“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37 NKJV

What made Noah different in his generation? It might be summed in this beautiful phrase – “Noah found grace”. This week, synagogue Torah scrolls will advance to the reading portion called Noah (Genesis 6:9-11:32). There, we are presented with a world that had become corrupt and full of violence. After the unheeded pleadings of Noah, a preacher of righteousness for more than 100 years, the waters of Creation which had receded into the deep, once again engulfed the continents. So what made Noah different in his generation? This week, we want to meditate on the power of grace for your life.

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  Genesis 6:8 NKJV

Noah’s name is just two Hebrew letters, “nun” and “chet”. The Hebrew for grace are those same two letters reversed (נֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן), an obvious wordplay. But they are also a loving message to anyone striving to please the Lord. But to truly understand God’s love and grace calling man into the Ark, we must internalize the fact that judgment is coming.

These are the Days of Noah

Yeshua, like Noah has issued a warning for the end times  – “as the day’s of Noah were, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  We like to sing, “These are the days of Elijah”, but today looks more like the “days of Noah.” The corruption within the heart of man brazenly shakes its fist to heaven. Along with it is the full expectation that everything will continue as always.   But Yeshua warned it would be this way.

“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:38-39 NKJV

Just as the Ark lifted Noah’s family above the flood, the “Son of Man” will lift His Beloved, His family to the Heavens.

“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”  Matthew 24:40-42 NKJV

This Son of Man (Yeshua) will come on the clouds. The sound of a great trumpet will announce His appearing, but who will be able to stand in that day? The story of Noah is not simply one of judgment, it is a message of mercy. In a moment, the twinkling of an eye, the Messiah will appear to hide His beloved. Isaiah may well be alluding to this when he says,

“Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.” Isaiah 26:20 NKJV

These are the Days of Grace

But how shall we merit escape? Only by the mercy and grace of God! That brings us back to the Hebraic gem of a wordplay, “Noah found grace”. Let me put it differently, Noah found unmerited favor in God’s sight! Grace is not needed for those who are perfect. As strange as it may seem, some Jewish commentaries note that Genesis may well be drawing attention to Noah’s shortcomings by saying he was “blameless in his generation”. In other words, Noah was blameless compared to those around him. Noah fought to please God while others rebelled. And yet, only by God’s grace was Noah’s family saved.

Here is a word of encouragement for those struggling for sanctification. Perfect people DO NOT need grace! We all need the mercy and grace provided by Yeshua’s atoning death. May we walk upright in our generation, eagerly looking for the coming of the “Son of Man”, and like Noah, may you “find grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

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