Men in the Bible: The Man that Found Grace in the Eyes of God But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6:8 The bible personality…
Lessons from a Man Who Found Unusual Grace in God’s Eyes
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6:8
The bible personality of our spotlight today is Noah, a man said to have found grace in the eyes of God. This appendage to the name of Noah was interesting because, until that time, no one had been so described before. So, it makes one curious to know what he did to have impressed God to the point of hitting grace, the ultimate divine endowment.
Verses prior to and after our reference passage provide us with a rich context of what made God enamored with Noah so. Verses 5-7 of Genesis 6 paint a grim picture of the sociocultural milieu that Noah lived in: ‘Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”’
Reading further down in verses 11-12, the picture was even grimmer: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.’
This was the reality of Noah’s time. that was the order of the day in the society he had to live in. However, to his credit, Noah was rather different from the lot of the people. Whereas everyone else was corrupt, vile, evil and wicked, he made a different choice, Whereas he was surrounded by vices, he chose to be virtuous. While his friends and relatives thrived on sin, Noah chose the path of righteousness. When everyone else was scheming and taking advantage of each other or the system, Noah was upright and sincere in his own dealings. Little wonder he found grace in the eyes of God. It was so easy to stand out as the shining light in the midst of the pervasive darkness that defined the time.
The Bible describes him as a ‘just man, perfect in his generations’ and someone who ‘walked with God.’ That was the testimony of Noah, which made him a darling to God and His favorite person at that time.
We often hear various admonitions to ‘dare to be different,’ particularly in relation to a good cause. However, as popular as the saying is, and as fluid as it may sound, it is not an easy thing to do. Conformity is far easier and fancier to do than being different from everyone else.
Even the best of us will admit the pressure that choosing a different route brings. Not to mention that the best of us may also be among those mounting pressure on us to conform and do what everyone else is doing, as long as that is okay and does not hurt anyone or violate any fundamentals. And here lies the danger of conformity. It is not everything we are pressured to conform to that is evil or bad in itself. However, that something is okay does not make it expedient for everyone to do.
Noah was different in his days. He was noble, righteous, pure and godly in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation, not minding the pressures he must have contended with daily to let down his guard and be like everyone else. He did not, and that was why he found grace in the eyes of God.
Men in the Bible: Noah, A Man of Experiments So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he…
Men in the Bible: A Man of Experiments
So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. – Genesis 8:6-12
Continuing our spotlight on the lessons to be learned from Noah, another highlight that distinguished him was his inclination to scientific procedures, otherwise known as experiments.
As we can see from the passage above, after the flood that overwhelmed the known earth in Noah’s days had receded, he wanted to find out if it was okay for him and his family, as well as the other creatures in the ark with them, to come out. Obviously, when he opened the window of the ark, he could see patches of dry ground outside. But he was intelligent enough to know that sight can be deceptive, and the dry earth he could see outside did not mean that it was hard enough to sustain the weight of humans and animals. Therefore, to confirm the status of things, he decided to test the ground and conduct an experiment. He sent out a raven to check out the situation of things outside.
However, the raven he sent never returned back to him. Now, for someone who needed the raven’s feedback to know whether he and his family should come out, Noah demonstrated intelligence by not misinterpreting the non-return of the raven as an indication that outside was now conducive for them to step out. Recall that they had all been in the ark for months, and they all must be feeling restless being holed in there and would be eager to come out into the daylight and enjoy the fresh air.
But Noah did not allow their pressing need for sunlight, fresh air or a change of scenery to pressure him into making a wrong call by misinterpreting the disappearance of the raven as a ‘yes, come out’ sign. How often do we wantonly interpret trends and maneuver data to suit our own purposes only to have them blown in our faces?
Another lesson we can learn from Noah in this scenario is that, even though his first experiment with the raven failed, he did not become discouraged on account of it. Rather, he used the raven’s incident as feedback to make two intelligent calls. Firstly, he concluded that a raven was not the best candidate for such an assignment. And, although he still had other ravens with him in the ark, he did not send another one out again to find out the state of things outside. On the contrary, he sent a dove instead.
Secondly, the fact that he opted for a dove, a species of bird with an opposite temperament to a raven, revealed Noah’s scientific mindset. This procedural change turned out to be successful, as the dove returned to the ark, unlike the raven. Then, seven some days later, Noah sent out the dove again to check out the earth’s surface, and he repeated this process at intervals until the dove itself did not return any more. Considering the period he lived in, how scientific can one get than that?
Men in the Bible: the First Mighty Man Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore…
Men in the Bible: the First Mighty Man
Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). – Genesis 10:8-12
The man in the Bible that we shall spotlight today is Nimrod, the mighty one. Nimrod had the honor of being the first man to be described as ‘mighty’ in the Bible and, by extension, in recorded history. He was not just mighty on earth, even God acknowledged his might, to the point that his name became proverbial, and a popular saying originated to his credit thus, “Like Nimrod, whom the Lord saw as a great hunter” (Genesis 10:9, CEB).
Now, there is something particularly intriguing about Nimrod and his greatness. We had earlier read how his grandfather, Ham, was cursed by Noah, his own father, for making fun of his nudity. You can read that account here. Ham was not just cursed, but his entire lineage was cursed as well. They were condemned by a parental decree to become generational vassals to the other races that emerged from the other sons of Noah, Shem and Japheth. Therefore, it can be said that Nimrod began life from a rather disadvantaged background. He came from a cursed lineage and had the burden of a generational curse hanging on his neck.
