Yahweh
Lesson 5, Biblical Commentary
Obeying God When It Doesn’t Make
Sense (Noah)
Biblical Passages: Genesis 6:1–22; Hebrews
11:7
Supporting Passages: Genesis 7:1–9:17,
Proverbs 1:7
Memory Verse: Hebrews 11:7
Biblical Truth: Like Noah, we must trust the
Word of God and be obedient because of our
faith in Him.
Context: Noah’s story is one of the most tragic
examples of God’s wrath against sin in the entire
Bible. Humanity’s wickedness had escalated
exponentially since Adam and Eve’s initial sin in
the garden to Cain’s sin of murdering his brother.
Because humankind had become exceedingly
sinful, God in His holy judgment would not
tolerate their wickedness. Sometime after 5000
B.C., God flooded the entire earth. But God
reached out to one righteous man and his family
as a way to continue life on earth. God saw this
man’s character and called him to an incredible
act of faith. This man, Noah, built an ark, and God
used that ark to provide salvation from the waters.
In the 48 moments of this Bible study series, this
lesson continues to show that God had not given
up His purpose in creation. Though God’s
judgment on sin was real and horrific, it was not
His final word. The moments to follow Noah’s
story would increasingly reveal that the perfect
remedy for sin was on His way.
INVESTIGATION
Genesis 6 gives a dark picture. The earth was
similar to a disaster area. Humans acted proud
and ruthless. In fact the primary sin in Genesis
3–9 was violence (Gen. 4:8, 23–24; 6:11, 13).
God “was grieved,” and His “heart was filled with
pain” (v. 6). God still loved the world, and He
was (and is) always holy. But because of His
justice, He had to bring judgment of sin. God
chose to utterly destroy humankind. However,
there was one ray of light: Noah. Noah found
favor with God. One just and upright man had a
Copyright © Clarity Publishers, 2007. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for reproduction only for the study of
Life Bible Study curriculum by a licensed church during
the licensed year. No online or other duplication is permitted.
different lifestyle that stood out from everyone
around him. He showed loving obedience to
God. So God saved this one family. Noah trusted
and obeyed God because he had faith in Him
(Heb. 11:7).
The ancient Babylonians wrote a story called
Gilgamesh that also tells of a great flood. In their
account the noisy humans angered the gods
because they disturbed their sleep. This
prompted the gods to try to destroy the humans
by flood.
Through Noah’s story we see a remarkable
encounter with God. Scripture does not include
drowning by chance or irritable gods perturbed
with bothersome people. God destroyed an
immoral world filled with decadence. He
preserved only Noah and his family. The Flood
happened for a moral reason. The earth and
everyone in it was completely corrupt.
Widespread violence was evident. During this
time “the sons of God” married and bore children
by the “daughters of men” (Gen. 6:4). With the
population explosion came the explosion of
immorality. Noah, however, lived as a righteous
man. He was blameless and walked with God
despite all the struggles of his daily toils.
God warned Noah of His plan to destroy the
corrupt earth. He gave Noah detailed instructions
to build a floating vessel. Noah had never
experienced a flood. But he followed God’s plan.
After completing God’s blueprint, the rain began,
but not before he, his family, and a variety of
animals stood safely aboard the ark. Noah lived in
complete obedience to God. He lived by faith in
the midst of wicked times. God’s covenant
promise never to destroy the earth with a flood
again is evident every time we see a rainbow.
IMPORTANCE
This passage of Scripture is important for
believers to study because it provides early
insight into God’s nature and character. This
passage vividly shows that God Is a holy and just
God who loves the people He created. Many
passages in the Bible make it clear that God is
both holy (1 Sam. 2:2; Jos. 24:19; 1 Pet. 1:15)
and loving (Ps. 145:13; Joel 2:13). Because God
is holy and just, He did not tolerate humankind’s
wickedness in Noah’s day. Yet even in His
destruction, God showed He valued people. He
Yahweh: Lesson 5, Biblical Commentary, Page 1
flooded the earth but still preserved humanity
through Noah and his family.
