May 12, 2020
The first mention of “Grace” in the Bible is found in Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. To understand what that meant we have to look at the context of the scriptures where this is found. Mankind had grown so wicked during the days of Noah that the Bible says that it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth. Let’s look at these verses previous to when Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
(Genesis 6:5) And GOD 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.
(Genesis 6:6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
(Genesis 6:7) And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
The Bible says that man had grown so wicked that every imagination and the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. As a result, God said that He would destroy man from the face of the earth. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!!! It wasn’t that Noah was so much better than any of the other men at that time, but God poured out his unmerited and undeserved favor on Noah.
You know the rest of the story how that Noah being warned of God prepared an ark for the saving of his house. (Hebrews 11:7) By 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.
Immediately following the flood, God made a covenant with Noah that He would never send a worldwide flood to destroy the earth and He set a bow in the cloud as a token between Himself and the earth. You can read about it in Genesis 9:11-17.
However, God said “But 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) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
(2 Peter 3:7) But 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 3:8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
(2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
When the Apostle John was in exile on the isle of Patmos, he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. He wrote down the things he heard and saw as they were revealed to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. These things are recorded in the last book of your Bible. If you have read it, then you know that God is sending judgment upon mankind for their wickedness once again and He will destroy man from the face of the earth just as He did in Noah’s day.
Have you like Noah moved with fear and prepared an ark for the saving of your house? God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Judgment is imminent and it is our responsibility to warn others and let them know that our only hope is through repentance whereby we can find “grace in the eyes of the Lord”.
Bro. Rick
