“This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:17

hold your breath, here comes the flood.

Big Picture/Vision:

Beginning here, with Noah, we start looking at men of the Bible with the inclusion of sin in their lives. For the articles on Adam and Abel, we analyzed (for the most part) without reference to the ever-spreading disease of sin. The motivation was to focus first on the pre-fall identity and intention of God-ordained manhood and masculinity/masculine expression

Yet, no more.

In order to genuinely affirm, encourage, and engage (LINK TO about page), we must fully acknowledge sin’s toxicity, while simultaneously looking toward God the Father’s heart for redemption of his children at all costs.

As men searching for a deeper understanding of God-ordained manhood and masculinity, we can learn valuable lessons from Noah’s life. And as we read and realize he is just as human as the rest of us, we must not entirely discredit or “cancel”(hyperlink to cancel culture) him because of his struggle with sin. Rather, we can look to him as a man used for God’s plan, while also being sinful. Just like us. God works through faithfulness and failure alike. We would be wise to ask the Holy Spirit to adjust our lenses accordingly as only He can.

Why we do created man character studies:

Men learn how to interact with their male identity, both as role and character traits, primarily through other men just as women learn womanhood through other women. Often this comes in the form of modeling, a well documented psychological theory.13 Socialization also plays a part in how we learn and live out our gender.14 All men in the Bible can be analyzed for the sake of learning, growing, fathering, and mentoring through a variety of different lenses or formats. All men in the Bible model some form of masculine expression – God-ordained, God-condemned, and everything in-between. For this series of articles, our vehicle of exploration will be: (1) Roles, (2) Attributes, (3) Divine Character Revealed, and (4) Environments. These attributes also can be described by the acronym RADE.

Study and reflection questions are scattered throughout to invoke deeper contemplations. Feel free to use this material as a Bible study, small group discussion starter, youth group resource, men’s group resource, or for deeper personal reflection. We ask that you tag or acknowledge the createdmanbrand^TM when you use this material and please reach out to us via createdmanbrand@gmail.com or any of our social media platforms(hyperlink) Thank you.

note: RADE attributes which are common to men/mankind (such as being fruitful) or aforementioned in prior character studies, unless directly stated in the source material, are assumed and will not be explicitly restated as part of this analysis.

let’s dive deep.

Personal reflection and questions to prime the mind:

When you consider the account of Noah, what first comes to mind? Why? When was this account first taught to you? What do you remember?
Attempt to identify any presuppositions you may have about Noah, the ark, the worldwide flood. For example, a prejudice¹⁵ that it is impossible for such an event to take place, or other ideas and teachings that may affect how you consider and consume this passage.
What attracts you to Noah’s life? What do you pull away from? Why?

Pre-thought disciplines:

Open with prayer asking the Holy Spirit to offer wisdom, counsel, comfort, and insight as the group reflects on God’s glory, power, and character.
Take 10 deep breaths focusing on how you feel as the new air enters your body and the old air leaves.
If you are in a Bible study/community group setting, open your eyes, and make eye contact with everyone in the group one by one.
If your group becomes distracted, refocus with the breaths and/or another activity.

Read: Genesis 5:28-32, 6:5-22, 7, 8, and 9.

While the passages in the NASB are required reading in order to understand this character study, I would also recommend reading The Voice translation passages as well for a more robust scripture consumption experience.

Roles God intended for Noah (“Role” here is defined as the responsibilities, behaviors, and expectations connected to someone in a particular situation. For example male identity, family member, community member, etc.)

Righteous, Blameless, and Walking with God

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. […] Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (6:8-9)

These particular roles lean heavily on the side of “expected behaviors”– roles God desires for us all to take on and walk in (men and women). They exist on the thin line between “roles” and “nurtured character traits,” the latter closely connected to what some may consider “attributes.” They have been categorically placed here simply because no man/human post-fall is born “righteous, blameless, or walking with God” (Rm 3:23).¹ How did Noah become a man described as “righteous” and “blameless” in the eyes of God? The answer lies in the final phrase. The Hebrew root verb (halakh, “to walk”) contextually denotes continued activity or a constant state of walking with God, not a stagnate state of being/innate essence.^6.a Consistent action is also contrasted with occasional or sporadic action. The phrase is used throughout the Bible (Gn 24:40, 2Ch 27:6, Gl 5:16, 1Jn 1:6-7 etc) to verbalize the idea of “relating to God by living a godly life.”^6.a Walking with God is an active role we literally step into, and are not born into.Only by walking with God can we become right with him and without blame.

