Son of Lamech, the descendant of Seth, and father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah is introduced as a just man, perfect in his generations, and as one who walked with God. To him God revealed that because the earth was full of violence, He would destroy all flesh with the earth. God bade Noah make the ark, and He would establish His covenant with him, and would preserve alive in the ark Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. The New Testament reveals the fact that Noah had faith, and that in godly fear he prepared the ark, in obedience to God’s warning, for the saving of his house, thereby condemning the world and becoming heir of the righteousness which is by faith. God’s salvation was seen by faith in the midst of coming judgment (Heb. 11:77By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7)).
In Genesis 6 God said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [or “indeed”] is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Men lived to a much greater age than this till long after the flood, so that this seems to refer to the period from the warning to the deluge. We know from other scriptures that God gave the people time for repentance: “the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” (1 Peter 3:2020Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Peter 3:20)).
Noah is called a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:55And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5)), but another scripture shows that his preparing the ark and his preaching had no effect: “they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away” (Matt. 24:38-3938For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:38‑39)).
When Noah and all the creatures were safely shut up in the refuge God had devised for them, it is said, God “remembered” them. In due time He abated the flood, and eventually bade Noah go out of the ark, for though Noah saw that the earth was dry, yet he waited like a dependent one for God’s word. His first act on the cleansed earth was to build an altar to the Lord, and offer burnt offerings of all the clean animals and fowls. The Lord smelled a sweet savor, and said in His heart that He would not again curse the ground for man’s sake, nor would He again smite every living thing as He had done. We are thus taught that the providential government of God is carried on upon the ground of the sweet savor of Christ’s sacrifice. God blessed Noah and his sons, and established His covenant with them and with every living thing, and gave the bow in the cloud as a token of it. He gave Noah and his sons authority over all living things, with permission to eat flesh, but not with the blood.
Thus God, after smelling a sweet savor in the burnt offering (type of the sacrifice of Christ, and so the earth not being again cursed for man’s sake) began the new earth by establishing His covenant with Noah and his sons, blessing the earth and putting its government into their hands. It was a new beginning in a new earth: the “heavens and the earth which are now” are in 2 Peter 2:55And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5) and 2 Peter 3:6-76Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:6‑7), put in contrast to the “world that then was,” the “old world.” Alas in this new world failure at once characterized the man to whom government had been entrusted. Noah planted a vineyard, drank of the wine, became intoxicated, and dishonored God and himself, and was dishonored by his son.
Noah pronounced a blessing on Shem and Japheth; Jehovah’s name is connected with Shem, while Japheth, head of the Gentiles, is enlarged providentially by God; a curse is pronounced on Canaan (Gen. 6-9). Noah is twice spoken of as a righteous man, along with Daniel and Job, though able to secure only their own safety when God’s sore judgments were on the land (Ezek. 14:14,16,2014Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:14)
16Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. (Ezekiel 14:16)
20Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. (Ezekiel 14:20)). See ARK and FLOOD.