Genesis 6:9-22: a reflection

9This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. 10Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. 14Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. 15This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels. 17I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is on the earth will die. 18But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive. 21Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.” 22Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him.

In a generation grown corrupt and violent, Noah stood out as a righteous man who walked with God, and when God called him to a great task, he did all that God commanded him. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time; Noah walked with God, the account says. The earth around him was corrupt and filled with violence; yet Noah did not simply go along with the corruption of his generation. He was righteous, he walked with God, and when God gave him the enormous task of building the ship, he obeyed fully: Noah did all that God commanded him. Amid a corrupt world, Noah walked with God and obeyed him completely. This shows walking with God and obeying him fully even in a corrupt generation. Walk with God and obey him fully, even in a corrupt generation. Do not simply go along with the corruption around you. Faithfulness stands out and holds firm amid a corrupt world. Noah did all that God commanded; let your obedience be full.

Notice two things about Noah, set against his generation. First, in a world grown corrupt and violent, Noah was righteous, blameless among the people of his time, and walked with God. He did not simply go along with the corruption around him, blending into a corrupt generation; he stood apart, walking with God in the midst of a world that had turned from him. Second, when God gave him the enormous, strange task of building a great ship to survive the coming flood, Noah obeyed fully: he did all that God commanded him, holding nothing back. This holds a pattern worth taking to heart. First, we are called, like Noah, to walk with God even in a corrupt generation, not simply going along with the corruption and wrongdoing around us, blending in, but walking with God, holding to righteousness even when our surroundings have turned away from him. Faithfulness can stand out and hold firm even amid a corrupt world. Second, we are called to obey God fully, as Noah did all that God commanded, not obeying selectively or partially, holding back where it is hard or strange, but doing all that God asks. To walk with God amid a corrupt world, and to obey him fully, is the pattern Noah sets. We do well to walk with God even in a corrupt generation, and to obey him fully, as Noah did all that God commanded. Walk with God even in a corrupt generation, not going along with the corruption around you. Obey God fully, as Noah did all that God commanded him. Faithfulness can stand out and hold firm amid a corrupt world. Do not blend into the wrongdoing around you; walk with God and obey him.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to walk with God and obey him fully even in a corrupt generation, as Noah walked with God and did all that God commanded amid a corrupt world. We can simply go along with the corruption around us and obey God only partially; but Noah, righteous in a corrupt generation, walked with God and obeyed him fully. Stand firm and obey. Do not blend into the corruption around you or hold back your obedience; walk with God even in a corrupt generation, and do all that he commands, as Noah did. Walk with God and obey him fully even in a corrupt generation, not going along with the corruption around you nor holding back your obedience, as in a generation grown corrupt and violent Noah stood out as a righteous man who walked with God, and when God called him to a great task he did all that God commanded him, being righteous and blameless among the people of his time while the earth around him was corrupt and filled with violence; for Noah did not simply go along with the corruption of his generation but was righteous, walked with God, and when given the enormous task of building the ship obeyed fully, doing all that God commanded, which holds a pattern worth taking to heart, first that we are called like Noah to walk with God even in a corrupt generation, not simply going along with the corruption and wrongdoing around us and blending in, but walking with God and holding to righteousness even when our surroundings have turned from him, so that faithfulness can stand out and hold firm amid a corrupt world, and second that we are called to obey God fully as Noah did all that God commanded, not obeying selectively or partially or holding back where it is hard or strange but doing all that God asks, so that to walk with God amid a corrupt world and obey him fully is the pattern Noah sets, and we do well to walk with God even in a corrupt generation and obey him fully.

Lord, in a generation grown corrupt and violent, Noah stood out as a righteous man who walked with you, and when you called him to a great task, he did all that you commanded him. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time; Noah walked with God, the account says. The earth around him was corrupt and filled with violence; yet Noah did not simply go along with the corruption of his generation. He was righteous, he walked with you, and when you gave him the enormous task of building the ship, he obeyed fully: Noah did all that God commanded him. Show me two things about Noah, set against his generation. First, in a world grown corrupt and violent, Noah was righteous, blameless among the people of his time, and walked with you. He did not simply go along with the corruption around him, blending into a corrupt generation; he stood apart, walking with you in the midst of a world that had turned from you. Second, when you gave him the enormous task of building a great ship, Noah obeyed fully: he did all that you commanded, holding nothing back. This holds a pattern worth taking to heart. First, I am called, like Noah, to walk with you even in a corrupt generation, not simply going along with the corruption and wrongdoing around me, but walking with you, holding to righteousness even when my surroundings have turned away from you. Second, I am called to obey you fully, as Noah did all that you commanded, not obeying selectively or holding back where it is hard. Take that to my heart. Keep me from blending into the corruption around me or holding back my obedience; help me walk with you, Lord, even in a corrupt generation, and obey you fully, doing all that you command, as Noah walked with you and did all you commanded amid a corrupt world.