Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Danny Saavedra

“But Noah found favor with the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.” Genesis 6:8–11 (NLT)

In Genesis 6, only 2,000 years after creation, God had enough of us. Yesterday, we read that He was sorry He made us. Why? Well, when He looked upon humanity, He saw nothing but widespread wrongdoing, constant corruption, villainous violence filling the land and consuming all the people of the earth; except for one. Genesis 6:8 says, “Noah found favor with the Lord.”

So, what was so special about Noah? Why did he find favor? Noah was a righteous man in a wicked generation. He was a man of character; a man who lived a blameless, God-honoring life while everyone around him was sinful and lost. To me, that’s one of the most amazing parts of this story. Imagine being surrounded by nothing but sinfulness and evil, and trying to flee from it and live a life of faithful devotion. I can tell you from experience that it’s immensely difficult to be the only one trying to honor God in a sea of sinfulness, Noah, however, didn’t waver. He didn’t fall into wickedness. 

This is one of the most difficult things in the world to do. It’s easy to be dragged down by the world around you: by culture, by peer pressure, by a need for acceptance and belonging. It’s so easy to fall into sin when “everyone else is doing it.” 

Noah never gave in. He stayed strong in the face of that pressure. He found favor in God’s eyes as a righteous man. Noah was also a man of faith. Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

Most people believe they should live their lives based on facts, and that people who live by faith are ignorant and dumb. But if you think about it, most of life is an exercise in faith!

The problem for humanity isn’t faith; it’s who we place our faith in! Noah put his faith in God. As John Gill wrote, Noah “walked according to his will, in the ways of truth and righteousness; walked in a manner well pleasing to him, and enjoyed much communion with him, as Enoch had done before him.” This is how he was able to live righteously among the wicked. The closer your walk is with the Lord, the more equipped you will be to live. 

DIG: What does it mean to be righteous in a wicked generation?

DISCOVER: How are you living righteously today? 

DO: The closer your walk is to God, the more righteous you will be able to live. The more active and healthy your prayer and devotional life is, the closer your walk will be to God. Commit to spending time daily with the Lord in prayer and Bible study.