Rod Levey: Standing Covenant with Noah

THE STANDING COVENANT WITH NOAH

The first time the word covenant is found in the Bible is in relationship to Noah.

In Genesis 6:4, the Lord saw that the heart of mankind was consistently bent toward wickedness and evil. Verse 6 says the Lord was grieved in His heart and sorry He had made man. In verse 7, we find the Lord stating, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” because of that which was mentioned in verse 5.

In verse 8 it's written, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” In the midst of the earth's population of a corrupt people, there was one man who had found favor with God. Why? Why was Noah, in God's sight, one who was different from the rest?

Verse 9 answers this question. This verse starts out by saying, “This is the genealogy of Noah.” Then it goes on to say in that same verse, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” This at first glance seems to be a strange way to describe a genealogy. Verse 10 sounds reasonable in regard to a genealogy: “And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” This is a clear genealogy, three sons that came from their father's loins. This was the picture of Noah's descendants firsthand, the biological lineage.

Now, let's go back to verse 9. I believe there was no mistake as God described the bloodline; the characteristics of this bloodline were of a spiritual birthing, not natural. Although Noah had three natural children, Shem, Ham and Japheth, God noted the spiritual children of Just, Perfect and Walked with God which were birthed by and had the characteristics of the Father. Noah, as a son of God, up to this point in his life had retained his moral character and lived his life in the fear of the Lord. He made personal, consistent choices to honor God. He loved God and expressed that love by the birthing of three descendants, “Just,” “Perfect” and “Walked with God.”

Noah lived a Just life before God –lawfully right—before God. He was morally upright. He made God's standards his standards. Noah chose to take a stand for God. Love motivated him to not compromise and yield to the lust of the flesh as the others were doing.

The second child in Noah’s spiritual bloodline was “Perfect.” Noah lived a wholesome life; clean, without blemish. He was sound in his decisions and judgments, a man of integrity. He was focused and unwavering. He purposed not to be involved with all the mixture that was being offered in his generation. Noah wasn't caught up in the fads and forms of his day. Stable living before a holy God marked him. His influence was God alone, not the many voices and choices of the hour that were available.

The third in Noah’s spiritual genealogy was “Walked with God.” Noah stayed in fellowship with God.  He communed with the Father. Nothing was going to distract him from the intimacy he had with his Creator. Noah walked with God. He knew who had the lead and therefore followed with a submissive heart, a pure example of a bondservant. Rejection, ridicule nor reason would deter him from following and walking with the One who was his Lord. Again, he didn't walk or follow the majority—the masses who had turned from God for the fulfillment of their pleasures and satisfaction of their fleshly appetites. He knew the way of expressing his love to his Maker: the way of the cross. He would not fall prey to what was regarded as the norm in his day, what was acceptable, what everyone else was doing.

Verse 11 says, “The earth was filled with violence.” The people of Noah’s day were simply living wrongly. They were in sin. Everyone was doing that which would bring them unjust gain. They were concerned with themselves only. There was no mentality of a love for God and a love for their neighbor. Men were lovers of themselves, doing only what would bring them self-satisfaction, comfort and pleasure. Some had a name “sons of God,” but their life behavior and conduct did not resemble that of God. They had a form of godliness, but there was a denying of its power—the power of love revealed in covenant relationship.

Covenant always speaks of bloodshed and slaughter. Sacrifice is a key component of covenant living. Psalm 50:5 says, “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” This particular psalm appears to be speaking of a time of judgment. It looks like it was a day similar to Noah's generation and ours. There is an addressing of all the motion and form taking place—you know, going through the motions of religion. In verses 16-21, the writer Asaph clearly points out the issues the Lord was addressing to a corrupt, unjust people. For example: lip service, unwillingness to submit, adulterous relationships and not walking in righteous living with family members. The chapter ends in verse 23: “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and [but more than that] to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God (italics mine).” Whoever offers (brings the sacrifice) of praise acknowledges God. But to him who orders his conduct, his walk, his course of life right, God will cause to see the salvation of God.  Bringing sacrifices to God has its place. He won't reprove us for them (Psalm 50:8). However, His Word clearly states in Samuel 15:22, “And Samuel said, 'Hath God delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'”  Proverbs 21:3 says it this way: “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

  

Noah walked with God.  He loved and feared Him. His sacrifices were a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart; therefore, he ordered his life by living a covenant relationship which was revealed in a lifestyle above and beyond offerings.  This reflected his love for God.  Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them his covenant.” In covenant, there are always promises, stipulations, requirements and reasonable expectations; however, at the core of covenant there must be death.  Hebrews 9:16-17 speaks to this, “For where there is a testament [covenant] there must also of necessity be the death of the testator, for a testament [covenant] is only in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives (italics mine).” I believe the covenant of the Son of God's love was revealed to Noah, and by seeing this, Noah expressed his love to God in obedient conduct. Noah was dead to himself and alive to God.

Back to Genesis 6:18. God speaks to Noah, the one man that “walked with Him” and says, “But I will establish [stand, continue] My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark (italics mine).” At the time of judgment, God was saying, in effect, “There is a difference with Noah beyond all the others; therefore, I am going to arise and take a stand to continue covenant with the one who continually took and takes a stand for Me and My desires, one who is living with Me and for Me.” Noah was the “one man” (human being) who fulfilled the covenant in his day. He held up his end of the oath, the vows, if you will, to live a certain way with God. There was another time the Lord Jesus “took a stand.” It was when Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit “took a stand” for Jesus as a martyr. This was a true covenantal expression!

Love for God means that we will seek and receive grace from Him to keep His Word. Therefore, fulfilling our covenant with God is dependent upon faith in our Savior and that which He accomplished at Calvary. Noah is obviously a type of Christ. Jesus is the “just” One. Jesus is the “perfect” One. Jesus is the One who “walked with God.” Jesus did only that which He saw the Father doing. He walked in perfect obedience.

We have a lot to overcome in this world in the hour in which we are living. There's only one way to fulfill our end of this covenant with our God whom we love. John the apostle brings a truth that puts this story of Noah and God into light. He puts it this way in John 14:21: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Doesn't this sound similar to Psalm 50:23 and familiar to the account of God and Noah?

God's truth is still true with us today. He has legitimate and reasonable expectations of us who are in covenant with Him. We can fulfill these expectations because and only because of the price that has been paid in His Son, Jesus Christ, at Calvary. It will cost us the same. In the same way Jesus gave His life in totality for us, we also have to give our lives in totality for Him. We, too, will need to pick up our cross daily and walk in the Spirit so we will not bow to the desires of the flesh. Those of us in Christ still find grace in the eyes of the Lord just as Noah did. Furthermore, Jesus will come back for the “one man” who is in covenant with Him, those who have made a covenant, not of words only, but for those who are hearers and doers of His Word. The book of Revelation speaks of these covenant keepers as those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb (relational rights), by the word of their testimony (relational vows) and those who did not love their lives to the death (relational conduct).

How about you? Are you content with believing in the finished work of Jesus and the confession of your faith? Or will you also become a martyr for Him and live in this generation distinguished as just, perfect and walking with God?