In faith, Noah consistently sought a relationship with his creator which made him stand out from the men around him. He honored God with prayer and sacrifice as evidenced by his behavior upon leaving the ark. He also obeyed God completely–submitting his own will to the will of the Father. The conceptualization of submitting to God’s masculinity will be discussed in-depth in other sections. God moved towards Noah with His plan because the two already moved together. Noah already walked in step with God. Noah was already looking to God for direction and so it follows God looked to Noah and found a willing servant when it was time for big changes on Earth.

As a whole, how can you see Noah’s life fulfilling the adjectives used by God?
What adjectives would you use, or do you think God would use when describing your life right now? Why?
How does the tension between these descriptions and Noah’s evident failures as recorded in the Biblical text hit you? Is it discouraging, encouraging, or neutral?
How do you see our actions, such as “walking with God”, affecting how God will use us?

Remnant

“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” (6:9-10)

Faith in who God is as proclaimed through scripture is foundational to any man (and woman) identifying as a follower of God. It is this faith that sets both us and our spiritual mothers and fathers apart from everyone else. It is this faith that is credited to those who believe as righteousness (Gn 15:6, Rm 4:22). It is this faith that leads us to walk in the role of being God’s remnant–a remaining piece of the whole.⁴ Awareness of this role should actively affect the way we live out our lives in private and among those who have not (yet) put their faith in who God claims to be and what claims to have done. Noah had sons and his sons had wives. They all walked in this role of being God’s remnant because of their faith. All are all examples of Godly men who lived out their faith in obedience to God’s instructions.

Are there areas of your life when it feels like you are a remnant for God?
What feelings and postures are part of being a remnant vs a majority?

Builder

“Make for yourself an ark…”(6:14)

While God could have provided a lot of different ways for Noah to be saved from the flood (because God is God then nothing is out of the question), God instructs Noah to build with his hands. Let us take note that hard work has regularly been a catalyst for different types of growth and maturing in men throughout the Bible. We should not consider ourselves exempt. God’s will was for Noah to get up every day, for 120 years⁸ and cut wood, apply tar, construct flooring, and get dirty. It was not God’s will to drop from heaven a perfectly engineered, completely watertight luxury yacht fit for Pharaoh. It was God’s will that Noah build. This hard work extends to the emotional, social, and spiritual. Each one of these areas, in addition to Noah’s physical strength, had to have been tested. He worked for years on a project he likely didn’t fully understand in relative isolation. Much like the “work” of following Christ, building the ark required Noah lay every aspect of his life (physical, emotional, spiritual) down before God’s plan of redemption for humanity.

What implications could this have for how you expect God to work in your own life?
Where are you waiting for a yacht from heaven? Where has God told you to start building? Where are you struggling to know/understand what God is saying?
Where do you need to start building–and getting your family (spiritual or nuclear) onboard?

Animal Care Give

“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kind, and of the animals according to their kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. As for you, take for yourself some of every food that is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and them.” (6:19-21)

Noah was commanded by God to care for the animals which meant providing for their future on earth. The essence of this command was not new, but a re-statement of God’s word delivered to Adam when rulership of all the earth was given to him and Eve. (Gn 1:28)

God intended for us to care properly for his creatures. How have you obeyed this command?
What facets of God’s character are revealed in this direction to Noah?
To have dominion over the creatures comes with a responsibility to provide for them. What is there in your life that comes with a responsibility of provision?

Total Obedience, Total Faith, Total Trust in the Process

“So Noah did these things; according to everything that God had commanded him, so he did.” (6:22)

It’s easy to read this passage drowsily while letting our minds go on auto-pilot as we hear these familiar words. Noah’s ark is a famed Bible story and has been repeated in Sunday School classrooms around the world for generations. We have heard it over and over to ad nauseam. But what have we just read? God has spoken to a human man and asked him to build a watercraft measuring over 450 ft–150 ft longer than a football field.⁸ In a momentous movement of pure faith, Noah does not laugh or buck the order in rebellion. Instead, he begins constructing this boat that will be used to save himself, his family, and hundreds of animals when a flood envelops the planet. When does such a declaration sink in? How many times over the next 120 years of building the ark does Noah ask himself: “Am I crazy? Will God actually send a flood? Is the end really coming or has this been a waste of my life?”

