“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” (Genesis 6:9 NLT)

Once sin entered the world, it didn’t take long for it to reach a tipping point. Genesis 3 tells us about the temptation of Adam and Eve and their decision to disobey God. And just three chapters later, we find these words: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart” (Genesis 6:5–6 NLT).

Because God is just, He has wrath and anger. Some people have a hard time with this. “How can God be loving and wrathful?” Is it really that hard to figure out? If God loves what is good, then He hates what is evil. And if He is just, there has to be a penalty for breaking His laws. He demands punishment for sin. That punishment is death. God determined to destroy every living thing on the earth. What stopped Him? “Noah found favor with the Lord” (verse 8 NLT).

Noah was not a sinless man, but he was a righteous man. He had a close relationship with God. He prioritized God’s will and was obedient to His call. Because of Noah’s faithfulness, God provided a way to save those who were connected to this righteous man from His judgment.

Noah built an ark—an enormous sailing vessel—according to the Lord’s precise instructions. He herded two (male and female) of every type of animal onto the ark, along with the necessary provisions. Then he, his wife, his three sons, and their wives boarded the vessel.

Seven days later, the rains started. Torrential downpours continued for forty days. Everyone and everything that was not on the ark was destroyed by the floods. Eight people were saved from God’s judgment because of one person’s righteousness.

Noah and his family, along with the animals on the ark, were responsible for repopulating the earth. They were part of God’s new creation. But Noah’s righteousness was imperfect, and sin reared its ugly head again. People pursued evil instead of good. They disobeyed God instead of following His will. The trend toward wickedness continues today. We don’t have to look far to find Satan’s influence in our culture.

And because God is still perfectly just, that means another judgment is coming. Jesus says in Matthew 24:37–39, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (NLT).

And this time, He is the means of salvation. What the ark did for Noah and his family is what Jesus does for everyone who believes in Him—that is, offer protection from God’s holy wrath. Noah’s salvation came from an ark made of wood. Jesus’ salvation comes from a cross made of wood. If you trust in Him, you will be saved.

Reflection question: How can you help someone who doesn’t realize that God’s judgment is coming?

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