Who was Noah in the Bible?

Son of Lamech, the descendant of Seth, and father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah is introduced as a just man, perfect in his generations, and as one who walked with God. To him God revealed that because the earth was full of violence, He would destroy all flesh with the earth. God bade Noah make the ark, and He would establish His covenant with him, and would preserve alive in the ark Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. The N.T. reveals the fact that Noah had faith, and that in godly fear he prepared the ark, in obedience to God's warning, for the saving of his house, thereby condemning the world and becoming heir of the righteousness which is by faith. God's salvation was seen by faith in the midst of coming judgement. Heb. 11:7.

When we reach Noah, the tenth from Adam, the history again expands. To begin with, his father Lamech at his birth named him with prophetic insight. He acknowledged that the earth was under the curse of God and anticipated that his son would bring rest or comfort. This he did by building the ark at the command of God, thus carrying a few, that is, eight souls, into a new world. He lived apparently to the great age of 500 years before begetting his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem is mentioned first, not because he was the oldest but because his was the line in which faith was preserved. He was apparently the second son, for Ham is called the "younger son" (Genesis 9:24), and Japheth is called "the elder" (Genesis 10:21).

Did you ever study the latter half of Romans 5? If so I am sure you found it to be one of those parts of Paul's writings that Peter said were hard to understand. That certainly was my experience until I discovered three priceless gems in it, and the discovery was to me like that of a man who suddenly comes upon diamonds in a rocky field. Verse 15 speaks of the grace of God, verse 17 the abundance of grace, verse 20 the much more abounding of grace. I called these three gems the positive, comparative and superlative of the grace of God, and what had been to me a barren part of the Word became beautiful in the light of them. I don't know exactly why, but Noah of the ancient ark, came at once to my mind, and I was delighted to find that he fitted into the picture most naturally. The first time the word grace occurs in the Bible it is bound up with Noah — "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6). He was a man who believed God when all the world was infidel, and that meant that he was righteous in the midst of disobedient men; they were a condemned race, he alone was justified.

One man alone found favor in the eyes of the Lord (v. 8). Noah was righteous as regards his human relationships and blameless in his personal character, because “he walked with God.” When the population of the earth had increased so tremendously, it is tragically sad to consider that only one man walked with God. In this he is typical of the Lord Jesus. Yet he does illustrate the fact that it is possible for a believer to walk in true, godly separation from an evil world, even when he has no fellowship of others in so doing. Sometimes a believer may find himself in such circumstances, though this is exceptional, for 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us, “pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” But in any case, a lonely path with God is infinitely better than having many friends without God's presence.

84 But "Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah," that is, divine favour rested on him; personally righteous doubtless, but all through grace of course. Moses says, "If I have found grace in thy sight"; it is a common expression. In the next chapter God says of Noah, "Thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." But the earth was completely filled with violence. Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually; if sin comes in, it is sure to ripen up.

It is written: "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." This comes before the statement, "Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:8-9). This is ever God's order. No man can walk with God until he has tasted the grace of God. "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations." "Perfect" does not mean "sinless", his sad failure after he came out of the ark being sufficient proof (Gen. 9:21); but (as the margin suggests) Noah was an upright man, seeking to walk before God in integrity.

The message of Noah resembled that of John the Baptist rather than that of Paul. Not grace, but righteousness, characterised it. Of Noah it is written that he was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5), and of the Baptist the Saviour said, "John came to you in the way of righteousness" (Matt. 21:32). Judgement was coming and it was Noah's solemn business to announce it, if haply men would turn to God in repentance. Alas, he was met everywhere with disobedience while the long-suffering of God waited (1 Peter 3:20).

