Was Noah a real person?

    Noah’s world was “upside down.” It was violent, beginning with Cain who killed his brother. Lamech threatened to take extreme vengeance on those who injured him (4:23-24). It was a society which lacked cohesion. Cain was punished as a “vagrant” and a “wanderer.” The society built a city and that brought its own challenges in being faithful to God. There was polygamy (4:19) and overall ungodliness.

    In fact, when you read Genesis 6:5-13, you see just how extensive this ungodliness was.  “Earth” is found eight times in these passages. This was no local ungodliness; subsequently, it was no local flood! The wickedness was also intensive. “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (6:5). I count six times/ways in which Moses emphasizes how wicked this generation was.

    But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (6:8). Noah was unique among his generation. This uniqueness is brought out in the Hebrew Bible as “Noah” is found first in verse 8 and last in verse 9, making “bookends” around this description of the righteous man. God told Noah in 7:1: “You alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.” That’s why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He tried - albeit, no doubt, imperfectly - to be faithful to what God had expected the antediluvians to do.

    Where did Noah learn about God? The genealogies help answer that question. Methusalah was 253 years old when Adam died. From a practical standpoint, then, Noah was only two generations removed from Adam and Eve. Adam told Methusalah about the Garden and he told Noah. Additionally, Lamech, Noah’s father, overlapped Adam by about 50 years. Theologically, of course, we believe the whole message was passed along and guided by the Holy Spirit of God.

    So, Noah was “righteous” (cf. Ezek. 14:14, 20) and blameless (free from defect). These two traits are identified further by the statement that Noah “walked with God.” This is illustrated through Noah’s response to God relative to the ark. Noah does not say a thing. He has no speech and there is no dialogue between him and God. God speaks. God commands. Noah obeys. Pure and simple.

    It was that simple faith that allowed Noah to raise three sons who obeyed Noah/God and built the ark and entered it, along with their wives.

    Noah was also a man who worshiped God (8:20) - the first time an “altar” is mentioned in the Bible. Noah was motivated out of a reverent fear of God (Hebrews 11:7). He also preached to his generation about the coming destruction (2 Peter 2:5). Of course, he can only be credited with keeping his own family safe.

    The world today is no where near as wicked and ungodly as it was in Noah’s day. There are far more than 8 souls who are faithful to God today!

    So, let’s follow Noah’s example in remaining upright in our upside down world. Fear God. Preach His word. Worship Him. Obey Him. Trust Him.

 --Paul Holland