Noah Found Favor

In Genesis, chapters 6-9, we read of the flood, Noah's Ark, and the covenant God made with Noah after the flood.

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8) 

How did Noah find favor? The only people to survive the flood were Noah, his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, Japeth), and their wives. If he had God's favor, then he must not have been like the description above. Noah was not wicked, not evil, not causing grief, not causing pain. The Bible describes Noah as a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and one who "walked with God". 

The earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence (Genesis 6:11). The rebellious ways of mankind were multiplying, and this sin would only be stopped by Noah obeying God's directions. So, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him" (6:22). When Noah was 600 years old, the floodwaters came on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah and his family were safe inside the ark because "the Lord shut him in" (7:16).

After the rain stopped, Noah and his family waited in the ark. Noah sent out a raven, and it flew back and forth looking for dry land. Then he sent out a dove, but the dove could not find a place to set its feet because there was still water on the surface of the earth; it returned to Noah. After 7 days, Noah let the dove out again. It returned with a freshly picked olive leaf. After 7 more days, Noah let the dove out again, and it never returned. This was when Noah knew the land was dry. God instructed Noah and his family, and all the living creatures, to come out of the ark, to live, be fruitful and increase in number. Noah offered a burnt sacrifice from among some of the clean animals. The Lord smelled the aroma and said in his heart:

Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (8:21)

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and gave them power over all the beasts of the earth and birds of the air, upon every living creature, "Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (9:3). But they were instructed to not eat meat with its lifeblood in it. God would require an accounting of life from every animal, including man, an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

God established a covenant with Noah and his sons and promised to never destroy the earth with a flood again. God said:

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. (9:12-15)

Noah was 601 years of age when he and his family descended from the ark. After the flood, he lived 350 years. He died at 950 years of age. Noah's sons went on to have their own sons, and their descendents are listed among the Japhethites, the Hamites, and the Semites in Genesis 10.