"These [are] the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect among his generations; with God walked Noah." So it had been said, in Gen. 5:22-24, of that singularly honoured saint Enoch, and with the emphasis of a repeated mention in a list of others where not one but himself was so described. Here it is applied to Noah, already distinguished by his father's prophetic expectation of comfort through him (Gen. 5:29). It is of deep moral interest to note, that the Holy Spirit records the grace Noah found in Jehovah's eyes, before He tells us that Noah was a righteous man, perfect, etc., and walked with God. This is really and emphatically the true order. Even the manner in which scripture presents the account ought to have guarded (Matthew Henry, for instance) from the thought that Noah's character in ver. 9 comes in here as the reason of God's favour to him. Reason of grace! What an idea and expression! Had he forgotten the real truth of grace? Had he not before him the pointed negation of any such thought in the apostle's words in Rom. 11:6? "If it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace" (R.V.). His alternative (but how strange for a pious commentator to waver between oppositions!) is alone right: Noah's righteous ways, his walk with God, flowed (as always) from God's favour. O. or N.T. makes no difference as to this, save that the N.T. is most explicit. See 1 Cor. 15:10 expressly; but is it not really so everywhere?

Further, it is not correct to say that he was a just man, that is justified before God. The confusion is similar to what we have already noticed. The grace that justified him wrought in and by him practical righteousness before man. So in the N.T. the doctrine of St. James is no less true than the apostle Paul's. They are not the same; and when mixed together, instead of being distinguished, the result is darkness and error. But apply the latter to what the soul wants before God when arrested about its sins, and "to him that works not but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:4-5). Whereas in James 2:14-26, where baptised Jews were making Christianity a merely new law and school of dogma, instead of living faith in Christ, the word is "Show me thy faith apart from works, and I by my works will show thee my faith" (ver. 18). The one (in Rom. 4) is justification before God, the root of all; the other is the resulting fruit "shown" before man. Each is indispensable in its place; both united in their season in every true believer. Practical righteousness is the effect, in no way the cause, of justification by faith. Here we are on the ground expressly of Noah in his generations, just, perfect, walking with God. But we know also from Heb. 11:7, that faith was the originating principle through grace of the conduct which distinguished him in that day, by which too he condemned the world as heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.

"These [are] the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in (or among) his generations; Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth" (vers. 9-12).

Viewed in his relationship and its peculiar obligations, Noah, as we have already observed, "found favour in the eyes of Jehovah." This has its importance. But it is not all. And here we are told of him on the broader ground of the faithful Creator toward all mankind. Noah's piety was recognised as real, but he is also as a righteous man among his fellows. Assuredly so it ought to be always; for the working of the divine nature, of which all born of God partake, is not only upward in dependence and thanksgiving, but vigilantly obedient, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. Yet we know too well that failure creeps in too often through lack of prayer and watchfulness. In both respects the record of Noah is excellent.

We must, however, look at Noah in two ways, namely, as a type, and as a man; and while the type is full of beauty and meaning, the man is full of sin and folly; yet the Holy Ghost has written these words, "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation; and Noah walked with God." Divine grace had covered all his sins, and clothed his person with a spotless robe of righteousness. Though Noah exposed his nakedness, God did not see it, for He looked not at him, in the weakness of his own condition, but in the full power of divine and everlasting righteousness. Hence we may see how entirely astray — how totally alienated from God and His thoughts, Ham was, in the course he adopted; he evidently knew nothing of the blessedness of the man, whose iniquity is forgiven, and his sin covered; on the contrary, Shem and Jepheth exhibit, in their conduct, a fine specimen of the divine method of dealing with human nakedness; wherefore they inherit a blessing, whereas Ham inherits a curse.

Enoch by faith was translated that he should not see death. Noah by faith prepared an ark for the saving of himself and of his house. Each believed the testimony for his day, and found in believing it deliverance as God had promised. Enoch walked well. Noah acted aright. Enoch had testimony that he pleased God before he was translated. A word surely this is of admonition for Christians to walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing (Col. 1:10), and to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called (Eph. 4:1). Noah by building the ark condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. It centred in him. For "Noah," we read, "was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Such is the description of this patriarch when first he appeared prominently in the pages of history at a ripe age, being five hundred years old. He then made the ark as divinely directed, and God said to him, "Thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation" (Gen. 7:1). He proved that he was righteous. He illustrated the obedience of faith. Believing the flood would come, moved by godly fear he prepared the ark, and was saved through the flood with all his family.