Genesis 6:8-9 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and walked faithfully with God.
God is: One Who Gives Favor
Noah FOUND favor. In order to find something, it must be sought for. In this case, God’s eyes intently searched high and low for a people who was still faithful to Him. Similar to a lawyer who researches all the facts about his case, God’s gaze settled on Noah and he was found righteous.
What gave Noah favor? Righteousness, blamelessness, and a faithful walk with God.
Righteousness:
Let’s paint a picture of Noah’s persona. The word used for righteous is translated as just, lawful and righteous in government, cause, conduct, character and vindicated by God (1). He would have been excellent in character and have adhered to righteous principles of proper conduct and godly moral standards.
Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. A corrupt leader would use their office, power, and influence to supplement their own bank accounts and collect favors from subordinates. A corrupt leader would use unethical and unlawful means to maintain their office and positions of power. Most importantly, because of all the skeletons in their closet, a corrupt leader can be controlled by other corrupt people through bribes, threats, scandal, etc…
In the society Noah lived in, he would not be appreciated by his peers, but rather despised. He could not be controlled, he could not be bribed and he could not be threatened. Noah’s leadership position was given to him by God, so no one could take it from him. He would be loathed by other leaders, known as a boy scout, isolated, excluded, and intensely opposed to in matters dealing with law, causes, government, and justice.
Blamelessness:
God found Noah to be blameless. Blameless is translated sound, wholesome, unimpaired,
innocent, having integrity, entirely in accord with truth and fact (2). He would be sincere, know right from wrong, honest and innocent of wrongdoing. He would be a man of ethics and integrity. Noah would be noble in his thoughts, imaginations, and dealings.
Noah’a peers would be outraged with him because he could not be coerced or bullied. There was no right from wrong, the means justified the ends. Everyone’s thoughts, imaginations, and dealings are contemptible, and Noah’s lifestyle proved they could live in an exemplary way. However, his good example only made them feel offended and indignant.
Faithfulness:
Noah walked faithfully with God. He conducted himself in a godly manner and pursued righteousness as his course of life. Like Seth and all of his forefathers, he kept his allegiance to God, Who remained first priority in his life and did not indulge in the worship of foolish idols.
On the other hand, the people around him worshiped idols, were cruel, contemptuous, abusive, lived disreputable lives, and spit in the face of God and His goodness.
Noah's life was a dichotomy compared with the lives of his peers. God searched the earth for righteousness and found a bright light in a dark world. He found Noah's decisions righteous, heart motivations blameless, and his relationship to Him faithful. God was given grounds to reward Noah with favor.
There are many examples of righteousness verses unrighteousness in the Bible and one such story is found in 2 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 21.
At a time when the kingdom of Israel was divided, the son and daughter of the two Jewish kingdoms intermarried. Athaliah was married to Prince Joram, son of King Jehoshaphat of Judea. She was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezabel of the Northern Jewish Kingdom. When Joram became king, Athaliah controlled her husband and the kingdom with an iron fist. Under Joram’s reign and Athaliah’s influence, the kingdom of Judea abandoned the God of their fathers and shamelessly worshiped Phoenician gods, Baal, and Ashtarte. Persuading her husband that his descendants may be a threat to his throne, Joram executed his six brothers and the princes of Judea. Eight years into his reign, Joram died from a disease in his bowels and because of his wickedness was not buried honorably with the other kings.
His son, Ahaziah succeeded him but Athaliah controlled her son as well as she did her late husband. Ahaziah lived to rule one year but was killed. When hearing about her son’s death, she ordered the execution of all of the descendants of David who would be heirs to the throne and established herself as supreme sovereign.
What Athaliah didn’t know is that Joash, Ahaziah’s youngest toddler son, was secretly hidden by Ahaziah’s sister, Jehosheba and her husband, the High Priest Jehoiada. The High Priest, Jehoiada and his wife remained faithful to God and to His covenant ensuring that someone would always remain on the throne from the House of David. They were a righteous couple and the baby was raised in the temple of the Lord out danger from his grandmother. The couple diligently trained Joash in the ways of the Lord and how to walk blameless in His sight. When Joash was eight years old, High Priest Jehoiada ordered the men to surround the boy with spears and shields in the Temple of the Lord. There the High Priest Jehoiada crowned young Prince Joash and anointed him king. All of the people applauded and shouted, “Long live the king!”
When Athaliah heard the shouting and the clapping she sped into the Temple of the Lord. As she realized what happened, she ripped her clothes and shouted, “Treason!! Treason!!” High Priest Jehoiada commanded the soldiers to physcially remove her from the Temple of the Lord and slay her outside and that is exactly what they did.
The favor of God rested on High Priest Jehoiada and the young King Joash. High Priest Jehoiada influenced and guided King Joash with his decision making processes, removed idols from the land, and helped restore the Kingdom of Judea back to God.
Prophetically, High Priests were decided upon by lot, and by divine intervention the lot fell on Jehoiada the year Athaliah decided to kill all of her son’s children. Why him? Because God searched for a man that was righteous in life decisions, blameless in character, and faithful to Him. Jehoiada and his wife lived lives that were a dichotomy to the life of Athaliah. Jehoiada and his wife gave God grounds to reward them with favor. In Jehoiada and his wife, God found a bright light in a dark world.
Psalm 86:17 NLT, “Send me a sign of Your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for You, O Lord, help and comfort me.”
Pray It:
Dear Father, Help me to keep my life decisions righteous, heart motivations blameless, and my relationship with you faithful. Help me, like Noah, to be a bright light in a dark world. I thank You for rewarding me with favor. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Say It:
God searches my heart.
God finds me righteous.
God finds me blameless.
