The Backwards Man
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8 NASB
Favor – It comes as no surprise that the Hebrew noun translated “favor” is hen. Usually understood as grace, the word is crucial for recognizing that God’s actions toward men are not motivated by Man’s essential goodness but rather by the nature and character of God Himself. Favor (grace) is the demonstration of blessing toward another simply on the basis of the need of the other. Favor exhibits a heart willing to act with benevolence toward someone else regardless of the actual spiritual or moral condition of the other person. It is help motivated by compassion alone.
Noah has a need. He needs rescue. Noah was a righteous man, walking in God’s ways, but this does not mean God chose Noah because of his righteousness. God chose Noah for God’s own purposes. In fact, there is some reason to imagine that Noah failed in the task God expected him to perform. That hint comes in Noah’s name. It is spelled Nun-Chet. The reverse of this name is Chet-Nun, the spelling of the word hen. Noah is the reverse of grace. Perhaps God wished Noah to pour himself out for the needs of those around him. Without the witness of Noah, they were condemned to die. Was Noah’s task simply to build the ark and rescue only animals or was this righteous man commissioned to spread the message of repentance as well? Did Noah reach out to the lost and implore them to come to the Lord and come to the ark? Or did Noah “go about his business,” focusing on his own rescue while ignoring the impending doom of the rest of mankind?
The rabbis argue that Noah’s life is a reversal, a lapse in the effective distribution of grace. Noah is the backwards man, the man whose name changes the direction of hen so that it looks inwardly rather than outwardly. In the face of the death of Man, Noah minds his own business. According to the rabbis, Noah walked with God, but Abraham walked ahead of God. The difference is concern for others.
Perhaps we, the righteous, have a bit of Noah’s myopia. Perhaps our righteous standing before God blinds us to the overwhelming need of the lost world. Perhaps we practice a statute of limitation on compassion. We are rescued because we build arks. But we aren’t willing to die with or for the lost. We are backwards men and women.
Maybe we do find favor in God’s eyes. But at what price?
Topical Index: Noah, hen, favor, grace, Genesis 6:8
Interesting post and a interesting concept. Doing a study on the word “hen” we find it really has more meaning then what we just typically think of grace. Your correct, that it’s often translated grace but, it’s about equally translated as favor. Favor with men, favor with God. If we look at Pr 13:15, 22:1, Ec 9:11, as well is all through Gen 30 and 31, we see it’s more as in favor/acceptance of men. Then we see the same meaning of favor/acceptance of God in verses like Zech 4:7, 4:7 and 12:10. And many more. It’s a really good word study you’ve brought up.
So, I’m thinking that if Noah found that favor/acceptance in the eyes of the Creator of heaven and earth, then that’s about as good as it gets, at least in terms of this current world. Don’t we think? And I would totally disagree with the notion that Noah in anyway shape or form failed in the task God gave him. I see him doing exactly what God told him and how He told him. God and only God saves us. And as Yeshua says, He won’t lose one single one of His. If God wanted any of those that perished to not have perished, then they wouldn’t have. And nothing Noah could have said, done or not said or done, would have been able to impede His purpose, plan or will for mankind. And of course in the reading of the book of Jonah this last Shabbat and Yom Kippur, we see exactly that. Nothing we do or don’t do will impede or hinder what God wants done.
I believe with a whole heart that we should live every minute of every day being about His business. Helping our brothers and sisters, the helpless, the poor and the widow. In whatever small or great way we possibly can. But, I also believe that nothing we do or don’t do will have a impact on whether or not one of His people is saved or not saved. It’s only by His mercy, grace and election that any of us have our eyes opened or our hearts turned to Him. He hardens hearts and He softens them, and only Him. He is the beginning and the finisher of all of our faith and Salvation. In this life and the one to come.
I know this, If in the end, we’ve found “favor” in the eyes of God, it’s pretty much the same thing as hearing those words we should all long for, “well done good and faithful servant, enter into my rest”. And I guess that’s the way I see God looking at what Noah did and how He did it.
Thanks for the great word study Skip. And I hope you were able to get your roof repaired.
If nothing we do has any impact, why would God ask or command us to do anything? Adam and Havvah’s choice certainly had an impact. They did not thwart God’s purpose, but they altered the course. I visualize God’s action as a relentless rushing water, cutting through the landscape of time and history and human hearts, carving canyons and gullies along its way. Our free will allows us the option to obey or disobey. Our disobedience can be a boulder or a mountain in the path of this rushing water. Our disobedience will not stop the persistent flow of God’s action. He will not be stopped if we make the choice to place ourselves in His way. He will cut a path around us. But the landscape of our lives will tell the story of our obedience or disobedience.
I think if more of us realized the awesome responsibility upon us, through our action or non-action, we wouldn’t sit idly in that “waiting room” as I call it. The waiting room where you go after you’ve been saved. “Congratulations, you have arrived. Just head right in there and wait for Jesus, and try to behave yourself and be nice while you wait!”
God is a god of action, causing to become. His very name is a verb, as I understand it. He is a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
That certainly sounds like my actions will have an impact.
Good morning Mark,
“But, I also believe that nothing we do or don’t do will have a impact on whether or not one of His people is saved or not saved.”
As I read your response, I couldn’t help but think of Moses’ reaction to God’s stating that He would “wipe out” the rebellious children of Israel and start over with him.
Please don’t get me wrong or take offence, I’m not disagreeing with your statement of God’s absolute sovereignty. I would just ask that you consider what I think is a very valid consideration of Skip and others. How far does the “statement” by God, let them rule over….. go? How often does the scripture show us that God “changes His mind” over an activity that He proclaims is sure?
