Noah
Preacher of Righteousness
c. 2900-1950 BC
Father
Lamech
Mother
Unknown
Spouse
Unknown
Children
Shem, Ham, Japheth
Biography
Noah lived in an age of unprecedented wickedness, when humanity's thoughts were only evil continually and the earth was filled with violence. Yet in this corrupt generation, Noah found favor in God's eyes, described as a righteous man, blameless in his generation, who walked with God. God revealed to Noah His plan to destroy the earth with a flood, commanding him to build an ark of massive proportions—450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. For perhaps 120 years, Noah labored on this enormous vessel while preaching righteousness to an unbelieving world. He is called "a herald of righteousness" in 2 Peter 2:5, faithfully warning of coming judgment even as his neighbors mocked. When the ark was complete, Noah brought his family—his wife, three sons, and their wives—along with representatives of every animal kind into the ark. God Himself shut them in, and the fountains of the great deep burst forth while the windows of heaven opened. For forty days the rain fell, and for 150 days the waters prevailed on the earth. After the flood, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices to God—the first recorded altar in Scripture. God made a covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood, setting the rainbow as the sign of this everlasting covenant. Through Noah, humanity began again, and all people alive today descend from his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Key Events
Noah was righteous and walked with God in a corrupt generation
God instructed Noah to build the ark with exact specifications
Noah and his family entered with animals as God commanded
Waters covered the earth for 150 days
After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar and sacrificed
God established the rainbow covenant with Noah
Key Verses
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
Noah was righteous and walked with God
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.”
By faith Noah built an ark for the saving of his household
“If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness.”
Noah was a herald of righteousness
Spiritual Significance
Noah exemplifies salvation through faith and obedience. His preservation through the flood illustrates God's judgment on sin and salvation for the faithful. The ark prefigures Christ as the only means of salvation.
Typological Connection
Peter connects the ark's salvation through water to baptism and salvation in Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21). Noah's faith in building the ark despite no visible evidence models faith that saves (Hebrews 11:7).
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Righteousness in a corrupt generation, faith to obey despite ridicule, patience in long-term obedience, worshipped God immediately after deliverance
Weaknesses
Became drunk after the flood, his drunkenness led to family dysfunction
Lessons
Righteousness can flourish even in corrupt surroundings. Faith acts on God's word despite ridicule. God preserves the faithful through judgment. Worship should follow deliverance.
Related Characters
Shem
Ham
Japheth
Enoch
Methuselah