Noah was
perfect in his generations
Perfect here,
of course, does not mean without sin, for all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Rather it means
that Noah had matured in his walk with God to the point where he was drawing
close and remaining close to the Lord at all times. Ephesians 5 18 tells us to
be filled with the Holy Spirit; that filling means a total control by the
Spirit. While the Holy Spirit did not indwell people at this time, because the
curse of sin had not been broken, the spirit did rest on believers. This is how
the Lord spoke to Noah and all the Old Testament prophets, along with anyone
else used by the Lord for His work.
There is
another theory, that perfect in his generations means he had No genetic
mutation like the fallen angels had created in most people. This could be
true even if the fallen ones creating the Nephilim only made genetic
alterations and there was no intercourse with humans. One reason this could be
is the "in his generations" part. Others say that means there was no
descendent of Cain in his genealogy. However, it should be noted that not only
is there no stated rule against marrying Cain's descendants, but even where God
forbids marrying Canaanites, several such women are listed in Matthew 1 in the
line of Christ. God in His mercy permitted them to have a part in the line of
Christ, so it's not likely this is referring to whether or not Noah was fully
Sethite.
As before when
this was discussed, this is not a question of doctrine when it comes ro
salvation and therefore not a matter to be too insistent upon. Rather, like the
women in Philippians 4:2-3, since it's not fundamental to salvation, we must be
of one mind in the Lord, agreeing to be satisfied with being united in our
faith as believers.
He was also a
just man. As noted, he walked with God, but special note is made that he was
just. In a world filled with evil and wickedness he stood out. He likely faced
much ridicule for his justice, considering how much he gave up. However, he was
determined to do what was right. As Micah 6:8 says, “He hath shown thee oh man,
what is good and what the LORD doth require of thee: but to do justly, and to
love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy god.”
Noah did these
things, and the combination of justice and mercy shows the character of God. He
is always just, yet He is always merciful toward his people, constantly giving
chances to repent and be saved by faith. However, His justice requires that a
price be paid, and that we each accept, before we die, that this price was for
our sins. Praise the Lord that price was paid when Christ took the punishment
for our sins on the cross where he died and then rose triumphant plea from the
dead. Noah was a symbol of what Christ would one day do for us.