Abraham debated with God over Sodom, and although it didn’t seem to change the circumstance, it certainly made deliverance available. It would seem that Abraham was debating not for the righteous but for the sinners to have a “second chance” as well. “Sparing the city” for the sake of ????? was the concern.
Of course, then there is the Messiah. Who did He say was His concern, the righteous or the unrighteous? Did He give of himself for a select group, or did it include the whole world? Will it make any difference in the final analysis? I don’t know, but I know the possibility is there. Perhaps the difference rides on me and you as being “in the Messiah.” and what we think concerning not only the righteous but the sinners (of who we were once) as well.
As a related side note: I was reading the proverbs last night and came to this in 11:9 “the righteous is delivered from distress and the wicked comes (in) his place.” You can see why I did a double take, what does that mean, “the wicked comes (in) his place. So I looked it up and broke it down a bit and it would seem that another translation could be, righteous activity strips away oppression and buries wickedness where it belongs. (ie; in the grave, dead) I’d say that according to God, concern for the soul of all men is a righteous activity. As He said to Job, “you’re concerned about a plant but not the 120,000 that don’t know their right from their left? (is that speaking of children or grown men and women that are ignorant of the true God because of the culture they live in?)
These are just some of the things I think we’re all working out together. That’s one of the very unique aspects of this site that I love so much and I thank God that He is using Skip to bring these issues to our attention.
YHWH bless you and keep you……..
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)
I was trying to find this verse to include in my previous comment, but I couldn’t find it at first.
Grrrr…. Wrong one. My “copy” function is failing me today. This is the verse I meant to include:
Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 3:20-21 ESV)
Good morning Alicia and Robert. Thank you for your most patience and thoughtful responses.
Using the word “impact” was probably the wrong word to use. Especially after reading your responses and considering what you said. I guess in many ways we “COULD” say we have “impact” with what we do or don’t do but, I don’t think God has to wait and see what we will do or say before He does what He had already purposed either.
We can see in the case of Pharaoh, that even though it was God Himself that hardened his heart (which means no matter what, he had no choice and had been created for that very event), Pharaoh and all his army still faced the consequences of their actions, not one of them remained. And I would be hard pressed to think some of them weren’t wishing they hadn’t followed Pharaoh about 2 minutes after they entered the waters that were being stopped up on each side of them. And no matter what Moses or the children of Israel had done, God would have did what He did and does.
So, my point is, that no matter what we do, even if it’s the wrong action or we say the wrong things, for whatever reason we do or don’t, it still doesn’t mean that God won’t do what He had already decided. Or that His promises or prophecies wouldn’t happen. Even if we don’t act right, help someone enough, do what we should do, say the right things, or simply do nothing at all, not one single one of His people will not be saved because of it. So, in some sense using the word “impact” may not have been the “right’ choice of words, it still wouldn’t cause anyone to “not be saved” by the One that knew us from before the foundations, by our lack of good choices we sometimes make.
The souls that perished in the flood, were judged by the righteous judge. It couldn’t have been because Noah didn’t perform his task properly or didn’t make the right statement that would have caused those people to turn from their wicked ways.
Blessings and Shalom to you and your homes.
I appreciate the insights here. Seems to me we must remember that Noah “did everything just as God commanded him” (Gen 6:22). And the writer of Hebrews says, “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 this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (11:7). He is set forth as an example of faith in action. My speculation is the the ark and the building of it stood as a sign of contradiction which was rejected by Noah’s society.
No doubt you are correct. It’s interesting that the rabbis see a greater challenge – how to speak to a world that is soon to be lost, not simply to take on the task of saving what is already accounted as good.
I’m not in a location that I can examine the Greek, but what about 2 Peter 2:5 where Noah is described as a preacher of righteousness? What does that mean?
I was thinking of the same verse.
2Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
I am surprised that this verse, which seems especially pertinent to the discussion, was not addressed. Certainly this word “preacher” or “herald” or “proclaimer”, (as other translations have it), of righteousness, would seem to contradict the idea that Noah did nothing but mind his own business.
2. Regarding the name “Noah”. The first thought that comes to my mind regarding the reverse of “grace” is “work”. Even though Noah found grace in the eyes of God he had to work for many decades building the ark to secure his salvation.
3. Skip wrote, “Favor (grace) is the demonstration of blessing toward another simply on the basis of the need of the other.”
I do not understand how this holds true. All of the people on earth at that time needed God’s grace to survive but only Noah found God’s grace. And it would seem that this was because only Noah was, “a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
It seems to me that grace, like a free and unconditional gift, is an extra measure of favor granted to those who are at least somewhat worthy, – to someone God already likes for some reason, and not to every wicked person in need.
Yes, Peter’s commentary is useful, but remember that I was speaking about the rabbinic view, and that doesn’t include Peter. As for grace (hen in Hebrew) it is in fact unconditional, but it must be accepted to be active. I can pour out favor but if no one embraces it, nothing happens. God’s favor was poured out on the world. Noah accepted it. Others rejected it. Therefore, it had no effect in their lives. The same it true today. God does not want any to perish, but they do. Why? Because they are not willing to accept His grace – and the subsequent obligation it entails.
Hebrew provides no degrees of grace. The word is the same for both those who accept and those who do not. Perhaps Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation because he accepted God’s offer and did something about it.
So why didn’t more people end up in the ark? Did Noah keep them out? Didi they need a few hundred more years to get used to the idea? Was it because he didn’t have enough time to preach to all of them? How was he going to get them on? Drug-n-drag?
Grace still has to be appropriated doesn’t it? I have to open the hand in order for the poured-out blessings to be received. I have to believe in order to be saved. I have to GET ON THE BOAT. This is a perfect example of why and how that is.
And God reached the point where He decided that mercy was no longer going to repair the damage to the earth. Cleaning was all that was left.