Knowing Him as this holy and gracious God is
essential to having faith in Him through Jesus. By
studying the way God dealt with Noah, believers
will realize God’s holiness and grace and the
importance of living by faith.
This passage also touches on other key truths:
People are God’s Treasure and The Future is
in God’s Hands.
INTERPRETATION
Genesis 6:1–8 In the entire Bible, this is one of
the most challenging passages to understand. It
provides the background for the Flood story. It
consists of two parts. Verses 1–4 describe
marriage between “the sons of God” and “the
daughters of men.” Verses 5–8 show God’s anger
and sorrow over the wickedness of humanity.
Although it is not clear exactly how these
marriages related to the wickedness of Noah’s
day, it appears they illustrated the sinfulness God
condemned (vv. 5–8).
Who were “the sons of God”? What was the
nature of their marriage to “the daughters of
men”? Historically, Jewish and Christian
interpreters proposed these views.
First, they could have been sinful angels who
molested human women and had children by
them (known as the “Nephilim”). Another option is
that they were the descendents of Seth (godly
men) who married ungodly women, namely, the
descendants of Cain who bore the infamous
“heroes of old” (v. 4).
The two viewpoints hold something in common:
the idea of breaking divinely ordained boundaries.
In the first view the angels left heaven and
married humanity (Jude 6). In the second view
the righteous lineage of the Sethites (Gen. 5)
married outside their family (Cainites—Gen.
4:17–24). The passage therefore can be safely
said to show one thing: Sinful results come when
a society neglects God’s ideal for marriage (Gen.
2:24). The consequences of their actions resulted
God’s limit of the human lifespan to about 120
years (v. 3).
The mention of “the Nephilim” also presents
interpretation problems. In addition to the
Copyright © Clarity Publishers, 2007. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for reproduction only for the study of
Life Bible Study curriculum by a licensed church during
the licensed year. No online or other duplication is permitted.
translation problem of the Hebrew, there is a
more important difficulty. How should one relate
the presence of the Nephilim to the marriages of
“the sons of God” and “the daughters of men”?
One early view believes they were the offspring of
the marriages. But the phrase “and also
afterward” implies the Nephilim existed before
and after the marriages. The verse labels their
children as “the heroes of old, men of renown.”
“Heroes of old” were known for their fierce
violence. They were feared tyrants. Whoever
these people were, they acted so wickedly it
grieved the heart of God that He had made them.
Humanity grew in population and also in moral
perversion. In God’s view society had decayed
beyond recovery. God saw and grieved. He
declared His own voice would destroy what His
own hands had formed. God saw the inclinations
of the human heart were entirely wicked (Gen.
6:5; 8:21).
The heart forms the center of human thinking
(Mark 7:21–23). This passage draws a parallel
between humanity’s hearts filled with evil and
God’s heart filled with pain. God’s pain, however,
was not sorrow over a mistaken creation. It was
sorrow over what sin had done to humanity.
Making humans was no error on God’s part; the
error lie in what humans made of themselves.
God proclaimed He would destroy every living
thing—humans, bird, and beast (v. 7). God
declared wrath against the birds and animals, too.
Sin polluted all creation humanity had charge
over (Gen. 1:26–28). Yet hope remained. In the
midst of this disastrous predicament, Noah stood
apart from his sinful generation (v. 8). The phrase
“found favor in the eyes of the LORD” means that
God approved of Noah (also used of Joseph in
Gen. 39:4). The idea of God’s sight of Noah
(“eyes”) echoes the sinful times God “saw” (v. 5).
Noah stood apart as favored. God showed His
favor when He provided an escape for Noah and
his family (1 Pet. 3:20).
Genesis 6:9–10 Noah was “blameless” (v. 9).
This word means a morally complete or sound
lifestyle (Deut. 18:13). The same word described
Abraham (Gen. 17:1) and Job (Job 1:1). This
does not mean Noah lived sinless, but he lived
his daily life ethical and devout (1 John 1:8–9).