As stated above, multiple other behaviors/nurtured character traits flow from faith in who God is, including obedience and trust in His process of doing things. God speaks and calls Noah into Kingdom work. Kingdom work is defined here as God’s over-arching/transcendent plan and purposes. Noah obeys. The results are the lengthy trial and training, waiting, working, and strengthening his faith “muscle” as the years go by. For men today, the prospect of an intense, lengthy, journey with God should not surprise or leave us feeling neglected and discouraged. Throughout scripture, God calls men onto a road that often takes months or years to travel and often ends with death. This point was emphasized in “created man: adam.” And this should get us excited for the adventure and life long wildness our hearts long to be part of.¹⁰ God is always with us on this road and will often make his face the clearest as we climb on in faith (Dt 31:6).

[Pray it out] Take time right now to meditate on this scripture. Are there things God is calling you into that you have been ignoring because they could/would radically upend your life? What’s the ark and flood duo in your situation? My brother, if your “faith” has you living an easy life with no tension of what’s next to be submitted to the King for his work, I’d wager you are blind, or at least partially blind, to what incredible things God is doing. At the very least, your faith muscle is weak. But God longs to train us.
- As you meditate: Thinking, considering, and contemplating will result in diverse outcomes and revelations. It is for you, the Holy Spirit, and your church body to discern together via prayer.
- Take courage, fear of obedience is par for the course when in a relationship with God. Many men have and will face the same fear you do.
Share any thoughts and/or contemplations from your meditation.
Where do you most fear God “taking over?” Why? What do you think this would look like? Could your ideas be wrong? What do you think this looks like from God’s perspective?

Honor Life

“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. I certainly will require your lifeblood; from every animal I will require it. And from every person, from every man as his brother I will require the life of a person. Whoever sheds human blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made mankind.” (9:4-6)

God calls Noah to follow in His own footsteps of honoring life as valuable and sacred. I like how The Voice translation says it, “If anyone spills your blood, I will hold him responsible. It makes no difference whether it is a man or an animal, both will be accountable to Me!”(9:5) God is careful to make sure Noah understands just because there was great bloodshed brought on by the flood, life has not been devalued. All life still comes from God and is answerable to Him. This command of respecting the lifeblood of an animal will be expanded when God gives the law to Moses.^6.b God calls Noah into the role of honoring both human and animal life as valuable–not based on human standards of worth, but because of who ultimately assigns and sustains life for all creatures. (Ac 17:25)

How do you step into this God-ordained role of honoring life (both human and animal)?
Where do you sense conviction? Where do you sense the Spirit telling you you have failed to value life?
How has your life been honored and valued by the men in your life? How have you seen men around you honor and value life?

Attributes of Noah(“attribute” here is defined as a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or an inherent part of someone or something)

Name

“And he named him Noah, saying, ‘This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed.’” (5:29)

Names are important in the Bible and usually hold deep cultural and/or spiritual meaning. Looking at Noah’s name gives us some insight into the plight of Lamech, Noah’s father. Lamech, justifiably tired and frustrated with working the cursed ground, was hoping his son would somehow bring relief and so named his son, “Noah.” The name sounded very similar to the Hebrew word for “comfort” or “to give rest,” nuah.^6.c Hundreds of years after Eve gave birth and hoped her son would be the rescue from sin’s sickness, Lamech had not given up on this hope.

In a way, Noah did in fact bring comfort and rest to an Earth infested with man’s wickedness. This name, given in frustration, was prophetic of what God would do through Noah.

Thinking about names and meanings can seem silly, but it wasn’t in Noah’s day and most of the cultures recounted in the Bible. Many cultures around the world still value the meaning of names. As suggested in prior character studies, consider the meaning of your name and why such a name was given. Do you think it holds any deeper meaning for those who named you? Why or why not?
Is there another name that you think more accurately describes you as a faithful follower of God? Why?

Responds

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took some of every kind of clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (8:20)

As Noah and his family step off the ark, one of his first actions is to respond to God for His providence in safely bringing them through the ordeal of the flood. While God-ordained, no explicit command to offer up a sacrifice is recorded. It is this free-willed response from the heart to God that we should take note of and less the sacrifice itself. After all, a canonical study of scripture tells us God’s interest is not in sacrificial rituals themselves (Am. 5:21-23) but in the heart posture of his creation. “…the Lord always makes a note of all that we do in response to his love—the most important part of which is to love him and to love our fellow human beings.” ^2.aThere was a lot to do as the family stepped onto the newly dry ground. Yet Noah does not set his hand to the extensive work of building a new civilization right away; first he responds to God’s providence with thanksgiving.

Discuss your typical order of events when it comes to responding to God. Does such response come first or after the necessary (and valid) work gets done?
In general, how do you respond to God? What does this response look like in your life? Perhaps take note of how you respond to others and this will help you understand how you likely respond to God.

