What can we learn from Noah's family about success in good relationships in our homes today? How important are righteousness, faith, worship, and obedience to God in family leadership? What can we learn about example and influence? How can we make good choices regarding a companion to marry?
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Introduction:
A young Christian wife told us she was afraid to have children because she saw all the problems and temptations that children face and so many children do not turn out well.
But if you think raising children is difficult in our society, imagine raising children in the world in which Noah lived! Noah’s story teaches important lessons, not just about the flood or the ark.
This study will focus on lessons we can learn from Noah’s family life.
Some may think Noah lived so long ago that his story could not be relevant today. But we will see that Noah’s family can teach crucial lessons to Christians today.
Characteristics of Godly Leaders
Any modern advertisement that portrays a man and a woman, if one of them is foolish or ignorant, it is always the man, never the woman. Society portrays traditional fathers as bumbling idiots. Supposedly a man rarely needs God or religion and should never be a strong leader.
What can Noah teach us about the characteristics we need as leaders in our families?
Righteousness
The Bible repeatedly affirms that Noah set a pattern and example of righteousness.
Genesis 6:9 – Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 7:1 – God testified that Noah was righteous before God.
Ezekiel 14:14,20 – God named three men who were righteous: Noah, Daniel, and Job.
Hebrews 11:7 – Noah became an heir of righteousness according to faith. He gives an example of the faith we need to save our souls (10:39).
But Noah did more than save himself. Genesis states that Noah saved his family.
Noah is an example, not just of a godly man, but also of a good husband and father.
In direct contradiction to modern thinking, success in the family – for fathers, mothers, husbands, and wives – starts with a pattern and an example of righteousness for our families!
Husbands, parents, if God described you, would He say you are righteous and walk with God?
Faith
Noah’s example not only shows the importance of righteousness, it also shows what righteousness involves. The example he set for his family included faith.
Hebrews 11:7 – Noah was an heir of righteousness according to faith. Consider the evidence of Noah’s great faith and consider the example he set for his family.
* Noah lived in a society so evil that God determined to destroy them all (Genesis 6:1-13).
* Only Noah’s family was godly. They stood alone in a world of wickedness.
* The Bible records no rain falling before the flood (Genesis 2:5,6). Yet God expected Noah to believe that it would rain for forty days and nights.
* God required Noah to build what amounted to an ocean-going ship built according to a precise pattern. To our knowledge, no ship that large was ever built until recent generations.
* And Noah was 600 years old when the flood began (Genesis 7:6).
How many of us would have had the faith to do as Noah did? How many wives would have supported such a man? How many sons and daughters-in-law would have cooperated?
Fathers need the courage to stand up to the world and set an example of faithful service to God. But to be successful, the entire family needs strong faith.
Obedience
Noah’s faith included complete obedience.
Hebrews 11:7 – By faith he prepared the ark.
Genesis 6:22; 7:5 – He obeyed completely: all that God commanded.
Noah was not justified by “faith only.” Righteousness according to faith includes obedience. We please God and receive His rewards only when we obey. (Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26)
Noah’s obedience included worship.
Genesis 8:20 – Noah’s first act after the flood was to build an altar to worship God.
His obedience also included teaching God’s word to others.
2 Peter 2:5 – He was a preacher of righteousness. Surely this included diligently teaching God’s word to his family. To succeed in serving God, fathers need to lead in regular Bible study.
His obedience included courage to be different.
1 Peter 3:20 – Noah obeyed God when no one besides his family did so. He was willing to be different when it was needed to please God.
A successful husband and father needs a deep, abiding faith in God that leads him to obey all that God commands. He must set an example for his family of worship, teaching, and courage to be different from the world.
If that man’s wife and children also share these qualities, the result will be a family that truly pleases God like Noah’s family. So the qualities we need to have good families are the same qualities we need to please God!
How does this compare to the typical view of modern society?
Husbands, fathers, are you willing to obey God completely, leading your family in regular worship and Bible study, teaching others, even when that makes you and your family completely different from other people? Wives and children, are you willing to cooperate in such a home?