The passage does not tell about a particularly
righteous act. The author gave a general
Yahweh: Lesson 5, Biblical Commentary, Page 2
description of Noah as a man who “walked with
God” (v. 9). The Bible says the later patriarchs
walked “before” God (Gen. 17:1; 24:40; 48:15),
but only records that Noah and Enoch (Gen. 5:22,
24) walked “with” God. Verse 10 repeats the
genealogy in Genesis 5:32. This calls attention to
the development of Noah’s chosen line of
blessing. Genesis 10 will look to Noah’s three
descendants as the foundation of all nations.
Genesis 6:11–12 Three times the passage
declares the earth was “corrupt.” This word
underscores God’s reason for judgment.
“Violence” (v. 11) referred to physical abuse and
even murder (Judg. 9:24). Noah’s times were
characterized by spilling innocent blood. This is
similar to Cain’s murder of Abel (Gen. 4:8–10).
Murder had reached epidemic proportions. God
had blessed the earth with Adam and Eve; they
were to fill the earth with children (Gen. 1:28). But
their family also filled the earth with immorality.
Genesis 6:13–22 God’s first speech to Noah
gave detailed instructions: Noah would build a
sea vessel and recruit its occupants. God made
two announcements followed by two instructions.
Noah followed the instructions completely (v. 22).
God told Noah doom on humanity was just
around the corner. He then explained how He
would rescue Noah and his family. Noah would
build an ark. Noah was not a sailor. He was not
familiar with floating vessels. Yet God gave
instructions for a perfectly seaworthy craft
complete with rooms and a pitch sealant. With
exact proportions, Noah built the ark to God’s
specifications (v. 22). Verse 17 restates God’s
determination to destroy everything with breath.
The language “all life” and “everything” indicated
the flood would cause a worldwide catastrophe.
Out of this calamity, God saved a remnant and
made a covenant with Noah. The covenant
represented God’s gracious decision to spare
Noah and his family. Noah rested on God’s
promise as he and his family faced the disaster to
unfold before them.
Verses 19–21 describe the people in the ark. God
instructed Noah to gather a representative group
of animals, “two of all living creatures.” These
creatures would replenish the earth.
Verse 22 parallels the completeness of the
impending destruction with the completeness of
how Noah finished his task. Noah did “everything
Copyright © Clarity Publishers, 2007. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for reproduction only for the study of
Life Bible Study curriculum by a licensed church during
the licensed year. No online or other duplication is permitted.
just as God commanded him.” Noah built the ark
on dry land while waiting for the floodwaters. This
act was exemplary of a person trusting in what
was not seen or proven—faith.
Hebrews 11:7 “By faith” Noah completed an
assignment he did not fully understand. The
purpose of his task was “not yet seen” until it
started raining and the floodwaters lifted the ark
from its resting place. His faith was justified, and
by it the world’s faithlessness was judged. Noah
was counted among God’s righteous ones
who live by faith. He “became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah’s
actions model the obedience and effectiveness
of faith placed in the truth of God’s Word.
IMPLICATIONS
This passage is especially important for new
believers who are learning what it means to live
by convictions. Our society can seem very double
minded. Movies, music, magazines, and art
reflect a decadent trend toward violence and sex.
Yet religious life thrives, proven by the weekly
church and synagogue attendance, the growing
industries of religious music and films, and the
Christian witness of celebrities and athletes.
Simply turn on the TV or radio, and the competing
voices ring clear. We must wrestle with these
competing voices every day. In the midst of all of
this, remember that God is holy and just, as well
as loving and gracious. Noah did not surrender to
the allure of a sinful generation. He maintained
his faithfulness and purity when all others
followed immorality.
The New Testament identifies Noah as a
“preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), but he
had few converts! What do you think kept him
standing firm when he faced the evil of his day?
Noah understood the truth that God Is, and he
acted accordingly. People who understand this
truth as Noah did place unwavering faith in God
even when His commands seem unusual or
foolish from a human perspective. Understanding
His all-powerful ways and holiness calls for a
submission to do what He says regardless of the
consequences. People who do not understand
this truth have a faltering faith dependent on who
they are or what their circumstances are—rather
than who God is.
Yahweh: Lesson 5, Biblical Commentary, Page 3