Inconsistent in Submission

“He drank some of the wine and became drunk”(9:21)

Noah’s life is marked up to this point by consistent submission to God’s word. When God speaks, Noah listens and then obeys. He has embodied a man whose sole desire is to please and serve the Father. Yet here we are reminded Noah is not a flawless, porcelain, superhero of the faith. He is a man like you and me and he is inconsistent with his submission to God. This is a painful symptom of sin’s sickness. Drunkenness and the lewd behavior that often follows is consistent with pagan culture described in the Bible,^7.aand Jesus himself references that drinking was a part of the wicked normality before the flood. (Mt. 24:38) Noah knew full well where heavy drinking could lead and yet he submitted to the desire/temptation. Instead of ruling over it, it ruled over him. Parallel to the garden of Eden, a fruit is again at the center of sin’s grand (re)entrance onto human society. What follows is discussed below in the “Ham and Canaan and the Tent” section, so we will jump ahead to Noah waking from his drunken slumber. In a rage, he does not petition the throne for wisdom or guidance. He does not submit the now out of control situation, back to God for guidance as he did with the flood–the epitome of “out of control.” He does not repent for his own sin and grieve that it allowed sin’s disease to metastasize in his family. Instead, Noah moves to curse his grandson and son by extension. More on this choice in the following sub-section.

Discuss fulfilling desires on our own terms and not those of God’s? What are the repercussions?
Desire is in us for a reason, and God wants to be/provide the answer. What in your life continues to defy this truth?
Excessive drinking, like many other behaviors or substances, often has deeper unmet desires at the core of its abuse. Have you thought about what is at the root of your own inconsistent submission to God’s heart for fulfilling desire(s)?

Questionable Father

“So he said, ‘cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants. He shall be to his brothers.’”(9:25)

Perhaps you can relate on some level to a father that curses you. Maybe because of something you have done, maybe because of something completely out of your control. Maybe such interactions have left you cold, hurt, and angry. Ham and Cannan sinned and surely deserved some sort of punishment, yet was Noah right to use the full force of his patriarchal status to curse them? God does not directly weigh in. But we know Noah’s curse did have a lasting impact. When Noah curses Ham and Cannan, he sends them down a path of being Israel’s enemies (Canaanites). This first curse is eerily similar to another event where a man’s mistake resulted in the creation of a whole people group becoming enemies of Israel (Abraham and Ishmael, Ishmaelites).

Noah, like our fathers (and us if it is God’s will we become fathers) is a broken father. His inconsistent submission to God as a result of sin produces masculinity (defined here as an expression of innate gendered manhood) which must hold all the power and makes decisions from within, not from above. Put in simply, from the self-idolatry of pride. God created men with a desire to bring justice to injustice and be heroic.¹¹ This is a piece of God’s own heart on display (Ps 89:14) and it is good. Yet, when we as men take this desire and wield it independently of God’s voice and Fatherhood, the bloodshed becomes intoxicating and self-destructive. As we read Noah verbally cut down his grandson while ignoring his own sin, we should mourn and ask God’s redemption for broken fathers and broken sons everywhere.

[Pray it out] If you, like me, carry wounds from your father on your heart, mind, and perhaps even body, take a moment to call on the name of our good and perfect Father. If you are with brothers, join with them. Speak out loud.
- Ask wholeheartedly for our heavenly Father to begin healing these memories of pain and cursing.
- Ask him to show himself as a force beyond what we often understand or comprehend both in the past, present, and future.
- Pray out loud scripture that affirms God’s character towards his people (example: 1 Samuel 12:22: “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.”

How does Noah’s behavior as a father serve as a warning?
How does Noah’s behavior as a father convict?
How does this passage contextualize the words of a father over his offspring? Do the words we speak to our sons (physical and spiritual sons) matter? Do we consider their weight (for good and for bad)?
Where do you stand? Do you think Noah was right to curse Ham and Cannan? Do you think it was justified or not? Why?

Divine Expression (“divine expression” defined here as: God’s attributes on display through his actions, speech, interactions)

Note: all of perfect humanity (male and female) are ultimately a reflection of the Divine. Below are added observations in addition to those expressed in pre-fall humanity to help better understand the God we serve.

