Dear Ones:
To each his calling…for such a time as this. Such was the case of Noah. We know the story of how the heart of man “evolved” to the point where “… every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5) What a testimony to the fallen nature of man! Without the saving work of the Spirit, man will descend into the depths of godlessness, and this, because of his sinful nature. But even though there be darkness, and in the case of Noah, the earth being “…filled with violence,” God had his man, in the place of His choosing, declaring His word and message to all men. Scripture calls this man Noah, a “preacher of righteousness.” (2 Peter 2:5) This standard-bearer would hold forth the light of the TRUTH, and the KNOWLEDGE of God, defying the resistance of the unbelieving world. He would be as the Lord who would follow him many years later, one who “despised the shame,” and certainly the railings and mockery of men, to finish the work he was given to do.
What then makes a preacher? It begins with an attitude of heart and mind towards God. Scripture tells us about Noah, that he “…was a just man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9) What does this mean? How is he “just” before God, and consequently, just before his fellowmen? It is because Noah was a man of FAITH. We find him near the top of the list of those mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. He is there because he was a man who understood, and laid hold of the fact, that a man is ONLY justified before God, by FAITH in the righteousness of God in Christ. He was looking down that corridor of time to the ONE who would provide him with that perfection which is of God, a “righteousness” which alone comes from God, and only given BY God, to those who would believe. Secondly, Noah was a “perfect” man, not because he was flawless, but because he was wholehearted, completely committed to God. And lastly, he was a man whose highest privilege, and greatest responsibility, was to “walk with God,” in communion with him. The calling to become, and to be a preacher of righteousness, can only spring forth from a life in which one walks with God.
So, why do we consider Noah? Because he was a man who lived in difficult, “unbelieving” times…and yet, he was put there to be a light, a testimony to the greatness, righteousness, and goodness of God. He was faithful, and in the context and trials of his time, God made a way of escape. In that way of escape, God reveals to us that He is ever willing to save, and save in an “almighty” way. I believe it can be safely said, that God will bridge every difficulty and chasm of impossibility, to save the individual, great or small, who will draw nigh unto Him by faith. It is as we grasp the significance of “salvation by faith,” that we too become “preachers (heralds) of righteousness,” for such a time as this.
Love, Dad