Success as a Parent
Most modern parents are happy if their children are good citizens, get good jobs, treat others fairly, and stay out of trouble. Many Christians doubt they can raise godly children in our society. And many children of church members are not faithful Christians. What can Noah teach us?
Noah Raised His Family in a Wicked World.
Our children face a world filled with violence, drugs, divorce, sexual immorality, abortion, gambling, homosexuality, and transgenderism. Evil is often promoted by schools, entertainment, government, business, and peers. Righteousness is ridiculed and even penalized.
Genesis 6:1-13 – But bad as modern society is, consider what Noah’s family faced.
* Wickedness was so great that every thought was continually evil (verse 5).
* All flesh was corrupted in God’s eyes (verse 12).
* The earth was filled with violence (verse 13).
* God was so sorry He had made man that He determined to destroy them (verses 6,7).
Hard as it is today, who would have wanted to try to raise a family in Noah’s day?
Yet Noah Saved His Family.
Numerous verses state that Noah’s wife, sons, and son’s wives were all on the ark.
Genesis 6:18; 7:1,7,13,23; 8:16,18 –The purpose of the flood was to destroy the wicked. The purpose of the ark was to save those who were not wicked.
Hebrews 11:7 – Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household.
1 Peter 3:20,21 – Eight souls were saved on that ark. That was Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. Their salvation illustrates our salvation through baptism.
2 Peter 2:5,9 -- Noah was a preacher of righteousness. No one outside his family obeyed, but he succeeded with his family. How many gospel preachers today can say the same?
The flood illustrates that God delivers the godly and punishes the wicked (verse 9).
Because Noah’s family was righteous, God determined to save them and use them to repopulate the earth (Genesis 9:18,19).
So Noah succeeded with his family in the most corrupt society recorded in Scripture.
Why can’t we do as well today?
Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Aside from the question of possible exceptions, who will deny that this proverb states a general truth?
A preacher whom I dearly loved used to say, “Every family has a black sheep.” Is that what Proverbs 22:6 says? But if you believe that, it will happen. He raised four children: two turned out to be gospel preachers and two turned out to be black sheep.
Parents, if we do our job properly, as a general rule we will save our children! Then why do so many families lose so many children? I can only conclude that many parents need to improve the way they train their children.
We need to stop rationalizing and start fighting the world. Stop caving in to the pressures to raise our children like the world. Stop being defeatist and start teaching God’s word diligently to our children.
Parents, do you have the courage, like Noah and his family, to be different from the world and to succeed in raising your children?
The Influence of Parents’ Conduct
Noah’s One Failure Brought Harm on His Family.
Genesis 9:20-27 – After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, became drunk, and was uncovered in his tent. Ham saw his father’s nakedness, but Shem and Japheth covered Noah. The result brought a curse on Ham’s descendants (verse 25).
I do not understand all the details, but some things seem clear. Shem and Japheth, obviously grown men, instead of being harmed by their father’s error, opposed it. Since later passages praise Noah as a godly man, I conclude that he repented.
Noah lived a godly life, but his one error brought a curse on some of his descendants.
Parents Today Also Influence Their Children.
Children are influenced, not just by parents’ teaching, but also by their conduct.
2 Timothy 1:5 – Timothy shared the faith of his mother and grandmother.
Ezekiel 16:44 – Like mother, like daughter
1 Kings 15:3 – Various kings are said to have walked in the sins of their fathers.
Matthew 18:6,7 – Woe to that man whose influence causes a little child to fall. Many parents, even those who seek to be Christians, have harmed their own children by example.
Like Noah, some drink alcoholic beverages.
They may claim to drink moderately: just a “social drink.” But every alcoholic started as a social drinker. How many, who took their first drink, intended to become alcoholics?
Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Proverbs 23:29-35 – Those who linger at wine experience problems of all sorts, so resist it from the beginning. Do not allow it to entice you to participate – verse 31.