Grief-Stricken by Sin

“So the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (6:6)

Several observations from this verse must be noted in order to fully sense the weight of its sentiment:

1) God is not feeling regret over making people. The Moody Bible Commentary expands: “The expression ‘was sorry’ should not be in the sense of ‘regretted’ but rather in the sense of ‘was pained’ or ‘was sorrowful, grieved, or sad.’”^6.d Why? Canonical study and understanding do not produce evidence for “regret” being an element of God’s character. (Nm 23:19; Rm 11:29)

2) “He was grieved in His heart” is vulnerable and emotional language. Reading the lines leading up to this sentence gives context for why God’s heart would be broken–mankind had descended into continual evil and rebellion against their Creator Father. God, unlike mankind, fully feels the weight and responsibility of his creation bringing such wickedness, harm, and depravity upon themselves. If this is the reaction of the all-knowing, all-powerful, God, what are we missing in our reaction to sin? Like a father having to decide whether to let doctors amputate a cancerous leg, God is looking on the sickly body of his creation, gutted with pain over what must be done to prevent further sickness. If there was any way he could cut himself in order to save his crippled child, he would. Two thousand years later, he did turn the scalpel on himself for the sake of his creation.

3) Our lives directly affect God and how he feels. It is by humanity’s wickedness that God feels pain. The picture of God here is not of a distant, cold, entity. He is uncomfortably close. The God of the universe with the power to bring redemption or judgment down on the hands of his creation is connected emotionally to this creation. They act, He feels.

Take a moment and ask the Spirit to let you experience a little of this weight; to sense just a little of what the Father experiences. If we want to have hearts knitted to the Father, we must desire to know what He feels.
How do you sense the disconnect between God’s mourning over the seriousness of sin and the way we react and emotionally respond to sin (or to God)?
How does, if at all, this passage affect the way you see God and God’s emotions?

Persistent

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.”(6:18)

Let us not miss the viable option God had to simply close the book on humanity completely and move on. If this really is God’s world and his rules reign, nothing was stopping him from speaking a word and causing the earth and everything on it to be erased. Nothing was stopping him from foreseeing the heartache that lay ahead and throwing in the towel. But our Father God is persistent. He is “long-suffering” (Nm 14:18, 1Pt3:9) and he chooses to continue on in his unrelenting love for his fallen creation.

If we are called to follow after Christ and be conformed to his image, how does this pursuit of persistent relationship at all costs challenge you–in your relationship with Christ and in relationship with others (friends, brothers, spouse)?

Pro-women, Pro-marriage, Pro-Family

“you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” (6:18)

Only one woman and one man were required, per-say, in order to jump-start humanity after the flood. Yet God commands Noah to bring his wife, and his sons, and their wives. God saw no need to “go lean” if it meant breaking up a marriage or leaving a woman behind (even though as seen in the events after the flood, sin’s toxicity dwelled among the family members). God confirms his original intention that marriage is the creation of “one flesh.” He does not take such a covenant lightly (Gn 2:24).

Discuss the unspoken role all the women in this account had to have played in order for the entire family to survive the flood and flourish afterwards.

Pro-Animal

“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.” (6:19)

God’s heart for his creation included his non-human creatures as well. God’s will included his creatures being cared for and loved by Noah’s family as they weathered the global flood. While not explicit in the text, part of God’s process for the flood must have been training Noah and his family to care for the animals and creating a bond between them that perhaps would be useful in the post-flood civilization-building. God spoke animal life into existence at the creation of the world, yet he decided not to repeat this course of action post-flood. Instead, God’s will for his animals was for them, too, to be a redeemed remnant.

Discuss potential reasons, using the Bible as a reference, for why God decided to preserve his non-human creation via the ark as well?
What does such a decision say about the character and nature of God?
How, if at all, does this affect the way we should be caring for/seeing our fellow creation?

Judge

“…I will wipe out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” (7:4)

When we let this verse sink in, when we stop and let it carry its full weight, God’s role as judge and maintainer of justice is sobering and perhaps even terrifying. An unnumbered multitude of human beings were executed the day God declared the price for humanity’s wickedness was due. Pre-flood humanity stole and corrupted God-gifted life, and so God chose to simply no longer sustain such behavior. Again, if God is truly who He claims to be, then the world is His and He makes the rules and justice is measured by His standard, not the fickle and crooked human one. All had broken God’s law for life and the earth ceased to fulfill its designed purpose,^2.bso the Judge handed down the sentence: clean house.

Grace and mercy are not excluded from this account though. Noah’s life after the ark makes this clear, while his faith was credited to him as righteousness, sin still dwelled within him and therefore he too deserved the due penalty (Rm 3:23). But God’s love for humanity demanded grace co-exist alongside justice. And so while those who rejected God completely perished, by grace through faith, Noah and his family were chosen to receive the gift of life. How marvelous is this grace that now extends to all?

How does God as Judge resonate with you?
How/Why does true love demand justice? What is the role of Grace and Mercy alongside Justice? Have you experienced these?
How has your own definition of love and justice been challenged or affirmed by this account?

