He is one of the truly remarkable leaders in the Bible. His accomplishments tower above the saints of old. In the middle of human depravity, his spiritual credentials were impeccable. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9). Yahweh revealed to him of the coming destruction of all people because of their wickedness. He spent several decades building an ark to save a portion of humanity and various kinds of animals. He floated in the ark for perhaps up to a year before the flood finally receded.
After the flood, He became the second Adam in that he was the father of all humankind. God established a covenant with him and all his offspring that He will never destroy the earth again with water (Genesis 9:1-17). With such credentials and wealth of experience, you would think that he would coast through life in faithfulness to God.
But sadly, soon after God sealed His covenant with Noah, “He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.” (Genesis 9:21). Imagine that! The father and leader of the new world, lying dead drunk, and naked in his tent. After that, the events were murky, but seeing his nakedness led to a curse on his son, Ham.
Since then, many great leaders have been felled by excessive consumption of alcohol and other forms of substance abuse. The pressures of leadership can drive some people to seek escape through the deadening effect of the bottle, even narcotics. Noah’s life is a reminder that no one is immune to the allure of the things of this world.
Even more significantly, his life is a beacon pointing to Jesus as the only Savior of sinners. “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7). Noah was saved not because of his works and merits, but by his faith in the coming Savior.
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