A Man Apart - Noah

Before the great flood the average life span of mankind was 900 years. Adam lived 930 years. Seth lived 912 years. Methuselah lived 969 years, and Noah lived 950 years. After the flood men's life span rapidly and gradually leveled off. Shem, Noah's son, lived 600 years. Eber, Shem's great-grandson, lived 464 years. Abraham lived 175 years, Jacob lived 147 years, and Joseph lived 110 years. Some people think this is due with major environmental changes brought about by the flood, but God was so frustrated with man and the evil on the earth that He set the age limit. "And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." Gen. 6:3

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thought of his heart was only evil continually, and the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart, So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Gen. 6:5-8 I can't imagine the evil men got into by living over 900 years without Jesus Christ. Noah found favor with Jesus, and God decided to save him and his family. "And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.Make yourself an ark." Gen. 6:13-14 

"Noah was a just man, blameless, having integrity, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." Gen. 6:9 "But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark-you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you." Gen. 6:18 This is the first mention of a biblical covenant. God's protection through the impending Flood is His first installment of covenant promise. Noah's obedience is a model of God's working with man for establishing His kingdom purposes on Earth.

"Then the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation." Gen. 7:1 Because Noah walked with God and was righteous before Him; God established His covenant with Noah, and saved his family in the ark. When it was time for the flood, all the animals were in the ark, and Noah and his family entered-God shut them in. 

"On that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and nights." Gen. 7:11-12 "So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days." Gen. 7:23-24  

Noah was in the ark 150 days. 40 days of rain and flooding, and 110 days of floating on the water. Basically a little over 5 months. THEN GOD REMEMBERED! "Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided." Gen. 8:1

After Noah put his feet on dry ground the first thing he did was build an altar to the Lord. "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the intent of man's heart is evil from youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done." Gen. 8:20-21

This is the first blood covenant between God and man mentioned in the Bible. Noah didn't receive any instruction from God to offer the blood sacrifice, but this clearly suggests there was a precedent set going back to Abel's sacrifice of the firstborn in the garden. Noah's first order of business was to give glory and honor to God for saving his family through the blood sacrifice, and it was a soothing aroma to Him. And as a result, establishes a covenant with Noah to never destroy the earth again. 

"Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood to destroy the earth." And God said: "This is a sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. " Gen. 9:11-13

Can everyone say,"Thank you, Noah!!!"