Realist

”I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.” (8:21)

To add another layer of nuanced realism to this Biblical account, it was never God’s intention to completely clear the world of sin by means of the flood. God knew full well the illness of sin lodged itself in the very genetic code of Adam and Eve the moment they trusted themselves over God. The heredity of sin’s disease only departs from humanity when a believer is carried through the final baptism of physical death and has been given a new body. (Ph 3:21) As stated in the “Global Baptism” section below, it was for the sake of creating a better, though not perfect, place for God’s unchanging will to be carried out: that His children would love Him as He loves them. Environments shape and mold us, they influence how we see the world and how we think about it–which is why God takes them seriously. So seriously that He renders global cleansing absolutely necessary for the good of His perfect will, a will that has the good of His creation in mind first and foremost. (SS 8:6)

Are you a “realist” in that you recognize the illness of sin poisoning your own heart? Have you dealt with this God’s way?
[Pray it out] If God is who he claims to be and has done what he claims to have done in the Bible, we either accept and bow in reverence to the King or deny and turn away. This is daily wrestling of: accept and bow, is not to be done alone.
- Wherever you are in this life long (and daily) wrestling, come honest and open-hearted/open-minded to the Father.
- Seek help and guidance from the relationships God has placed in your life. Fight for the right cause, and never fight alone. Life is too short.

Environmental Influences (“environmental influences” defined here as: ways an environment plays into the decisions made and postures towards others–including God)

Minority

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” and “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.” (6:5, 6:11)

Imagine living as an absolute moral minority. No one else outside of your immediate family follows the moral standard you do. Interactions with every person display hearts that are “evil continually.” This was Noah’s daily environment. This is the world he lived, worked, traded, and raised his family in. Was seeing, even if at a distance, the debauchery and depravity of his neighbors ever tempting? Did he ever venture in from time to time to get a taste for himself? The Bible doesn’t say, so we won’t conjecture. Instead, we will merely draw attention to the taxing nature of being “blameless in his generation” (6:9) when everyone else is rejecting faith in the Creator God. People were made for intimacy with others. We are tribal in nature. Faith is already difficult. How much more must God be trusted for strength when we stand outside the tribe to hold fast to our faith?

Think about a time you were in a moral minority, what did it feel like? How did you respond and interact with those around you?
How does being in the moral minority affect faith in/relationship with God?
How do we find strength to endure?

Global Baptism

“The end of humanity [lit all flesh] has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.” (6:13)

Noah was not able to fully conceptualize the powerful environmental influence the flood held as the forerunner to baptism. In the symbolic ritual of baptism, one is submerged in water where, as they are brought up, their sins and iniquity are cleansed by the water. In this motion, they are acting out what has already occurred spiritually in their hearts.

When God sent the flood, he carried out a global baptism. All the old ways of living, the sin, the corruption was cleansed through the water–leaving only Noah and his faith as the new starting point. “The ultimate goal of the flood was not to destroy all life but to destroy the stronghold of sin. It can be said that the flood did not aim to wipe out creation but to preserve it through all that God had ordered to be put in the ark for safety.”^2.c In our current age, baptism serves as a symbol that the stronghold of sin in the life of a believer has been destroyed forever.

Christians who have participated in baptism know full well the ritual does not mean she/he will cease to sin, but instead, it serves to remind the world and the believer that when we put our faith in God and his work on the Cross, sin has been defeated and one-day complete redemption of humanity will be ushered in (Rv. 21:4). As a side note, some biblical scholars suggest the flood parallels the Israelites crossing the Red Sea as they left slavery in Egypt. In this instance, as the Israelites started their new life free from slavery, the very instruments of that corrupt institution (Pharaoh’s army) died as the sea crashed back down. The old must die to make way for the new. Needless to say, God uses water over and over both symbolically and practically for his Kingdom’s purposes.

How has water played a part in your understanding of God’s character and works?
Discuss your thoughts on the flood being a global baptism, do you agree or disagree? Why?
What sort of implications and “next thoughts” does this idea have?
What are your thoughts on baptism? Conceptualize the weightiness of dying to self in order to live–death always produces new life. Is this ritual meaningful for you or has it been tainted somehow?
Have you been personally baptized? Why or why not? Could this be a next step for you? If so, what’s standing in the way from you being baptized right now?

rabbit trail: Covenant of the Rainbow

“Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ‘Now behold, I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations; I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the rainbow is in the cloud, then I will look at it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’” (9:8-17)

God spoke to Noah and his sons by name (but not their wives). Just as God spoke directly to Adam and not Eve, God is acting from his masculine nature, and man (Adam, Noah, his sons) is acting from his feminine nature by submitting to God’s vision and voice. In creating male and female, God expressed His masculine and feminine natures explicitly. As His creation, we each carry aspects of both natures as well and yet are fully defined by God individually as male or female. Gender is for relationships,¹² and while men are called to act from their masculine nature in their interaction with women, (primarily in the church and marriage) men must act from the feminine nature in their interaction with God (aka: they submit to God as the ultimate authority; trusting wholly He will take care of them and responding in kind to His lead).^9.a More resources on this nuanced topic coming soon to the “resources” page.

