The following mini-study is intended to familiarize you with Pastor Chuck’s method of Bible study and provide an opportunity to study the passage yourself.
“This series is about the importance of being people of integrity at every turn, without compromise, without duplicity, and without hypocrisy.” —Pastor Charles R. Swindoll
People of integrity refuse to waver in their principles, regardless the temptation. They follow God’s way even though no one else goes with them. Even though everyone else opposes them they endure with faithful obedience.
Noah was such a man. He lived in a world of universal evil. Yet, he and his family stood out as the only people on earth who walked with God. Let’s get to know this ordinary hero who saved civilization by exhibiting a single quality available to us all...the integrity of enduring obedience.
Prepare Your Heart
Pause now to ask God to use His Word and Spirit to reveal His presence to you in lonely times. Pray for wisdom, strength, and faith.
Turn to the Scriptures
Read Genesis 6:1–22 in the Old Testament.
Observation: Noah, the Only Blameless Man on Earth
Describe the extent of human wickedness and the grief God felt in Genesis 6:5–6.
What contrast do you see in Genesis 6:7–8, and what makes this contrast so significant?
What further contrasts between Noah and sinful humanity do you observe in Genesis 6:9–12?
What steps did God tell Noah to take to save created life and continue the human race, according to Genesis 6:13–21?
What character qualities did Noah exhibit in 6:22?
What was at stake if Noah didn’t follow God’s instructions precisely and not give up?
“Faithfully and consistently, decade after decade, Noah did everything exactly as God commanded. He was meticulous in following God’s instructions, and he finished the task.” —Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Interpretation: Understanding Two Biblical Concepts
In the interpretation phase, we look for the meaning the biblical author intended to communicate to their audience. Here, two key words encapsulate that meaning: favour and covenant.
Everyone in Noah’s day rested content to act godlessly—casting aside God’s ways, shunning God’s presence, and sinking deeper and deeper into sin. Everyone eventually found only God’s judgment. But Noah “found favor with the Lord” (6:8). The word for “favour” also means, “grace.”
As an expression of His grace, God established a “covenant” with Noah (Genesis 6:18). When God makes a covenant of grace with an individual, He does so unconditionally, and He often includes a sign to guarantee His pledge. What “pledge” did God make Noah, according to Genesis 6:17–19 and what did Noah have to do in response?
Correlation: Noah, a Preacher of Righteousness
Peter called Noah “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5 NASB). According to 2 Peter 2:5, what message do you think Noah preached for decades through his behaviour while he was building the ark?
Like Noah, Jesus also warned about a future storm of judgment. What message did Jesus preach, according to Matthew 24:37–39?
According to Ephesians 2:4–10, what is the means of grace that will deliver us from this coming judgment?
Noah declared a similar kind of message to his world that we share with sinners in our world—except, the “ark” that saves us is not made of wood, but our Saviour’s flesh and blood. In your journal, summarize the message of hope we have to offer in Christ.
Application: Long-Term Obedience Today
Noah was one of a kind! No one in history walked to the beat of a different drummer more than Noah did. Think how ridiculous he must have seemed to his neighbours as he built his boat at a time when it had never rained before (Genesis 2:4–6). The ark was massive—longer than a football field, 75 feet wide, and about four stories high. No one had seen anything like it! Yet, despite how outrageous the project, Noah obeyed God. He believed God would keep His word. So Noah acted in obedient faith for decades without a drop of rain.
What do you think kept Noah from giving up during the years of boat-building? From his example, what can help you stay faithful in your situation?
What can you do today to rest in God’s grace and covenant with you through Christ until He comes again?
A Final Prayer
Father, help me to faithfully declare the way of salvation through the door of Jesus Christ. Give me obedient faith to follow Your plan for my life and guide me in Your way. Thank You for opening Your grace to me and giving me the assurance of salvation. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Go to insightforliving.ca/integrity to download the full-length Searching the Scriptures Study and listen to Pastor Chuck’s message.
