Genesis 6:8 Commentary and Bible Study

God has said he will judge and he will destroy, ‘But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ Grace here means favour. Noah found favour. It is possible to read this in entirely the wrong way, as if Noah found favour because he was more godly. No, it was by grace that he had a heart to please God, and to live for him, and he alone found favour. He alone maintained, with his family, the distinction between the church and the world; nobody else did, it appears. The pre-flood patriarchs with their long, long lives had now died out, with the exception of Noah. Methuselah, his grandfather died in that very year of the flood. Their influence kept the people, the nation that arose from Seth, pure and godly. But gradually the people turned away from that godly family influence. And only Noah was left, taking a distinctive stand, serving the Lord, obeying him, and maintaining his separation from the evil all around him. We get information on Noah from the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24, from Hebrews 11.7 and 1 Peter 3 and 2 Peter 2. All tell us something about him. He was a preacher of righteousness. He was one who patiently represented God, no matter what. We are told here that he had the favour of God. He was a man of faith.