Noah

This Torah portion is called Noah, meaning “he rested,” it was ten generations from Adam to Noah, the inhabitant had not produced the success the Mighty Ones had desired.  Mankind had become or had gone away or lost the original plan of Creation, which is still to produce mature sons for the Kingdom.  Noah and his family out of, may I say millions, only eight got saved; and eight represents a new beginning.   Does this sound familiar?   Remember the exodus from Egypt over two millions left Egypt and only two made it to Canaan.

In this Parasha we learn that a wise believer should never disparage any good deed as being insignificant, just as he does not fail to love his child who lacks understanding.  A wise person should work hard as Noah did to perfect his deeds, just as we should spare no effort to help his children.  Noah was righteous even in his corrupt generation; it is always a choice we make to follow or not to follow Torah.  How much more righteous would he have been had he lived in a truly righteous society!  The righteous of every generation are judged accordingly to the revelation that they were given to them.  Adam had only one command to keep, only one Word to bring to revelation: do not eat of the Tree of Good and Evil. Today we have two main category of commandment, the love for our Creator and Love for our fellow man, ten sub categories, and over 613 specific commandments.

Mankind have chosen his path, the difficult path to righteousness, which incure obedience to the 613 commandments, which was never apart of the original plan to perfection. If Adam Reshon the first man had obey the first Divine requirements, the path to perfection would not be so difficult. Adam Reshon was told that by the sweat he shall labor all his day, meaning that the path to perfection was now made very difficult.

The Torah in its wisdom gave us example of great men who negotiated on behalf of the people in their generation. Noah was the righteous man, as Abraham and Moses were in their generation. Noah did not do his utmost to protect the people from the wrath of the CREATOR. When the CREATOR told Abraham that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing terrible things, and was about to be destroyed, Abraham immediately begged the CREATOR to spare them.

He asked the CREATOR, if there are but forty righteous people in these cities, will YOU avert their destruction? Abraham continued to beg that the cities be spared until he had negotiated the number of righteous people required down to only ten; at that point, Abraham said to CREATOR, then save the towns for the ten.

It seems that Abraham stop at ten righteous people because he was confident that there were ten people in Sodom and Gomorrah that he assumed his plea had been successful.

After the Yisraelites sinned at Sinai, the CREATOR said to Moses, “Let ME destroyed them,” Moses immediately began to pray. Like Abraham before him, he was unrelenting in defense of his people. Torah tells us that Moses  pleaded with the Creator, “Take my life here in this world.” Blot me out of Your Book.  Leave me with nothing, but save them. The Yisraelites would have been destroyed, had Moses a type of the Messiyah not chosen to stand in defense of the people. The CREATOR chosen to divert judgement of the people.

In these three example: Moses who begged to save the Yisraelites and was successful, Abraham who negotiated forcefully to save Sodom and Gomorrah until he believe that he would be successful, and Noah, who did not pray or even negotiated, or even beg for the people, he just build an Ark to save himself.

Why did Noah not pray? We know that he was the righteous-man in his generation, the one who was chosen to build his own Ark to be saved from the flood. Was Noah somewhat indifference to the fate of others? Or did he believe that his virtue placed him above the rest? To help explore these question lets us now study this Torah portion.

The error in Noah’s judgement has provide us with a unique understanding. Every year when we read this Torah Portion, we are reminded that we can change the consciousness of compliance in our lives. When we understand that nothing is ever final until we die. If ABBA YAHVEH send you a prophet who says that we are going to die, we should not accept it. Nothing in life is final! We have the power in us to tip the scale in our favor.

Gen 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noaḥ. Noaḥ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noaḥ walked with Elohim. – In every generation there are a few like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiyah, Daniel, Obadiah, Nahum, Haggai, Matthew, Paul, Titus, Peter, Jude and John, have manage to navigate this most treacherous path to perfection . Will you be named among this auspicious group of believer? Faith in Yahushua and obedience to Torah plus faithfulness will produce such a character in us.

In this verse we have Noah been distinguished from the rest of the world, and a peculiar mark of honor place upon him. When EL YAHVEH was displeased with the rest of the world, HE favored Noah: But Noah found grace in the eyes of YAHVEH. This vindicates YAH’s justice in HIS displeasure against the world, and shows that HE had strictly examined the character or desire of every person in it before HE pronounced it universally corrupt; for, if there being one good man, YAHVEH would find him out, and smiled upon him.

It also magnifies HIS grace towards Noah that he was made a vessel of YAH’s mercy when all mankind besides noah had become the generation of HIS wrath: distinguishing favors bring under peculiarly strong obligations. Probably Noah did not find favour in the eyes of men; they hated and persecuted him, because both by his life and teaching he condemned the world. But he found grace in the eyes of YAHVEH, and this was honor and comfort enough. YAHVEH gave more account of Noah than of all the world besides, and this made him greater and truly honorable than all the giants that were in those days, who became mighty men and men of renown. Let this be the summit of our ambition, to find grace in the eyes of YAHVEH; let us labor, that, in life or death, we may be accepted of HIM, 2 Co. 5:9. Those are highly favored whom EL YAHVEH favors.

When the rest of the world was corrupt and wicked, Noah kept his integrity: These are the generations of Noah (this is the account we have to give of him), Noah was a just man. This character of Noah comes in: As the reason of YAH’s favor to him; his singular piety qualified him for singular tokens of YAH’s loving-kindness. Those that would find grace in the eyes of the YAHVEH must be as Noah was and do as Noah did; YAHVEH loves those that love HIM: was Noah perfect? Far from it! When someone finds grace it allude to the fact that he made mistake, but he was given a second chance.

As the effect of YAH’s favor to him. It was YAH’s good-will to him that produced this good work in him. He was a very good man, but he was no better than the grace of YAHVEH made him, 1 Co. 15:10. Now observe his character.

He was a just man, that is, justified before EL YAHVEH by faith in the promised seed; for he was an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, Heb. 11:7. he was sanctified, and had right principles and dispositions implanted in him; and he was righteous in his conversation, one that made conscience of rendering to all their due, to YAHVEH his due and to men theirs. None but a downright honest man can find favour with YAHVEH. That conversation which will be pleasing to YAHVEH must be governed by simplicity and godly sincerity, not by fleshly wisdom, 2 Co. 1:12. YAHVEH has sometimes chosen the foolish things of the world, but he never chose the knavish things of it.

Moah was perfect, not with a sinless perfection, but a perfection of sincerity; and it is well for us that by virtue of the covenant of grace, upon the score of Messiyah’s righteousness, sincerity is accepted as our perfection.

He walked with YAHVEH, as Enoch had done before him. He was not only honest, but devout; he walked, that is, he acted with YAHVEH, as one always under HIS eye. He lived a life of communion with YAHVEH; it was his constant care to conform himself to the will of YAHVEH, to please HIM, and to approve himself to HIM. YAHVEH looks down upon those with an eye of favor who sincerely look up to him with an eye of faith.

That which crowns his character is what he was, and what he did, in his generation, in that corrupt degenerate age in which his lot was cast. It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith and resolution to swim against a strong stream of public opinion, and to appear for YAHVEH when no one else appears for him: so Noah did, and it is upon record, to his immortal honor.