Noah, a preacher of righteousness

With the recent film release of 'Noah', it seems like our attention is being drawn again to the account in Genesis of the Flood. The film, with obvious film-makers' poetic license, explores what this epic event in human history may have looked like (or, from the director's perspective, imagines how a myth would have looked in reality). I was thinking a few months ago about Noah as I was reading through Genesis, and thinking through what we are meant to make of him and the story of God decisively acting to wipe out every living creature except those on the ark - essentially, to bring chaos and de-create what was created, ready for a new beginning solidified in the call of Abram in Genesis 12. The great thing about the Bible is that it offers its own commentary on these events, and 2 Peter 2 is really helpful in thinking over Genesis 6-9. Peter is looking ahead towards the future judgement that will come upon the false teachers who have been plaguing the church, and he draws upon several accounts in Genesis to illustrate his point that 'the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.' (v9) In mentioning the Flood, Peter says that God 'protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness' (v5). So let's unpack exactly what that might mean, and then think about how it applies to us today.

1. Noah knew God was righteous
To be a 'preacher of righteousness', Noah would have had to have known that it is a key aspect of God's character and very nature and being. Genesis 6:9 says that 'Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.' The last clause of that verse, that he walked faithfully with God, is not detachable in meaning from the description of Noah as righteous; they are intrinsically linked. It wasn't that Noah was a decent guy, so God decided to save him and his family. Noah knew God, and although we aren't given much detail as to how he related to God on a daily basis or how he knew what he knew about God, we can surmise that God had revealed something of His character and heart to Noah. God had shared His hatred of sin and His plan to destroy His creation with Noah, but He had also shared a promise to establish His covenant with Noah and save him and his family. (see Genesis 6:11-21). As a result, Noah knew God was a righteous God. He must have known about God's role as Creator and sustainer of the whole earth, and therefore God's power to destroy it as well. He must also have known that God would never lie but always keep His word. His knowledge of these truths resulted in his obedience when God told him to build an ark. He acted in faith, because he knew God was righteous and would keep His promise to save him.

2. Noah knew God's righteousness meant impending judgement
As a necessary consequence of God's righteousness, He has to judge sin. Noah warned his generation that there was a God who saw their sin and was imminently about to bring cataclysmic judgement upon the whole earth. The fact that only 8 people were saved on the ark was not due to a lack of mercy on God's part, but of humanity's stubborn refusal to repent and believe. The description of Noah as a 'preacher of righteousness' encapsulates what it must have meant to be someone living in such a fallen world, with the certain knowledge of God's coming judgement, and to have a godly desire to see men saved. The film has been criticised for showing Noah to be increasingly vindictive against humanity, more concerned about saving animals than men's souls. I don't think that can match up with the biblical description of this righteous man.

3. Noah lived a righteous life of faith
Noah's own righteousness came by his faith and the way that he lived his faith out. He found grace in the eyes of the Lord and God gave him the privilege of His covenant and of being the father of all future generations. It must have been a fearful thing to be on the ark, knowing you were the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe. Perhaps Noah and his family heard the people outside the ark perishing, who once scoffed at what he was doing. Perhaps there was also an element o relief, that all the ungodly enemies of God, who would have been enemies to Noah too, were now destroyed.
Noah was human and flawed as his drunkenness after the Flood shows, but still he demonstrated a life of faith, which made him righteous in God's eyes.

How can we be preachers of righteousness?
As Christian believers, we have a fuller revelation of God's righteousness and the righteousness that is ours by faith: in Jesus Christ. In Christ we see God-in-flesh, His holiness lived out perfectly in human form. On the cross we see the righteousness of God punishing sin, and the righteousness of Christ as the innocent, perfect sacrifice. If we are in Christ, our sins have been dealt with, the penalty has been paid, and His righteousness is credited to our account (2 Cor 5:21).
In our generation, we see evil and wickedness just as Noah did- perhaps with some new outlets due to modern technology. Pornography and sexual immorality are facts of modern society which have escalated far beyond control, to the growing anxiety of politicians. We have saved thousands of childrens' lives through vaccinations and medical advances, yet we kill 500 unborn children every day through abortion. Our generation needs to hear the truth about God's righteousness and the coming Day of judgement when Christ will return. They will only be saved from an eternity in hell if they repent and believe the gospel of Christ. Are we boldly proclaiming this word of truth? And are we modelling in our lives the righteousness of a life of faith, as we seek to imitate Christ? There is much challenge in the story of Noah, this hero of faith, and perhaps this element of challenge gets overlooked because we are too busy fussing about the historicity of the account and the hows and whys of the earth being deluged. Let's not get distracted from the main point: Noah was a preacher of righteousness. We should be too!