It is also important to note, while Noah and his sons are named explicitly because their wives are “one flesh” with them (Gn 2:24), it seems reasonable God is also speaking to them. God expects the wives to act from their feminine nature and be “helpers” by keeping Noah and his sons accountable to this declaration from the Throne of Heaven (Gn 2:18) and strengthening the resolve when the temptation to rebel comes.

The Covenant is with all living things, not just humans. This observation is further evidence of God’s heart for all his creation, including the earth and the animals that roam its surface. They too can look to the rainbow and remember their creator will never again destroy all life via global flood. From the roach to the rhino, shrimp to shark, all can gaze upon the rainbow and hear the echo of their creator’s promise.

Rainbow pointed toward heaven. Some scholars have said the rainbow appears in the sky pointing towards heaven–as if the arrow would leave the earth’s surface and shoot into the clouds. The concept suggested in this assertion is this; not only does the rainbow serve to remind God, man, and creature there will never again be a global flood, but also as a reminder that the next time the world gets cleansed, God himself took on the total wrath. The arrow of humanity’s sin punctured Him. Water flowed but did not crush humanity. It flowed out of God himself (Jn 19:34). Such conceptualization is theological conjecture, being this metaphor is not stated in scripture. Yet what is stated is the rainbow serves as a seal and reminder of God’s promise.

rabbit trail 2: Ham and Canaan and the tent

“Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.’” (9:20-25)

Various theories exist as to what happened between Noah and Ham and Cannan. The Moody Bible Commentary as well as other Biblical scholars suggest an incestuous homosexual encounter of some kind could have taken place.^6.e Other scholars claim nothing more than what was explicitly recorded. Evidence can be found for any theory put forward, and I advise doing your own digging into the matter. In this article, I join John Walvood and Roy Zuke in their interpretation of what happened as laid out in their commentary on the events. Their convincing proposal for what happens is quoted in full here:

The rabbis said Ham castrated Noah, thus explaining why Noah had no other sons. Others claim that Ham slept with his mother, thus uncovering his father’s nakedness, and that Canaan was the offspring of that union. Others have said that Ham was involved in a homosexual attack on his father. But the Hebrew would be translated “he uncovered (causative form of galah) his father’s nakedness.” Instead, Noah had already uncovered himself (wayyitgal, reflexive form., . 21) and Ham saw him that way.^7.a

No matter what the theory, the bottom line is what happened was a big deal. Scripture is not explicit with the details, but is explicit in communicating the intensity. As noted in other sections, Noah fails in his responsibility to hold proper dominion and stewardship over the earth and instead allows for the earth to dominate him.^2.d“Intoxication and sexual looseness are hallmarks of pagans…”^7.a

This is big deal #1. Ham, whether intentionally, accidentally, alone or with his son Canaan, somehow ends up seeing his father lying naked in a drunken slumber and chooses not to honor or respect his father and his father’s God-ordained position as head of the family.

This is a big deal #2.P Modern Western culture does not weigh honor and respect for one’s parents as heavily as in ancient Hebrew culture. The law given to Moses makes this claim clear (Ex 20:12, 21:17, Dt 5:16, etc). Based on the law’s response to parental disrespect, it seems likely that Moses’ primary audience (fellow Israelites) would have understood the magnitude of Ham’s actions. “His sin was not that he saw his father naked, but that he did not act to protect his father from shame, and in fact exposed him to the ridicule of others.” ^2.d Zuke further emphasizes this interpretation of what happened, “The sanctity of the family was destroyed and the strength of the father was made a mockery.”^7.a

Another layer of significance lies with the reality that God the Father is (ideally) symbolized by our earthly father. While no father on earth is perfect, and many fathers unfortunately wound their children, God remains the perfect father. Yet when we do not practice honoring our earthly father, it sets us up for dishonoring our heavenly father in addition to trespassing on the authority God has divinely placed over us (1Pt2:13&14). The Africa Bible Commentary further fleshes out this concept:

