But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8
That is such an honor for Noah
We speak of grace
We know of God’s grace, first hand in some respects
Noah found so much grace in the eyes of the Lord
that he was given specific instructions to build an ark
that would protect him and his household
from the destruction of the whole earth
It makes you consider how Noah found grace in Gods eyes
What were his qualifications for such an honor?
Scripture says by grace through faith are we saved
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8
We understand God’s grace to an extent
Most of us are not to the level of grace that God had on Noah
Noah was special
Not to say we aren’t special
If that statement bothers you,
the statement that Noah was favored of the Lord, be careful,
that is a twinge of pride
Noah was honored by the Lord above all men on the earth
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him,
so did he. Genesis 6:22
God spoke of Noah several more times throughout scripture
This time sticks out in memory
because God was mentioning the righteousness of Noah
but also stating that his righteousness before God covered no one else:
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,
as I live, saith the Lord God,
they shall deliver neither son nor daughter;
they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. Ezekiel 14:20
This was when God was explaining to Ezekiel
that each person will bear their own sins before the Lord
He was calling the people to righteousness
God told Ezekiel, they have to be righteous themselves before Me
In other words, nobody else can save them
It is that way it now and in a sense, before the flood
Noah was able to save his sons and their wives,
but had they not chosen to separate themselves from the world at that point, and walk on the ark themselves before it started to rain,
then it is hard to think they would have been able to enter once the rain fell
Each of us has specific requirements before the Lord,
things that He asks us to do so that we are righteous in His sight
The word of God tells us what those are
but without truly taking God’s word to heart,
anything we do or claim to do means little to nothing
I have heard many Christians place themselves in the Church of Philadelphia spoken of in the Book of Revelation
I have heard many consider themselves
members of the Church of Philadelphia
And because that is where they place themselves,
or have been taught by others that this is where they belong,
they are sure that this scripture applies to them:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth. Revelation 3:10
That is not our right to decide,
Jesus, our Righteous Judge decides where we fit in
Noah did not call himself righteous, God called Noah righteous
Moses was called the most humble man on the earth while he was here
(Now the man Moses was very meek,
above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Numbers 12:3
Moses did not call himself meek or humble before the Lord,
the scripture spoke God’s heart concerning Moses’ humility
If we think of ourselves more highly than we ought, we are missing it
This example is for Christians as well as non-Christians:
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room;
that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee,
Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them
that sit at meat with thee. Luke 14:10
Salvation is a gift, not a right
We cannot demand our place in the kingdom
Seek the Lord to find grace in His eyes