed the righteousness of the Lord Jesus to our account.

And thank you, Lord, that the precious blood of Jesus is wholly sufficient to deal with and cleanse a sinful proneness in our nature until that day when you will remove us from the presence of sin.

Gracious Lord, thank you for the faithfulness of your word, Amen!

May we desire to be like Noah and know you more deeply and fine favour with you. And as redeemed sinners through Jesus, follow you more consistently!

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Brian Bell is a diaconate member, Christ Church (Congregational) Abbots Cross, Northern Ireland. Brian describes himself as ‘grateful for the privilege and opportunity given me to serve my Lord.’
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