Noah and the Flood
Genesis 6, 5-9 (ASV): And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God.
Genesis 7, 1 (ASV): And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
It took only six chapters from the beginning of the Bible to find absolutely perverted mankind, which gave God pain and which God wanted to destroy. It was a good thing that there was a single righteous and honest man - Noah. God instructed Noah about how to built a giant ship (ark) and Noah obeyed him implicitly.
Genesis 6, 22 (ASV): Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Now we are getting to the key fact that can be seen through the Bible at every turn. Besides righteousness, the key issue of the relationship with God is love expressed through obedience. God is a fantastic loving being, however, we are bound not to enjoy His love if we are disobedient. We have read about Noah that he was not only righteous and honest, but that he did according to all that God commanded him.
As descendants of the fallen Adam we are born with the tendency to rebellion, selfishness and other ugly things, including disobedience against the authorities (parents, teachers, superiors, God). For some reason, Noah “rose up” against this corrupt human nature and lived a righteous life in submission to God. The result included that complete obedience.
God’s love demonstrates itself also in His treatment of Noah. Because of Noah, God again blessed the man though he knew that the man was evil and corrupt from his youth.
Genesis 8, 21 - 9, 1: And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
