“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8 NKJV
What did he actually find?
The Old: The first verse I studied was Genesis 9:11 which states, “And I will establish My covenant with you: and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water and the flood, neither shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” This passage of scripture records where God is speaking to Noah after the flood when He gives Noah the covenant of the rainbow and promises to Noah and all mankind that He will never destroy the earth by water again.
In Noah’s day, we are told in Genesis 6:5-7 that the wickedness of man was great and the intents of man’s heart were on evil continually. This condition of man grieved the heart of God and God became sorry that He had made man on the earth. God then purposed that He would destroy man whom He had created, not only man, but both man and beast, creeping things and also birds of the air. And then we read verse 8 that states, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” What a powerful statement! Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah’s name literally means rest. When Noah found grace, he found a place of rest in God, and he literally fulfilled his given name. Noah’s place of rest was a place of Divine protection and provision, which extended to his entire family and to all of His created beings.
The grace Noah found was a covenant of grace. When God spoke to Noah, as recorded in Genesis 6:18, He told Noah that He would establish “My Covenant with you”. As we have pointed out in our book, Somebody Call 9:11, the first place that the word covenant is used in scripture is when God speaks of His blessing of covenant to Noah and his family. It is also interesting to note that the first time that the word grace is used in scripture is when Noah finds this grace of God.
One of the definitions of grace that Webster uses states, “God’s unconditional and undeserved divine favor or good will, God’s loving mercy displayed to man for the salvation of his soul.” (New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language; Lexicon Publications, Inc.; New York 1989, 1987) The words grace and favor are closely related. In the NASB favor is used in Genesis 6:8. Strong’s Concordance tells us that the word in Hebrew is chen, pronounced Khane, and is used 69 times in the Old Testament.
In modern society and in our relationships with other people we sometimes speak of someone as being gracious. They make us feel comfortable in their presence and we have a sense that we are welcome. In the story of Ruth in the Old Testament when she came under the protection of Boaz, it states that, “She fell on her face, bowed down to the ground and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner?’” Ruth 2:10 NKJV
The last time the word grace is used in the Old Testament appears in Zechariah 12:10 where it states, “And I will pour on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
The New: The word for grace in the New Testament is charis, Khar’-ece, and appears 156 times. Again, the word speaks of favor on the part of the giver and thankfulness on the part of the receiver (Strong, 5485). The first time the word appears in the New Testament is in Luke 2:40, which states, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” This verse obviously is speaking of Christ as a child. This theme of grace, God’s grace, rests upon Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father.
John 1:14 proclaims, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Verse 17 of John chapter 1 states, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
The New Testament refers to the theme of grace over and over again, and Ephesians 2: 8-10 summarizes it well saying:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Application Today: When you and I come to faith in Christ, we come to Him under His Covenant of grace. Literally, His grace becomes our grace. Our souls, literally our whole spirit, soul and body, experience His salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Christ welcomes me into His presence and makes me know I am no longer estranged. I am accepted and forgiven.