What is the meaning of Genesis 6:8? Noah • Genesis first introduces Noah through the genealogy in Genesis 5, highlighting that he comes from the godly line of Seth. Unlike the violent, corrupt culture around him (Genesis 6:11–12), Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). • Hebrews 11:7 later celebrates Noah as a man of faith who “became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” His life is a living rebuttal to those who claim nobody can please God amid widespread evil. • Ezekiel 14:14 lists Noah alongside Daniel and Job as exemplary men whose righteousness stood out in dark times. Scripture consistently treats him as an historical person whose choices mattered to God and to human history. However • The word “however” (or “but” in many translations) signals a sharp contrast with the previous verses, where “every inclination of the thoughts of men’s hearts was altogether evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). • God’s grief over human sin leads to the announced judgment of the flood (Genesis 6:7). Yet right in the middle of that bleak verdict, this small pivot word shows divine mercy at work. • Throughout the Bible God preserves a remnant: Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19), Elijah in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 19:18), and the 7,000 in Romans 11:5. Noah is the remnant of his generation. Found favor • “Found favor” can also be rendered “found grace.” It is God’s unearned kindness, not human merit, that rescues Noah. As Exodus 33:17 puts it, “You have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” • Grace always precedes obedience. God shows favor to Noah, and then Noah obeys the command to build the ark (Genesis 6:22). That pattern anticipates Ephesians 2:8–10: saved by grace, created for good works. • Notice the personal nature of favor: – Initiated by God – Received by faith – Resulting in action – Preserving life for the sake of God’s larger redemptive plan In the eyes of the LORD • Human eyes saw Noah as just another man; divine eyes saw a heart set on Him. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). • God’s gaze is comprehensive: “The eyes of the LORD roam to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully His” (2 Chronicles 16:9). • When God’s eyes are on someone for good, no amount of cultural decay can thwart His purpose. Psalm 33:18 reminds us, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him.” • “In the eyes of the LORD” means Noah’s life met God’s standard, not because Noah was sinless, but because God’s grace made relationship possible and acceptable. summary Genesis 6:8 stands as a beacon of hope in a dark chapter: one man, Noah, received God’s unearned favor, contrasting sharply with a world consumed by evil. God’s searching eyes found a heart receptive to grace, setting the stage for salvation through the ark and, ultimately, pointing forward to the greater salvation offered in Christ. |
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