However, Nimrod proved to us that irrespective of the disadvantages one might have in life; anyone can go ahead to become great and make a name for themselves. Through noble choices, sound decisions, a dint of hard work, and physical exertion, Nimord proved to us that anyone can attain greatness in life, become a global icon, and command the recognition of God.
Little is known about anyone else in Nimrod’s time, but coming from an accursed race, he did well to discard the yoke of hex upon himself and went on to build monumental kingdoms greater than anyone had ever done before him or even during his time. some of the kingdoms credited to him were Babel, Erech, Accad, Calneh, Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen.
By breaking through the barriers of his cursed lineage, Nimrod proceeded to also break into uncharted grounds and unfamiliar territories, to build great cities and a name for himself. A name that even God recognized. We can all learn from that.
To know more about the principles that worked for Nimrod, please watch this YouTube clip.
Men in the Bible: the Men that Cover their Parent’s Shame And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But…
Men in the Bible: the Men that Cover their Parent’s Shame
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him… And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.” – Genesis 9:22-24, 26-27
Today, we shall consider the counterpart lesson of yesterday’s spotlight by profiling two men who demonstrated unusual maturity by covering their parent’s shame. We shall be looking at the story of Shem and Japheth, who covered the nakedness of their father.
Shem, the firstborn of Noah, and Japheth, the lastborn, demonstrated wisdom and an uncanny sense of nobility in the way they handled the news of their father’s nudity and what they did thereafter to redress the situation. Contrary to the expectation of their frivolous brother, Ham, they did not see what was funny about the news of their father being drunk and naked.
Ham had come to them, hoping to give them a good laugh with his gist. But the two men were only sober upon learning about their father’s shameful state. And they must have left Ham giggling alone where he was to go and look for a piece of clothing to cover their naked father.
What they did when they found the cloth was even more impressive. Rather than giving in to their own natural instinct for curiosity to at least see what their father looked like in nudity before they covered him, as most people would have done, Shem and Japheth did not give in to this primordial instinct. Instead, each of them took the wrapper they found at opposite ends and then walked backwards into the tent where their father was to cover him up without looking down at him. This was a most noble gesture indeed.
More impressive was the case of Japheth, the lastborn, who could be forgiven for being young and immature to join his immediate older brother in the ridicule of their father and having fun at his nakedness. But Japheth showed that he was wiser, more mature and more grounded a character than his older brother, indeed, maturity is not a matter of age.
Interestingly, too, Noah, in his inebriated state, was still conscious enough to note all that his three sons did. He saw the one who was having a good laugh while looking at his nudity and was probably removing his clothing so that he could have a better look. Noah also noted the two sons who walked backwards, heads straight, eyes closed, into his tent to cover his nakedness.
And each got his due rewards. The first son, the immature Ham, was cursed with an everlasting curse to become a slave and servant to the descendants of both the older and the youngest sons. The mature and wise sons, Shem and Japheth, on the other hand, were blessed forever and decreed masters over the descendants of the fun-loving son. So, who had the last laugh?
Bringing this home, it is worth repeating that a child should never celebrate the nakedness of his or her parents. Nakedness in this regard can be literal, as in physical nudity, or metaphorical, such as their failings, weaknesses, flaws, wretchedness, struggles, or other forms of negatives that one should be ashamed of.
This can also be stretched further to include not making jokes about anyone occupying the role of a parent or authority in someone’s life. It is not advisable to make fun of them or joke about their failings, either in private or publicly. It is a dangerous breach of divine protocols, with retribution sure to follow a violation.
Men in the Bible: Ham – the Portrait of A Gossip and An Accursed And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of…
Men in the Bible: Ham – the Portrait of A Gossip and An Accursed
And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside… So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” – Genesis 9:20-22, 24-24
The man in the Bible for our spotlight today is Ham, the lastborn of Noah. In Ham, we will see the portrait of a gossip and an accursed man. This is not a particularly good note, but hopefully, we all can learn from his mistakes and steer clear of them.
Ham made a fundamental mistake, fundamental because it was destiny-defining, even though it was also subtle and is a common mistake some of us still make today. Ham saw the nakedness of his father. That was bad in itself. But he then went to do something worse; he went to gossip about his father’s nudity to his older brothers, Shem and Japheth.
The first lesson here is that a child, no matter how old, big, prominent, or great he or she becomes in life, is not allowed to celebrate the nakedness of his or her parents. Nakedness in this regard can be literal, as in physical nudity, or figurative, meaning the flaws or hubris of the parents.
The truth is children, at different stages in their lives, might stumble upon their parents’ nudity. That was the case with Ham, as he must have entered his father’s tent only to inadvertently see the man unashamedly sprawled on the floor naked. However, a child who chances upon his or her parent’s nakedness must exercise discretion and not turn that into a topic for gossip. That was where Ham went wrong. He saw his father’s nakedness and went to look for his brothers outside so that he could gossip and giggle about his discovery. That proved costly for him.
Figuratively, because of proximity, a child may get to see the character flaws, personal weaknesses, hubris and foibles of their parents. However, these are not something to joke about, either within the family unit itself or shared with an outsider. Children are not permitted to make fun of their parents’ nakedness or weakness. Honor is the basic instruction of God to children towards their parents.
In the case of Ham, his behavior was even more baffling because he himself was already a father at this time, as the Bible refers to him as ‘the father of Canaan.’ The more reason his immaturity was disappointing. To him, his father’s nudity was the joke of the day or a piece of entertainment to have fun with.
Sadly, it proved very costly for him, as it earned him and his descendants a curse from his father, a generational curse that was never revoked.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
Add Daily Dew Devotional & Inspirational to your Homescreen!