God finds me faithful in my relationship with Him.
God grants me favor.
Do It:
Do a self examination. Are you willing to pursue righteousness as a course of life when others do not?
What gave Noah favor? Righteousness, blamelessness, and a faithful walk with God.
Righteousness:
Let’s paint a picture of Noah’s persona. The word used for righteous is translated as just, lawful and righteous in government, cause, conduct, character and vindicated by God (1). He would have been excellent in character and have adhered to righteous principles of proper conduct and godly moral standards.
Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. A corrupt leader would use their office, power, and influence to supplement their own bank accounts and collect favors from subordinates. A corrupt leader would use unethical and unlawful means to maintain their office and positions of power. Most importantly, because of all the skeletons in their closet, a corrupt leader can be controlled by other corrupt people through bribes, threats, scandal, etc…
In the society Noah lived in, he would not be appreciated by his peers, but rather despised. He could not be controlled, he could not be bribed and he could not be threatened. Noah’s leadership position was given to him by God, so no one could take it from him. He would be loathed by other leaders, known as a boy scout, isolated, excluded, and intensely opposed to in matters dealing with law, causes, government, and justice.
Blamelessness:
God found Noah to be blameless. Blameless is translated sound, wholesome, unimpaired,
innocent, having integrity, entirely in accord with truth and fact (2). He would be sincere, know right from wrong, honest and innocent of wrongdoing. He would be a man of ethics and integrity. Noah would be noble in his thoughts, imaginations, and dealings.
Noah’a peers would be outraged with him because he could not be coerced or bullied. There was no right from wrong, the means justified the ends. Everyone’s thoughts, imaginations, and dealings are contemptible, and Noah’s lifestyle proved they could live in an exemplary way. However, his good example only made them feel offended and indignant.
Faithfulness:
Noah walked faithfully with God. He conducted himself in a godly manner and pursued righteousness as his course of life. Like Seth and all of his forefathers, he kept his allegiance to God, Who remained first priority in his life and did not indulge in the worship of foolish idols.
On the other hand, the people around him worshiped idols, were cruel, contemptuous, abusive, lived disreputable lives, and spit in the face of God and His goodness.
Noah's life was a dichotomy compared with the lives of his peers. God searched the earth for righteousness and found a bright light in a dark world. He found Noah's decisions righteous, heart motivations blameless, and his relationship to Him faithful. God was given grounds to reward Noah with favor.
There are many examples of righteousness verses unrighteousness in the Bible and one such story is found in 2 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 21.
At a time when the kingdom of Israel was divided, the son and daughter of the two Jewish kingdoms intermarried. Athaliah was married to Prince Joram, son of King Jehoshaphat of Judea. She was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezabel of the Northern Jewish Kingdom. When Joram became king, Athaliah controlled her husband and the kingdom with an iron fist. Under Joram’s reign and Athaliah’s influence, the kingdom of Judea abandoned the God of their fathers and shamelessly worshiped Phoenician gods, Baal, and Ashtarte. Persuading her husband that his descendants may be a threat to his throne, Joram executed his six brothers and the princes of Judea. Eight years into his reign, Joram died from a disease in his bowels and because of his wickedness was not buried honorably with the other kings.
His son, Ahaziah succeeded him but Athaliah controlled her son as well as she did her late husband. Ahaziah lived to rule one year but was killed. When hearing about her son’s death, she ordered the execution of all of the descendants of David who would be heirs to the throne and established herself as supreme sovereign.
What Athaliah didn’t know is that Joash, Ahaziah’s youngest toddler son, was secretly hidden by Ahaziah’s sister, Jehosheba and her husband, the High Priest Jehoiada. The High Priest, Jehoiada and his wife remained faithful to God and to His covenant ensuring that someone would always remain on the throne from the House of David. They were a righteous couple and the baby was raised in the temple of the Lord out danger from his grandmother. The couple diligently trained Joash in the ways of the Lord and how to walk blameless in His sight. When Joash was eight years old, High Priest Jehoiada ordered the men to surround the boy with spears and shields in the Temple of the Lord. There the High Priest Jehoiada crowned young Prince Joash and anointed him king. All of the people applauded and shouted, “Long live the king!”
When Athaliah heard the shouting and the clapping she sped into the Temple of the Lord. As she realized what happened, she ripped her clothes and shouted, “Treason!! Treason!!” High Priest Jehoiada commanded the soldiers to physcially remove her from the Temple of the Lord and slay her outside and that is exactly what they did.
The favor of God rested on High Priest Jehoiada and the young King Joash. High Priest Jehoiada influenced and guided King Joash with his decision making processes, removed idols from the land, and helped restore the Kingdom of Judea back to God.
Prophetically, High Priests were decided upon by lot, and by divine intervention the lot fell on Jehoiada the year Athaliah decided to kill all of her son’s children. Why him? Because God searched for a man that was righteous in life decisions, blameless in character, and faithful to Him. Jehoiada and his wife lived lives that were a dichotomy to the life of Athaliah. Jehoiada and his wife gave God grounds to reward them with favor. In Jehoiada and his wife, God found a bright light in a dark world.
Psalm 86:17 NLT, “Send me a sign of Your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for You, O Lord, help and comfort me.”
Pray It:
Dear Father, Help me to keep my life decisions righteous, heart motivations blameless, and my relationship with you faithful. Help me, like Noah, to be a bright light in a dark world. I thank You for rewarding me with favor. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Say It:
God searches my heart.
God finds me righteous.
God finds me blameless.
God finds me faithful in my relationship with Him.
God grants me favor.
Do It:
Do a self examination. Are you willing to pursue righteousness as a course of life when others do not?
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