We should resist the practice because of what it can lead to in our lives and in the lives of or children. Do you suppose Noah expected his drinking to bring a curse on his descendants? Like him, many parents bring a curse on their children by failing to resist alcoholic drink.
Like Noah, some practice nakedness.
Nakedness in the Bible includes, not just total nudity, but any clothing that does not adequately cover the body.
Genesis 3:7-11 – Adam and Eve were naked in their garments of fig leaves.
Genesis 3:21; Exodus 28:42 – To avoid nakedness we must cover, not just the upper body, but also the waist/loins and the thighs. Similar language in other passages shows this means completely. Should the waist/loins be completely or partially covered? Then so should the thighs. Many parents cause their children to stumble by failing to teach them proper clothing.
Obviously, many other practices may harm children: improper speech, “little white lies,” entertainment practices, missing church meetings, neglecting prayer and Bible study, etc.
Many parents fail to realize the harm done by their influence. As with Noah, the good done by our past righteousness may be undone by sin. And like Noah, we may repent, but we may not be able to undo the harm to our families. Some of our children may resist our error and not be harmed. But if just one child or grandchild is lost, what a tragedy!
Choosing a Marriage Companion
Their choice of spouses was critical to the success of Noah and his sons.
People of the World Chose Unwisely.
Genesis 6:2 – Doubtless many problems contributed to the horrible corruption in Noah’s day, but God named just one: men chose wives simply to please themselves and because they were beautiful. Aside from the question about the meaning of “sons of God” and “daughters of men,” God cites foolish marriage choices as a reason for moral decline.
Nehemiah 13:26,27 – Solomon was also led away from God by poor marriage choices. God had warned Israel plainly of this danger (Deuteronomy 7:3,4). We do not live under the Old Testament, but the danger still exists.
Many children of Christians marry thinking they will convert their mate. But far more Christians are converted to sin than the other way around. If you think you can convert your potential spouse, teach them first before the relationship becomes serious.
1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits. Whose companionship could influence you more than that of your spouse? If you think otherwise, remember the verse begins: “Do not be deceived.”
Noah’s Family Chose Godly Companions.
We are not told the names of Noah’s wife or his sons’ wives. We do know that they stood beside their husbands and were saved on that ark right alongside their husbands.
Ladies, would you have stood beside your husband if he was like these men?
What if absolutely everyone you knew said your husband was wrong and even crazy? Suppose he worked year after year, spending much family income, on a project that made no apparent sense. Would you have enough faith to obey God and stand beside that man? Or would he have to oppose you as well as the world?
Young people, had you lived then, what kind of spouse would you have chosen?
Would you have chosen according to physical beauty, wealth, fame, or personal pleasure? Would you say you can’t find a godly woman (or man), so you settle for less?
Proverbs 31:30 – Respect for God is a far more important than physical charm or beauty.
Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. If righteousness should take priority over physical needs, then surely it should also take priority in our choice of a marriage companion.
I do not know how Noah and his sons found their wives, but I know they did not choose companions like worldly people did. They chose companions who would serve the Lord, and they were the only ones who were saved. Everyone else chose spouses to please themselves, and they were all destroyed.
Young people, do not make the same mistake as the people of Noah’s day. Dare to insist that you will marry no one but a godly, faithful servant of God. And dare to believe that, if it is God’s will, he will provide that person for you. Under no circumstances should you settle for anyone who will endanger your eternal life.
Conclusion
Hebrews 11:7 – Noah’s example condemned the world of his day. I fear he also condemns many families today. Please do not think society is so wicked today that we cannot have godly families. Noah’s example rebukes all such thinking.
Men, do you want to know the kind of person you should be to be a good family man and save your family? Consider Noah. Women and children, do you want to have a good family that pleases God and leads to eternal life? Consider Noah’s family. They succeeded where many today fail, and they did so under circumstances far worse than any we have faced.
Do you want to know the kind of person you should be to be saved? 1 Peter 3:21 says his example shows that baptism saves us. Have you been baptized based on faith and repentance?
Are you living a godly life like Noah? Have you repented and been forgiven of your sins?
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2024; gospelway.com