God commands us to honour our parents (Exod 20:12) and that means that we will hide their nakedness. This nakedness may be the result of moral weakness or from material poverty or from the physical weakness of illness or old age. Whatever form it takes, we are to act to maintain our parents’ dignity. We must not abandon them to misery in our villages nor isolate them in beautiful villas of anguish. Nor must we simply see their needs and talk about them. We must take action to meet their needs (Matt 15:1-5). Often we will find that they long more for our love and our presence than for the things we can offer them.^2.e

Yet here lies some muddiness. God would not have us submit to any authority when it asks us to sin. Theologian John Piper discusses this concept at length here. As is expanded on in the “Questionable Father” sub-section, a case could be made that Noah, perhaps being hungover and angry that he was drunk at all, lashed out at Ham and Canaan improperly. In conclusion, Noah’s nakedness, and Ham and Cannan’s dishonor towards the patriarch were all sin. All their actions sobered any fanciful excitement that the flood’s baptism would cleanse sin from the earth. Just as those who submit to temptation after their own baptism, we hold fast to our confession of hope: Christ Jesus (Heb. 10:23).

What do you think? After reading the passage and exploring its meaning, what are your thoughts on what went down in the tent and afterward?
How significant or not significant is this moment for Biblical history and Israelite history?
How does this passage lead you into a reflection on your own parents and treatment of your father, specifically in honoring him as God would have us honor our fathers?
Identify and name any tension you feel/are wrestling with this passage. Discuss why and where it is coming from.
[Pray it out] As God reveals wounds in your past associated with your earthly father, in prayer invite God into those memories and ask Him to heal that pain with His Truth. If you have been prompted by the Spirit to respond to God’s call by accepting Jesus as your Savior, bowing to the King, and joining a cause worth fighting for, reach out to us at createdmanbrand@gmail.com or on any of our social media pages. You can also read more from one of our faith fathers, John Piper, as we outline what the beginning of this relationship looks like here.

Conclusion.

Our study of Noah marks an important and necessary shift. Starting here, we begin to address how the symptoms of sin work to destroy the men of the Bible and their purpose. Yet God is bigger and he continually redeems those who struggle in the never-ending battle with sin (never-ending on Earth, that is). His remedy is Christ and faith in the work of the Cross. This has always been the case. Even for Noah, faith and submission to God’s will and way was the path to love and intimacy with God. Refusal to submit was the path to sin and brokenness. The same paths lie ahead of us as well.

Take heed man of God. Listen and learn from our fathers who have gone before. Take your place following them on the road to intimacy with The Father and the dance of submission to His ultimate masculinity as you represent a portion of God’s nature here on earth.

Article by Austin Clark, createdmanbrand^TM contributor and team member

Special Thanks to Anne and Rachel for their editing and feedback on this article.

works cited

Andria, Solomon, Kwame Bediako, Isabel Apawo. Phiri, and Yusufu Turaki. Africa Bible Commentary. Edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo. Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive Publishers, 2010.
- (a)Pg. 75
- (b)Pg. 71
- (c)Pg. 72
- (d)Pg. 77
- (e)Pg. 78
Bible Project Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOUV7mWDI34
Dictionary entry for remnant https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remnant
John Piper Article: “The Limits of Submission to Man” https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-limits-of-submission-to-man
The Moody Bible Commentary. Edited by Michael Rydelnik and Michael G. Vanlaningham. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014.
- (a)Pg. 54
- (b)Pg. 61
- (d)Pg. 55
- (d)Pg. 56
- (e)Pg. 63
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. CO Springs, CO: Victor, an imprint of Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.
- (a)Pg. 41
Answers in Genesis “How Long did it Take for Noah to Build the Arc?” https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/how-long-did-it-take-for-noah-to-build-the-ark/
Doane, Sébastien. “Masculinities of the Husbands in the Genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:2-16).” Biblical Interpretation 27, no. 1 (2019): 91–106. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685152-00271
- (a)Pg. 103
Cross, C. P., Cyrenne, D. L., & Brown, G. R. (2013). Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis. Scientific reports, 3, 2486. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02486
The Boy Crisis by Dr. Warren Farrell, Dr. John Gray https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Crisis-Boys-Struggling-About/dp/1942952716
Geoff Brandford, Christ the King Church https://www.ctkraleigh.org/
http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/control/modeling-of-behavior/#:~:text=Modeling%20is%20one%20way%20in,direct%20instruction%20need%20not%20occur.
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-5583-7_295#:~:text=Socialization%20refers%20to%20the%20developmental,a%20central%20concept%20in%20psychology.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudice