Genesis 7 - Under Water

Anyone over the age of 40 (and perhaps a few under 40) will know what I am talking about here, but I can’t seem to read the account of Noah and the flood without hearing Bill Cosby’s voice in my head playing both the roll of Noah and God. But when I get past Bill’s voice saying “how long can you tread water” I am left with some profound statements in this chapter that I can’t shake.

Statement #1 from verse 1 is:

      “I have found you righteous in this generation”

It is a simple statement and easily missed.  But God’s declaration to Noah was that God found him to be righteous among the generation.  When I read scripture I love to imagine myself in the story so I can try to contextualize what is happening.  In this statement I can’t help but think…what would God have said about me?  Would I have even been in consideration for the ark job?  Then as I come out of the story and into my reality now, the same question is staring me in the face.  Would God consider me to be righteous in my generation?  Right here, right now, am I striving to be righteous within the culture and time I have been placed?

Statement #2 comes shortly after in verse 5

“And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”   *Emphasis added

Once again, whether I am thinking about being in the actual story or thinking about my reality here and now, the question I face is the same:

Am I doing all that God has commanded me?  He hasn’t yet asked me to build an ark, but there are many other things he has commanded and called me to do.  Am I doing them, or sometimes running from them?

And the questions are out there for all of us:

-Are you in the running for the ark job? AKA: Would God consider you to be righteous in this generation?

-Are you doing all that God has commanded and called you to do?


Mathew McCabe