Like Noah, Find Favor in the Eyes of God

Introduction

Yesterday was January 17. It has now been more than thirty years since the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake struck Kobe. Many still remember that morning: the shaking, the fires in the distance, the beloved city swallowed in smoke, and that terrible thought that rises in you when everything collapses: "This is the end of the world."

Since then, there has been the Chuetsu earthquake, Kumamoto, the great Tohoku earthquake, and more recently the one in Noto. Each time, the same dizziness returns: maybe tomorrow it will be my street, my house, my body. And because the Bible does not run from this fear, it meets us right where we are. This Sunday, you are invited to open Genesis 6 to find what God did when the earth itself seemed to turn upside down: he looked at a man, and that man found favor in his eyes.

Outline of the Sermon

1. God Remains in the Midst, Even When the Earth Shakes

Psalm 46 says: "Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea." The psalm was likely sung after a great earthquake in Israel, in the days of King Uzziah, mentioned in Amos 1:1. So the authors knew what they were talking about.

Verse 5 continues: "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns." That "when morning dawns," or "before dawn," is the darkest hour. It's the moment when you can no longer see a way out. And that is exactly where God stands, in the midst. Not at a distance, not once things get better, but at the heart of the earthquake.

2. The Problem Is Not Nature, It's the Human Heart

Open Genesis 6:1-8. In the preceding chapters, the patriarchs live 900 years, 912 years, 969 years for Methuselah. Then God says in verse 3: "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."

Some scientists have proposed that before the flood, a layer of water vapor above the atmosphere filtered out harmful rays and allowed for a longevity we no longer know today. Whatever the theory, what the Bible clearly affirms is that the world's brokenness does not come first from the planet, nor from the passage of time. It comes from human sin. Verse 5: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Hold on to this: the fractures you see around you (in nature, in relationships, in your own heart) will not be fixed by some outward adjustment. They are fixed at the cross of Jesus, which reaches the root.

3. Noah Found Favor in the Eyes of the Lord

In verse 8, a turning point: "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." A footnote gives a more literal translation: "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." In the eyes. Like two gazes meeting.

This Sunday, in the nursing room, a little one barely a year old came up to me. He looked at me straight in the eyes. Then he looked at a box of toys. He waited for me to look in the same direction, took hold of my finger, and pulled me toward the box. The message: "Open it." I obeyed.

That's the picture. Finding favor in the eyes of the Lord is not an achievement. It is seeking his gaze, without turning your face away, and simply telling him what you're carrying. Sin, at its root, is the opposite: it is turning your eyes away, avoiding his face. Noah did not turn away.

4. Noah Was a "Blameless" Man: A Simple Heart

Genesis 6:9 says: "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." The Hebrew word tamim, translated "blameless," appears again in Job 1:1 for Job. Some versions translate it "perfect," "without fault," "pure," others "spotless." All of them capture something true, but if we try to sum it up, tamim describes a simple heart, a heart without hidden agendas, a heart that trusts.

If someone told you that you were "without fault," you would probably answer, "Are you kidding me?" So would I. We are forgiven sinners, not finished saints. But before God, what matters is not being perfect, it's being present. Not hiding. Coming back to his gaze, even after doubting, complaining, crying, shouting. Thanks to the cross of Jesus, God welcomes you the way he welcomed Noah.

5. Shalom: The Peace That Covers Your Whole Life

Philippians 4:6-7 tells you: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This "peace," in Hebrew, is shalom. It is not just an inner calm. It is the health of the body, daily bread, financial stability, reconciled relationships, protection in the midst of danger. When God answers the one who seeks his face, he does not just hand out a balm for the soul, he covers every level of your life. That is what Noah experienced even in the middle of the flood.

6. The Ark, Baptism, and a Gaze Turned Toward Jesus

1 Peter 3:20-21 makes the connection: "Because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Baptism is not a magic ritual that washes away sin on its own. It is the public testimony of a heart that has said, "Jesus, I receive you as Lord and Savior." And God, just as he placed Noah in the ark, places you in Christ, in his death and resurrection.

Key Takeaways

• God does not step away at the moment of the earthquake, he takes his place in it. He helps "when morning dawns," at the darkest hour.
• The world's real disorder is not first climatic or geological, it is moral. The cross of Jesus attacks the root.
• Finding favor in God's eyes is not being blameless, it's seeking his gaze and speaking to him simply.
• "Tamim," Noah's integrity, describes a simple, trusting heart, not a spiritual performance.
• The shalom God gives covers the soul, the body, the home, the finances, and human relationships.

Personal Application

• What is the "earthquake" today that makes you say "it's all over"? Can you name it to God, the way a child names what they want?
• Where have you turned your eyes away from God these past few weeks? What are you avoiding in prayer?
• What would happen if you replaced your performance with a simple "Lord, look at me, I need you"?
• Is there an area (health, money, relationships) that you were excluding from God's peace? Can you hand it over to him?
• If you are baptized, when did you last look back on your baptism? If you are not yet baptized, what is holding you back from talking to a leader in your church about it?

Verses Cited

• Psalm 46 (ESV)
• Genesis 6:1-9 (ESV)
• Job 1:1 (ESV)
• Matthew 7:7 (ESV)
• Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
• 1 John 1:7-9 (ESV)
• 1 Peter 3:20-21 (ESV)

FAQ

What does it mean to "find favor in the eyes of God"?

It does not mean earning his approval through effort. It means seeking his gaze, not hiding when he looks for us, and simply telling him what we're carrying. Noah was not perfect: he kept his eyes turned toward God, and God answered.

Why does God limit human life to 120 years in Genesis 6:3?

The text links this limit to the growing corruption of the human heart. The Bible does not present it only as a biological constraint, but as a reminder of our condition as creatures. Some readers also see in it an announcement of God's patience before the flood.

Does baptism save by itself?

No. 1 Peter 3:21 specifies that it is not "the removal of dirt from the body" that saves, but "an appeal to God for a good conscience" resting on the resurrection of Jesus. Baptism makes faith visible; it is faith in Christ that receives salvation.