As we said previous Keil points out there are three elements of Noah’s story in Gen. 6-9 his piety, his preservation and his proclamation. However, we need to concentrate on the first element, ‘Noah’s personal piety of godliness’ for an effective prayer life. This first principle is found in Gen. 6; “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” This is the first time in the Bible the word, ‘Grace’ is used and notice its context, Gen. 6:5-8, where it grieved God that He made man and anticipated his total annihilation. Once again we have the ‘Law of first mention.’

Noah found (masa) favor in another’s eyes, namely God’s. The idea is to gain acceptance or win approbation. Noah found grace (khan) in the eyes of the LORD, grace, favor, mercy, pity, acceptance; unmerited, unwarranted, undeserved, favor! Moses found grace in the eyes of the LORD in Exodus 33:13 right after the ‘Golden Calf’ before he was put into the cleft of a rock. Listen, justice is getting what we deserve, you are doing 90 in a 50 and a trooper gives you a ticket that’s justice. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve, you are doing 90 in a 50 the trooper pulls you over and gives you a warning, that’s grace. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve, you are doing 90 in a 50 the trooper pulls you over, his captain is standing next to him, he writes you a ticket for $200.00, reaches in his wallet takes out $200.00 and hands it to you to pay the ticket and tells you to slow down, now that’s mercy! That’s what Jesus did for us, he reached in His wallet and paid our fine and let us nail Him to a cross for our violations and said, “Forgiven!” The first principle from Noah’s life for our prayer life is finding grace in the eyes of the LORD! Question, have you found it? If not you can’t pray for things, or people or events only salvation! If you have not found grace in the eyes of the LORD the only prayer you can utter from your heart to God’s heart is, “LORD save me!” Eph. 2:8 says, “For by grace are you saved through faith…” Eph. 1:7 says, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” This grace, this gift of God, provides us with a transition into the following tragedy, namely, “The Flood!” By the way, Dads listen up, only Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, his family rode in on his boat tails! So the first principle for prayer from Noah was his piety, his godliness, he found grace in the eyes of the LORD in the midst of a wicked, wicked, wicked world!

The second principle is: “Noah was a just man.” The word for just (tsa-dek) means righteous, just, lawful in conduct, and character. The root of this word is to be straight, not deviating from the standard. Noah was the “heir of righteousness by faith.” Heb. 11:7. Psalm 145:17 says, “The LORD is righteous (Tsadek) in all His ways and holy in all His works.” This word describes three aspects of our personal relationships; 1 – Ethical (ourselves); 2 – Legal (others); 3 – Theocratic (God). In the supreme sense, the righteous man is one who serves God. Mal. 3:18. Noah was righteous in his moral relation and service to God. Whom do we serve? In Ezek. 14:14 & 20, Noah, Daniel, and Job are declared to be righteous (tsadek). Question, if you were put on trial for being a just man or woman would they enough evidence to convict you? A just man gives freely without regard for gain, Psalm 37:21. Listen, ‘Righteous conduct can only be secured by plowing up fallow, dormant, inactive ground, sowing in righteousness and reaping in mercy.’ That is making a new foundation for righteousness, for (tsadek) Hos. 10:12. Where are you today? Are you ‘JUST’ ethically, legally, and theocratically? Or do you need some prayer in those areas today? Noah found grace (khan) and Noah was just (tsadek) two very important principles for our prayer lives.

However, there is a third principle that is missing in politics, religion, the home, marriage, our military, wall street and main street today; ‘Noah was perfect (tameem) complete’ the root (tam) refers to integrity. Some might say,”I have found grace.” Others will say, “I guess I am just.” But this third thing, integrity, “What’s that?” Webster in 2005 said, “Integrity is a firm adherence to a code especially of moral values; Incorruptibility; An unimpaired condition; Soundness; The quality or state of being complete or undivided.’ Listen to Webster in 1828, “Wholeness, entireness, unbroken state; The entire, unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; in-corruptness; uprightness; honesty; Integrity comprehends whole moral character but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings for others.” In 1828 Buckminster wrote, “The moral grandeur of independent integrity is the sublimest thing in nature, before which the pomp of eastern magnificence and the splendor of conquest are odious as well as perishable.” Where is that kind of integrity today, what’s happened to it? Amos 5:10 says, “They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly (tameem – with integrity).” (That’s Noah for 120 years) Brown, Driver, Briggs said of this word, “What is complete, entirely in accord with truth and fact.” II Peter 1:5 says we are to add to our faith ‘virtue’ (aretay) moral excellence and purity in feeling and action; seven things to add to your faith but the first is (tameem) integrity/virtue, moral purity in action and feeling, what’s happened to our leadership?

What did Noah do for 120 years besides build a huge boat? Preach righteousness to a sin cursed world. Peter calls him a, “Preacher of Righteousness” in II Peter 2:5. Note if you will in Gen. 6:9 there is no conjunction connecting “just and perfect” so it would be better written, “Noah was a, Righteous-Perfect man.” (Tsadek-Tameen) This compound indicates a phrase or double expression covering a state of perfection as nearly as man can accomplish it. Let me say this, ‘Divine approval on God’s part does not imply perfection on man’s part.’ It merely implies that those things that God sought in man were present in Noah. God simply desired for man to believe Him and His promise of salvation through the seed of a woman and Noah did!

Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD; Noah was a just man (tsadek); Noah was perfect (tameem) complete; Noah walked with (eth) God. Noah talked with God, you can’t walk with God for 450 years and not talk with Him. However, there are many ways to communicate, speech is only one of them and the least of all. In fact you never find Noah speaking one time in Gen. 6-9 until Ham’s sin in Gen. 9:25, but his walk was so close he didn’t need words; How is yours? A lot of things impress me with Noah, the fact that he preached for 120 years and no one got saved, would you still support him? His obedience to God in light of his huge task, Gen. 6:22 “Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” His righteousness, his integrity, his walk with God, his persistence! But the thing that impresses me the most is after spending a year on that boat with all those animals and complaining kids, the first thing he does when he gets off the ark Gen. 8:20, is build an altar and worship God and pray with his family. That blows my mind! He doesn’t call his mother, get a beer, kiss the ground, unload the trunk, hit the men’s room, he build’s an altar and prays! What is the first thing you do after a long journey? What’s the first thing you should do? PRAY! The altar speaks of three things, ‘Prayer, Sacrifice & Worship’ and; Listen, the altar preceded the rainbow, Gen. 9:13.     ‘Between The Lines’

“Father, help us to remember You at the end of our journeys not just at the beginnings. We pray for ‘Traveling Mercies’ never realizing how many dangers, perils and hazards You spared us from. We have learned much from Noah today, may we find grace in Your eyes and mercy at Your throne. Thank You for sending Jesus to pay for our ticket in full.” In His name we pray. Amen!

“Portraits of Prayer in Genesis”  (Noah – Part #6)